Ten-Minute Blog Break - 14th May

It's going to be a slightly truncated Blog Break this week, as I've just come back from the SCBWI retreat and my brain is a bit fried (yes, you can have too much writing, wine and cake!)


I'd like to introduce a brand new blogger to the network, Undiscovered Voices 2012 winner Rosie Best. Rosie's taken the plunge into blogging in preparation for her debut novel Skulk (which comes out in October) and she's taken to the form like a duck to water. Her first post explores six places in London that shaped her novel.

Over at the David Fickling Blog, Candy Gourlay pens a simply savage poem to the characters who populate her stories. It turns out that they live, die or even exist at the stroke of her pen. Be afraid.

Illustrators who are looking to enter this year's Undiscovered Voices competition should definitely check out Anne-Marie Perks's post at Big Little Tales, as she takes a behind the scenes look at the judging panel and gives her own top tips for entrants.

Finally, it's over to the ever-reliable Notes from the Slushpile for a couple of recent guest posts. Editor Bella Pearson tells us how (not) to get published (which doesn't sound very helpful, but is) and Nicola Morgan talks about the challenges and the rewards of writing teenage non-fiction books.

Nick

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Nick Cross is a children's writer, blogger and all-round digital guru. In 2010 he was a winner of Undiscovered Voices with his zombie comedy Back from the Dead.
Read Nick's latest blog post, discussing passive vs. active characters in children's fiction: Passive Obsessive.