A Decade Out of the Writing Cupboard

The decade coming to close, kind of slipped my notice, as I’m too busy preparing for Christmas, editing one of my WIP’s and visiting Sixth Form Colleges with my eldest spawn. So I was a tad bemused when on twitter I saw a loads people posting photos of them from 2009 and now 2019 – saying where they were in their lives a decade ago compared to now. This got me thinking that this is a good time to reflect on my writing journey.

2009

The first thing is that finding a photo of me from 2009 was difficult, it was pre smart phones and so all photos were taken with either our digital compact or DSLR, with me behind the lens, so the only photo I have is an out-of-focus one taken my by then 4YO Daughter! 

In 2009 I was living in dilapidated post war bungalow that desperately needed a new roof (and walls and floors etc.) My kids were small, one at pre-school the other in Foundation class, and I was in pain. The pain was due to shallow deformed hip joints, and hyper flexibility causing me to wear the hip joints out at an accelerated rate. In the summer 2009, I went under the knife– the first of two planned hip reconstructions. However, they had to abort the surgery but not before cutting and de-strengthening all the soft tissue – making me worse. This meant I could hardly walk, and as I was on morphine for the pain so I couldn't drive either.

I was however writing, feverishly and excitably. But I was in the writers closet – sort of! I would talk at length about my WIP to family, who smiled and listened through gritted teeth, but I had no writer friends and I felt isolated, like I was the only one on the planet writing a kids book!

2009 statistics

Books completed: 0 

Competition Submissions: 0

Competition Wins/ Long-listings /short-listings: 0 

Submissions to agents and Editors: 0 

Requests for full Manuscripts: 0 

Yeses: 0 

Publications: 0 

2019

We are firmly in the age of Smart Phones, and I have teens, so there is a wealth of photo’s to choose from, of course I HATE them all!

2019 is drawing to a close, and since 2009, as a family we’ve built a house, moved 5 times, done up three houses and we’re currently living in a post-war house that desperately needs a new roof! My kids are teens, one in year 9 the other in the scary ultimate GCSE year. I’ve successfully limped away from hip surgery for the last ten years, I have however chipped off a chuck of my hip bone, (emptying a bin), and dislocated my hip (standing still!) BUT I’m no longer on opiates and I can both walk (on level flat terrain) and drive.

I am writing, and editing, and honing my craft and submitting desperately trying to get my work in print. But I’m definitely out of the writing closest, and no longer bore my non-writer friends and family (as much) with my excitable writing chatter.

In 2010 I joined my first Writers Critique Group, Abingdon Writers. This changed my life. It was a gateway – or maybe rabbit hole to a completely new world. I met my first writer buddies, Jo and Nicki – together we joined SCBWI and submitted to UV2012 – in which Jo won, and I was honorary mentioned. This was quickly followed by Nicki and I being long listed for The Times Chicken House 2013 –which Nicki went on to win in 2016! We all became part of the SCBWI Oxford Critique group, and when I moved to bucks I volunteered for SCBWI on the conference and Professional Series. Now I’m a member of SCBWI, and the Golden Egg Academy and have started a new critique group locally Green Penn with the lovely Trudie and Jessica. I blog and review books, and over the last 10 years I’ve volunteered and worked in book shops.

2019 statistics

Books completed: 4 Novels, 1 novella, 12 Picture Books, (numerous unfinished projects) 

Competition Submissions: 49 

Competition Wins/ Long-listings /short-listings: 1 Win,   2 short-listings,   2 Long-listings,    2 Honorary Mentions 

Submissions to agents and Editors: to embarrassed to say upwards of 100 

Requests for full Manuscripts: 8 

Yes: 2 

Publications: 0 

Looking at the statistics made me feel like I’ve not actually done that much, but combine that with all the life stuff, and starting up a business - and then thinking of the amount of research and re-writes and edits of each project it amounts to hundreds and hundreds of hours.

So all in all, 2019 is much more positive than 2009 – I feel more settled in my ramshackle house, and I’m in less pain. But best of all I am really fortunate to have so many writer friends and so much support, that I no longer feel isolated. Now I know that I’m not the only one writing kid’s books on the planet – in fact quite the opposite. There lots of us, and I’m happy to part of this massive friendly Kid Lit Tribe!

An Slightly Late Celebration of Tell A Fairy Tale Day (which was yesterday)…

Usually I’d be shouting from the roof tops on Tell A Fairy Tale Day, last year I posted a video blog of me telling a self-penned fairy tale [press here to view] but yesterday I was somewhat pre-occupied. However today is a bright sunny new day, and I shall mark the great Tell A Fairy Tale Day, a tad late with this small post of  how, on the Tell a Fairy Tale day, 26th of February 2014, Fairy tales are featuring in my family.

My small people got Kindle’s for Christmas and were reading Grimm’s Fairy tales, the original darker less edited versions and when I spotted them stumbling into some of the grimmest tales, I thought I should possibly encourage them toward more age suited tales. Enter Michael Buckley’s Sisters Grimm series, the middle grade adventures of Daphne and Sabrina, the fairy tale detectives who discover their descendants of the famous Wilhelm and Jacob, and must save their parents from a fairy-tale villain in the town of Ferryport Landing, which is populated entirely by fairy tale characters called Everafters. I ordered the first book for my daughter (aged nine), who read it in hours, and then continued on to book two, and is now nagging for me to purchase book three. Then my son (aged seven) a more reluctant reader liked the sound of the books so much he’s how reading the first book too.

I’m currently reading Jasper Fforde's fantastic first Nursery Rhymes Division book, The Big Over Easy, which is a hilarious detective yarn, following DI Jack Spratt (who has a nasty reputation for killing giants) as he and DS Mary Mary, try to crack the murder of Humpty Stuyvesant Van Dumpty’. I’m immensely enjoying watching the detectives as they try and work out who done it, with an escalating pile of corpses, and growing list of suspects, from Humpty’s lover Rapunzel, small time crook Thom Thumb, to crime king-pin Giorgio Porgia. It’s a cleaver, witty and  quirky read, that takes fairy-tales to a genre which is unique to Jasper Fforde.

My husband, and me and well everyone who comes around to visit are dipping into the remarkable and humorous, ‘Tigger on The Couch’ by Laura James. This coffee table book was published back in 2007, and is incredibly hard to come by, but is worth the search. Tigger on The Couch, diagnoses the ‘Neuroses, psychoses, disorders and maladies of favourite childhood characters’. Of course Fairy Tale characters feature heavily, for example; Snow White’s Stepmother who has ‘ Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) which manifests with her experiencing severe problems with personal relationships and in controlling her obsessive impulse. It’s an entertaining read from Cinderella’s trouble with Approval Addiction, to the more serious Bluebeards Psychopathy which results in callous disregard for others and serial murder.

Finally, my son is practicing every waking moment for his upcoming concert, which is a musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s version of Jack and the Beanstalk. So as you can see on Tell A Fairy Tale day 2014, my family is indeed focused on fairy tales!

If that wasn't enough, I'm off to the fantastic book launch this evening of fellow SCBWI member and Undiscovered Voice 2012 Honorary Mention Liz De Jager's fairytale YA Novel Banished! 

Jo Wyton's Suggestion for a Book in Every Stocking...

Jo Wyton writes contemporary books for teens and was one of the winners of Undiscovered Voices 2012, with her novel ‘Magpie.’ Jo is represented by Molly Ker Hawn of The Bent Agency and is currently working on her next book, ‘Dirt Dog.’ Lets hope Santa puts a book deal in her stocking as well as books! 

Thanks for checking out the the blog and supporting the 'Book in Every Stocking' Campaign. Please help us spread the word, as if we call shout then maybe Santa will hear! You can help spread the word by tweeting or FaceBooking...

#Book_in_Every_Stocking

Writers on The Radio: Jo Wyton and Me (Sally Poyton) on BBC Radio Oxford

Here is a piccy of Jo and I before the interview!

So yesterday, Monday 20th February 2012, Jo Wyton and I were interviewed by the lovely Jo Thoenes on her afternoon show on BBC Radio Oxford.  It was a great experience, despite having wound ourselves up to the point where we were both actually vibrating with anticipation whilst also shaking with nerves, we managed to get through the interview, and what’s more really enjoy it.

Jo Thoenoes made us feel really relaxed and the whole experience was just like having a friendly chat, abet in a pillar-box-red room, with lots of flashing lights, switches, and big microphones before our faces.  We covered subjects such as writing groups and how we met at Abingdon Writers. The importance of having writing friends, (from the likes of Abingdon Writers and SCBWI) for both the writer sanity and the mental health of their loved ones. Jo also asked about our books, I explained a little about Through Mortal Eyes, and Jo about her YA contemporary novel Magpie, about three teenage girls who have been separated by a secret. We also discussed writing in general and of course the Undiscovered Voices competition and its impact on our writing since being picked as Honorary Mention (in my case) and Winner (in Jo’s case).

Yes it would appear that I'm Jo's plus one!

The interview lasted about 45 minutes, yet seemed much less whilst in the studio. After we left BBC Radio Oxford HQ in Summertown, we felt a buzz of excitement; we actually did it, talked whilst on air, without too much stumbling or thankfully swearing! And with a bit of luck we both made sense.

If you want to listen to the interview, it’s on the BBC Radio Oxford's web-site listen again page until 27^th February or just press link here  to BBC RADIO OXFORD. The interview is about an hour into the show, so you may have to skip at bit.

So I at least feel rather pleased as I can say that I’ve done something new this week, (as it doesn’t happen very often,) and I greatly enjoyed it too. 

Jo Wyton and Me (Sally Poyton) on BBC Radio Oxford; Talking Writing and More -20th February 2pm

Ok yes, we’re on the radio being interviewed about writing, the importance of writing buddies, and critique groups, plus entering competitions like Undiscovered Voices.  I am so nervous I’m worried the microphone may pick up the sound of my teeth chattering.  But if you’d like to tune in to hear us then here is the link so you can listen via the web BBC Radio Oxford. 

Wish us luck...