Ten-Minute Blog Break - 27th May

Some of our SCBWI bloggers are so reliable that the same names crop up again and again on the Blog Break. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's nice this week to hear from some people who don't get featured as often.

We start with a couple of posts giving different perspectives on library visits. Julie Day guest blogs for the Alliance of Independent Authors, talking us through the self-publishing session she ran at her local library, and how she used it to drive awareness and book sales. Meanwhile, Dawn Finch has some (occasionally cryptic) notes from a School Libraries Group discussion, giving tons of ideas for how authors and librarians can maximise the impact of writer visits.

Writers are constantly being exhorted to "write for yourself", though if that were the whole story, no-one would be reading this site! In an exuberant blog post, Sarah Broadley explores the conflict between being a solitary writer creating only for your own amusement, and the rewards that come from entering the broader, scarier world of critique groups and writing communities.

Like many authors, Jo Franklin is addicted to "How to Write" books. In an insightful post, she picks the inspirational ones that are most guaranteed to give you a lift in times of discouragement and despair.

Finally, Loretta Schauer thinks there should be a BAFTA for Best Supporting Character in a Picture Book. To support her claim, she's made a red carpet style montage of all the important incidental characters in her recent work. And your eyes aren't deceiving you, one of them is a cushion!

Nick.


A SCBWI member since 2009, Nick Cross is a former Undiscovered Voices winner who currently writes children's short fiction for Stew Magazine, the May issue of which is out now!

1 comment:

  1. Wonderfully distracting selection again Nick, I'm especially inspired by Julie!

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