Ten-Minute Blog Break - 18th March

Believe it or not, the Blog Break will be a year old next week. Sometimes (usually Monday lunchtime with an empty blog post in front of me) that year seems to have lasted an age, and other times it seems to have passed in a heartbeat. Either way, it's been quite a ride!

I encourage a leisurely approach to reading the Blog Break, complete with hot drink and optional biscuits. But it seems that Paula Rawsthorne wants us to get moving. Over at The Edge, Paula's asking if we're Fit to Write, because we have a profession that requires such a lot of bum-on-seat-time to achieve success. Paula has tips on how to squeeze exercise into your writing schedule and examples of what other authors do to stay fit.

There may have been a lot less cases of flu than expected this winter, but it does seem that there's a rather infectious blog chain doing the rounds instead. Candy Gourlay, Sally Poyton and Michelle Newell have all succumbed this week, discussing their latest works-in-progress and the processes they're using to write them. Find out why Candy keeps going down rabbit holes, how Sally risks lead poisoning for her art and why Michelle describes her writing process as "slow and erratic."

They (whoever "they" are) say write what you know, and Bridget Strevens Marzo is doing just that. I loved the idea that her own childhood experience of being culturally adrift in a French school has lead to Bridget's Book of English, a picture book of first English words for French children.

Heaven help us, but Mark Jones is at it again. This week, he's provided a "helpful" list of book ideas he's recently had rejected. Worse even than the thought of a pop-up picture book about psychotic kittens, is the fact that this post is the fifth in a thoroughly demented series. It's probably worth making sure you have The Samaritans on speed-dial before you tackle entries one, two, three and four.

Nick.

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Nick Cross is a children's writer, blogger and all-round techno-ninja. In 2010 he was a winner of Undiscovered Voices with his zombie comedy Back from the Dead.

Nick is currently writing short fiction for Stew Magazine, issue 2 of which is out now!