Monday 18 March 2024

Writing - So Much More than the Pursuit of Publication

Writing - So Much More than the Pursuit of Publication


Sometimes as a pre-published author I get tunnel vision, believing success is only one thing – getting published. But it is so much more. It just takes a wide angled lens to appreciate just how much more.

When you are on submission and the rejections are rolling in or worse, there is a void of rejections as is the modern way, and everyone seems to be getting contracts but you, it can seem as if success is binary, in print or failed. This is the time to take a step back and admire the view. Due to this exact reason and also not helped by a spell of bad health, this is what I have recently done.

I have done this before and posted about all the ways that writing has enhanced my life and my family's in multiple ways - read more here. But this time I wanted to do it specifically for my current project/submission ‘Ashley Grimes Mammoth Whisperer.’ To see how writing the book has embellished by life, and it is a really lovely view with lots of accomplishments to feel good about.

Firstly, I have rekindled my original love of illustration, as a direct result, as I started sketching the characters and settings. I am now working on developing a portfolio.

Space mammoth - illustration by me - crayons, ink, ipad. 

 

I had an article of non-fiction about Mammoths and climate change published in the amazing children’s periodical The Changeling Magazine, along with one of my illustrations. Read more here.




I’ve also been invited to do library and museum events to talk children and adults alike abut mammoths and their theoretical use to help combat climate change.


 
I’m now sometime referred to as Mammoth Lady or Mammoth Aunty (not actually by my a nephews or nieces!) which I love. Also, often people think of me when they stumble across a mammoth and send me photos/messages, which I adore. Who doesn’t like seeing a mammoth in the wild? Or send me mammoth things they've made - I love a surprise mammoth post!

A selection of handmade mammoth surprise post!


I have had the privilege of messaging, meeting, and making friends with some lovely equally - possibly even more - mammoth obsessed people than me. Like Beth Shaprio, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who wrote the book, ‘How to Clone a Mammoth,’ who very kindly checked the science in my manuscript. 




Also, thanks to my longest friend Vicky Stowell – thank you, Sally and Nev Hollingworth, who are the amazing paleontologist's who found the Mammoth of Graveyard near Swindon.


Me (middle) With Sally and Nev Hollingworth - (photo by Nev (thanks Nev))


Lastly it was Sally and Nev who invited me to do something that I always wanted to do, go on a planetology dig. When I was a teenager, I desperately wanted to be a paleozoologist or anthropologist, but I was not permitted to take science and I was told by school I would never me allowed to do any scientific endeavour but to stick to art due to my dyslexia and dyscalculia. Of course at that tender age you believe it. So going to the dig was amazing. Full of lovely generous people. Although I personally didn’t find any bits of dead mammoth, I did help plaster a mammoth tusk ready for transport. Which was a real honour! 

Me helping with the plastering - thanks to Sally H for photo.


So, when the rejections are rolling in, and my lack of perceived achievement gets me down, I have to think - if I gave up writing what else would I miss? The answer is - a lot. A lot of awesome stuff!


Me at the dig! Thanks Sally H for the photo!


Tuesday 12 March 2024

Submission Impossible? 100 Rejections in a Year!



I’ve made the decision that this year 2024, I’m really going to knuckle down and submit like I have never submitted before. In the past I’ve always approached my submission process with a tad less dedication than the writing itself. After spending hours (far too many to calculate) researching, plotting, world building, writing, revising and editing, (and repeating several times over), the submission always start with an enthusiastic flourish and then after a first dozen and half of rejections, I lose confidence, and everything just peters out.

This year though, I believe my manuscript is in really good shape, and the feedback from peers and professional has been encouraging, so my aim is to be more tenacious in 2024. With that in mind I have set myself the target of receiving 100 rejections before we next sing Auld Lang Syne.



 

To achieve this, I’ve built in dedicated time in my weekly schedule and have implemented some measures to visually show progress. In addition to my spreadsheet, I’ve got a glass vase and some crystal beads. With every submission I will add a blue (stripped agate) bead to the vase, and with every full manuscript request, long-listing, short-listing or honorary mention, I will add a pink (tigers eye) bead to the vase. This will mean that I will see the vase gradually filling up throughout the year.

I am hoping that having this visual tactile log of my progress will also serve as a stimulus to keep me motivated and continue the endeavour of reaching my target.

If by a miracle I get signed along the way I will think of a something extra special to add to the vase.


 

**Edit** since initially writing this I’ve added my first pink bead! Fingers crossed!

Thursday 7 March 2024

World Book Day 2024, Celebrating as a Pre-Published Author with no Small Children (anymore!)

World Book Day 2024, Celebrating as a Pre-Published Author with no Small Children (anymore!)





Happy World Book Day everyone!

World Book Day in years gone past was a big thing on our family calendar. Me writing, and immersed in the kid’s lit world, and two bookworm children excited about all the school WBD festivities. It was grand, read more [press here]

But then the kids grew up so no more WBD dressing up scrambles, and me still being unpublished, having no events to attend. This can be difficult as it really makes the notion of success as a writer seem binary, published v’s non-published, as everywhere on social media there are authors doing events. I have in the past years used the days to dream how I would do an author event if I were published but it can be lonely [press here to read more], so this year I decided to be proactive.

So my World book Day 2024 plan is…


Spread the love…



  • Having been on the booksellers end of WBD, I decided to give a WBD Bookseller’s Survival Care Package to my local Indy bookshop.

  • As I am literally across the road from a pre-school, and I make story sacks, I made and delivered a mammoth themed story sack for them which I will deliver on the day.




  • I am going to spend some time doing reviews on Amazon /Goodreads for books I read recently.


For me…


  • I have a virtual coffee scheduled with another author/illustrator, to raise a cup of some caffeinated substance in celebration.

  • I will read. Read with abandon, without guilt that I could or should be doing something else!

  • A trip to a bookshop.



So that is my World Book Day shorted. What are you doing?