Summer writing: the good, the bad and the other stuff.
Sometimes I find writing easy: I just open my head and words come out. I’m happiest if they come out exactly as my brain intends. With My Name is Jodie Jones, I was stunned when someone (that someone being my agent, Jessica Hare) actually liked the words my brain intended, and didn’t think they were all weird and nuts. Then other people liked what I’d written (those people being the team at DFB) and that was even more surprising. Other other people seem to like it, too (those other other people being early readers and critics) so here’s hoping.
Sometimes I find writing hard. I need an ‘in’. I need a character and a voice and I’m away. Coming up with a voice can be hard, though.
Moan alert: I think my day job is changing my wiring. It’s allowing me to access the minds and day to day lives of teens, which is a plus. Not that I can really access the minds of teens but at least I’m around them and get a sense of their thinking. But being a teacher is hard work and I think my creative juices are drying up somewhat. I need a creative juice generator. I think it’s called a holiday.
(Yes, it’s the summer and yes, that could be considered a holiday but I mean a holiday from the whole cycle of academics: terms, preparing lessons, seating plans, KCSIE updates, exam marking, being constantly and increasingly exhausted.)
Positive energy alert: Look, I’ve managed to write and publish eight books while having two jobs, four kids and piles of marking so let’s be easy on ourselves. I also like teaching, and the kids, and my colleagues, and literature. I just don’t like being tired.
The reason I’m writing this post: My agent has asked me to send her some ideas. This is good. This means I’ve spent the last two weeks writing snippets of things. Deadlines work for me: otherwise I’m excellent at thinking a lot. Gathering ideas for Jessica gets me writing words down and developing them into something a wee bit longer. I now have five ideas and snippets to send her, and some I like. Let’s see if she does.
Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@nick_brookenheimer
Emma Shevah 