Miracles Do Happen

Hello fellow writers, forgive me for being so late today! It seems crazy that I have a whole month to prepare for my post yet I seem to leave it until the last minute. To be honest I tend to write the post only a day or two before it's due because I like to share my heart with you in ‘almost’ real-time! Well, this is ‘real’ real-time!

Some of you may have noticed I’ve been a little off-grid as of late, not that I’m a huge chatterbox on social media, (I know, I know, I need to get out there!) and so I thought I would share with you why and this time, it’s not family dramas – though they can be quite fun to write!!

You see, a miracle happened. A month or two ago I took part in the ACW Writing for Children Zoom Day and, though I was a little nervous, I absolutely loved it. The opportunity to share my experience was great but, even better, was the opportunity to “meet’ new and old ACW friends (goodness I’ve missed those writers’ days!).

A week or so following this event, I received a call from a commissioning editor asking me if I would like to write a book for them and so, to cut a long story short (ha ha!), I have been incredibly busy preparing proposals for two books; one fiction and one non-fiction. A miracle indeed! 

This whole experience has taught me a few lessons and I thought I’d share them with you:

Get into the habit of saying “Yes!” I have Wendy Jones to thank for this one! I attended one of her many inspirational talks and her advice to say "Yes!" stuck with me.

Kill all thoughts of Imposter Syndrome. If you’re asked to take part in something it’s because you have something to offer. (My boss taught me that one when I popped into his office to tell him I’d been asked to speak about writing for children and yet I wasn’t even published! Will I be found out?!!)

Writing a synopsis before one has written the book is a lot harder, especially if you’re the sort of writer who likes their story to unfold and emerge as you write it. However, it’s refreshingly rewarding (and possible!).

If you think writing a chapter will take one day, double it. It will probably take you two days!

Just do it. (Both Nike and Richard Branson are fans of this small but effective phrase, though Richard Branson’s own version is a little ruder)

Miracles are real.

That’s all for today, folks. Xx