Well, it’s been an exciting week!
- My wonderful agent, Sophie Gorell-Barnes, is sending Hospital High out to publishers,
- I met with my new writing group and it wasn’t nearly as scary as I feared, and
- I’m recording with BBC Radio Four this afternoon…something about writers and their love of stationery.
It feels like a proper writer’s week… Of course, I’m most comfortable in my dressing gown, typing away in my room. But that’s no way to run a whole career. Fine for a hobby, but not for a life…
I used to teach a class for my second years about how to get published. For a year, it was made compulsory, and as I was walking up the stairs I overheard one boy say to another, ‘I don’t want to learn this sh*t. I just want to write.’
When we got into class, I announced that I had overheard this conversation. The class was shocked and silent, rather fearful of my reaction. I said, ‘Well, I’ll tell you something. I don’t want to do this sh*t, either. I want to live in my room, write whatever I want and have money and food slid to me under the door. But that’s not going to happen for me and it’s not going to happen for you. So let’s get our pads and pencils out and learn how it really works.’
No matter what your creative endeavour, I urge you to get out and about a little this week. Go to a workshop or a fair. Talk to people about it a bit more. The rewards can be absolutely amazing, once you manage to get over the threshold of your room…
…even if it’s just to go over to someone else’s room! (Thanks to Peter and his cat! For more about Peter’s wonderful nature and environmental writing, click on the photo.)
My Glamorous Literary Life 