SCBWI FACES Alison Padley-Woods

 

SCBWI Faces goes behind the scenes to meet our volunteers. This month Lucy Hope chats to Alison Padley-Woods, Social Media Editor for Words & Pictures.





Alison Padley-Woods took a career break after having children and got a MA in Creative Writing for Children. She’s had several short stories published in children’s anthologies. Her middle-grade novel The Firestone of Avisriel was shortlisted for the Times/Chicken Children’s Award and longlisted twice for the Bath Children’s Novel Award. She has many characters and stories hidden on her laptop itching to get out and with a little nurturing she hopes one day to see them in print.

 

What do you write?

I write middle-grade fiction, but I also love writing picture books in prose and rhyme, one of which was shortlisted for Writing Magazine’s Picture Book Prize. I often switch from one genre to another but right now I have a schedule, and I’m focussing on finishing two magical realism novels that I’m really excited about. Both stories weave together historical elements with fiction and are inspired by real events. I love combining magic with reality. I think these were the kinds of books I most enjoyed most as a child.

 

Do you have a ‘day job’ as well as volunteering and writing?

Yes, I work four days a week at the Information Commissioner’s Office. It couldn’t be more different to writing for children and to the career in publishing I started out in when I worked for Condé Nast Publications on Brides Magazine. However, my job fits in with my current lifestyle and I’ve loved learning something new, donning a legal cap and seeing how data rights impact all of us and most importantly children.

 

Describe your writing space.

I happily write anywhere, cafes, trains, in bed, but most days, you’ll find me in our back room overlooking the garden. It’s a lovely light space, warm and airy, and a place where I can watch the seasons change. It’s in the hub of our house, so I usually choose quieter times to write. I especially love to get up early in the morning, make an obligatory cup of tea and write for a couple of hours before the rest of the house surfaces. It’s my most productive time.



How long have you been a SCBWI volunteer?

I first volunteered in early 2020 when I became the Deputy Illustration Features Editor for Words & Pictures. In 2022, I took on the role of Social Media Editor, alongside Anna Gamble, managing the social media accounts, and creating engaging content to promote the magazine and SCBWI as a whole.

 

Describe the main tasks of your role as a SCBWI volunteer.

As Social Media Editor for Words & Pictures, I am responsible for the weekly newsletter that’s emailed out to all UK members. It keeps everyone up to date with new content we publish online and promotes SCBWI’s events and competitions. I also manage the Facebook and X accounts for Words & Pictures, writing posts to publicise each new edition and new articles. The aim is to support our members and the children’s publishing industry as a whole. By broadening our readership, we also hope to encourage new members to join SCBWI. It’s a fantastic society to be part of.

 

Do you do any other volunteering?

Occasionally I still put on a high viz jacket to help out East Cheshire Scouts with car park marshalling at local events. Our three children were in the Scouts, and they all got so much out of it that we happily continue to support their fundraising efforts.

 

Has volunteering influenced your writing in any way?

Yes, definitely. I have met so many writers and illustrators along the way and shared ideas with them. It’s also given me the opportunity to interview some of the industry’s major talents, including Chris Riddell and Kate Pankhurst which has been a real privilege. It’s inspiring to learn how others work. It’s also a perfect way to keep up to date with all that is happening in children’s publishing. As a volunteer, I always attend SCBWI’s annual conference and look forward to this year’s in London. It’s a great chance to learn and network and get valuable feedback on your work.

Meeting Chris Riddell at a Times Chicken House event before Alison interviewed him for Words & Pictures


What are the advantages of being a volunteer?

 The saying that you get out of life what you put in is so true when it comes to volunteering. When I look back, I’ve always volunteered, from writing and editing the school magazine and the student newspaper to volunteering at our children’s primary school where amongst other things, I ran creative writing workshops for children. A few years back, I mentored children taking part in The Sadie Massey Awards for Young Readers and Writers run by Manchester’s Portico Library. I was also a volunteer writer/editor on the Stories to Connect project run with UCLAN Publishing and Barnardos. This project published an anthology, telling stories of resilience inspired by children from Barnardos. All of these things have been so rewarding and I’ve discovered that in giving your time you gain so much. Volunteering presents so many positive opportunities.

 

How many hours per week do you spend volunteering?

Up until recently we published a weekly edition of Words & Pictures, and I spent about an hour and a half a week doing the social media posts and newsletter. Now we publish bi-monthly which makes it easier. When I was Deputy Illustration Editor, I spent more time liaising with illustrators to commission articles and edit them. It was more involved, researching and preparing interviews, so it possibly took up two to three hours a week. It’s difficult to quantify, but it was very satisfying seeing the articles published online.

 

Do the boundaries between volunteering get blurred or do you have clearly demarcated writing/volunteering times/space?

I try and keep them clearly marked but it’s so easy to let the boundaries merge. Sometimes I’ll set aside time to write and then realise I need to do the social media posts. I will usually prioritise the posts because I know they are time dependent, then I get going on my writing.

 

Favourite children’s book?

It’s always hard to pick a favourite, but I would say C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the book that took my breath away as a child. I can still remember the excitement of the first chapter when Lucy hides in the wardrobe amongst the fur coats and tumbles into Narnia. It was so magical. Interestingly, I loved reading non-fiction books too – from Children’s Encyclopaedias to the Ladybird books about great explorers. The story about Scott of the Antarctic always stayed with me and especially Captain Oates’s last words, “I’m just going outside, and I may be some time.” Heartbreaking! Perhaps it’s these influences in childhood that have led me to write magical realism stories that combine fact with fiction. 

Find Alison on X and Instagram

*Header illustration: Tita Berredo and Ell Rose
*Other images courtesy of Alison Padley-Woods


*
Anne Boyere is one of Words & Pictures' Feature Editors and runs the #SCBWIchat on X (formerly Twitter) chat about books for all ages @SCBWI_BI. You can find her on X.

*
Ell Rose is a non-binary illustrator & animator based in Edinburgh and Illustration Features Editor for Words & Pictures. Their cats sometimes feature in their work in either comics or illustrations/animation. They are available for editorial, non-fiction and fiction books and commercial work as well as 2D motion graphics. Contact illustrators@britishscbwi.org

*
Tita Berredo is Illustrator Coordinator of SCBWI British Isles and the Art Director of Words & Pictures. Follow her on Instagram, X and www.titaberredo.com or contact her at illuscoordinator@britishscbwi.org

1 comment:

  1. USE THIS CHEAT CODE TO BEAT THE CRYPTOCURRENCY, STOCK MARKET AND FOREX 📊📉📈

    There has been a new cheat code to always win every trade in the Crypto or Forex market, this cheat code simply involves using/allowing ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 🤖 (AI) to make analysis and control your trades. AI is the new deal in the world today, they learn fast, memorize and keep information. Trading platforms have now developed AI Bot in their platforms that can control and handle trades for users. the advantage of this is that profits are guaranteed while liquidation and losses are avoided.

    one of this platforms that uses AI Bot to trade for it users is DOOXOIN, though profits arent high as you might expect, the AI Bot is really good at avoiding losses and liquidation. there are other advantages of trading with DOOXOIN and i have listed them below-:
    1. $10 registration bonus.
    2. Referral bonus of up to 2.5% of referral deposit.
    3. 24/7 hours customer support service.
    4. Instant email notifications and alert services.
    5. Quick deposit and withdrawal services. and lots more.......

    use the link below to create an account-:
    dooxoin. com
    Or contact DOOXOIN customer services using the email-:
    support@dooxoin.com

    ReplyDelete

We love comments and really appreciate the time it takes to leave one.
Interesting and pithy reactions to a post are brilliant but we also LOVE it when people just say they've read and enjoyed.
We've made it easy to comment by losing the 'are you human?' test, which means we get a lot of spam. Fortunately, Blogger recognises these, so most, if not all, anonymous comments are deleted without reading.

Words & Pictures is the Online Magazine of SCBWI British Isles. Powered by Blogger.