Not only is 2019 coming to a close, but so we find ourselves at the end of another decade. It’s a time to reflect on what we have achieved and consider where we want to head in the next ten years. With this in mind, My #Gr8Blogs writerly pals and I are diving deep into a special year-end blog hop, December Dreamin.’
Was 2019 a crazy roller coaster ride for you? Smooth sailing? Full of milestone events? It’s been a huge year for me creatively, I have learnt so much.
Join me as ’I remember the happy moments as well as lessons learned from challenges this past year in “My Ups, Downs, and In Betweens on the 2019 Writing Road.” Check out my personal reveals, then visit the other #Gr8Blogs linked at the end of the post for more shared recollections. We hope you'll be inspired to dive into special December Dreams of your own!
It has been an incredible year for me, I have had much writing success and travelled quite a bit due to John’s work. Along the road there have also been disappointments that natural come with submitting work to competitions and publishers. Rejections are a normal part of this writing life. We have to accept them, and move on. I like to focus on the positive aspects of life, so together let’s take a look at what I have learned this year.
Be Brave
I don’t know about you, it’s amazing how many times I ask myself, am I good enough? It doesn’t matter how far down this writing road I come, I still question whether my writing is worthy, will kids want to read my stories? That impostor syndrome seems to like to stay tucked nice and comfy in my mind.
This year was my year to be brave and send my writing out to more possibilities. By being brave to submit my work to competitions and enter a writing proposal, I had successes that I never thought possible before.
The competition was to write a scary story suitable for readers aged 8-12 years, but not too spooky that it would frighten them. I had written a spooky story once before and had it published in an adult anthology, could I write a story to fit these guideline? I had the spark of an idea, it was a combination of something my Dad used to say to us when we went on holidays and a memory of an experience I had in Scotland back in 2010. Put the two thoughts together and I arrived with my story, ‘The Dead Centre of Town.’ Once written I was brave enough to hit the send button and submit it to ‘Share Your Story.’ A couple of months later, I heard the good news, I had won a place in the Share Your Story Spooktacular Stories - Thrilling Tales for Brave Kids.
Around the same time I found the request from Library For All for proposals to write a story for their new ‘Disaster’ series. They were looking for stories to be made into graphic novels for young and struggling readers in remote and rural regions of Papua New Guinea. The topics included, cyclones, bushfires, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The story had to be fiction but also had to include ways to teach how to survive these disasters in this region along with characters that were relateable to the indigenous reader. As I was travelling back and forth to PNG, I did my research and came up with an idea. My proposal was accepted, then the difficult task of completing the story in 1,500 words began. My initial story was completed at 2,000 words, a little longer than it should have been. I was asked to reduce it to 1,200, which I found quite difficult. It takes bravery to cut your words to fit a story under specific guidelines into such a tight word limit. However, I was brave enough to make the cuts, the story is better for it and ‘Cyclone Kayla’ will be released in PNG and Australia sometime soon when the graphic illustrations are completed, (not by me).
It is being brave enough to put my work out there, that I now have four self-published books, two traditionally published books and six stories in four anthologies. That’s a lot of stories being read by kids around Australia and overseas. With a bit of luck, there’s still plenty more to come.
I have entered other competitions this year without success, but that’s okay, I am still learning and still trying.
My takeaway from this - If you aren’t brave and willing to give something a go, you will never know the wonderful opportunities that are possible. Looking ahead, I will be entering more competitions and searching for further opportunities as we head into 2020 and beyond. What do you need to do to be braver next year?
Be Consistent
If you want to achieve anything, you need to be consistent, show up and do the work.
I have been extremely busy since August with the book launch of ‘A Lighthouse in Time’ the Adamson Adventures 2, and then the two anthologies, ‘Spooktacular Stories’ and the “CKT Story Collection 2.’ While all the events have been a lot of fun, they would not have been possible without the hard work first. It is consistency writing nearly every day that helps me reach my goals. That and being consistent meeting wonderful supportive author friends at the National Library of Australia nearly every Wednesday. Their support helps keep me on track, determined more than ever to show up at my desk and keep creating.
Even among the chaos and fun of book launches, school visits and author events, I still look forward to the time most days when I am consistently writing. Good habits form when you do them all the time, the brain is more creative and I am generally more satisfied. It is because of this habit forming that I can say the first draft of ‘Fossil Frenzy’ the Adamson Adventures 3, is now complete. The editing process will begin shortly after Christmas. I can’t wait to share it with you hopefully come August 2020.
The next chapter book may be drafted, but I am now in the middle of a Junior Fiction course, that is all about consistency. Showing up daily to write a quota of words, no matter how small, means each day you are one step closer to reaching your goal. Every word written today, is one more word than you had yesterday. This is a brand new story that has me all excited as it is something I have never tried writing before, the ideas and possibilities are endless, I can see the spark of a new series forming.
My takeaway from this - no matter what your goal is, show up, be consistent and you will keep moving forward. Looking ahead, I can’t wait to write and meet new characters and stories in 2020 and beyond. Are you consistent with your endeavours or a bit haphazard in your plans and goals?
Leave Your Comfort Zone Behind
Being brave this year, also meant having the courage to step outside my comfort zone and leave it behind. I am a typical Cancer, happiest when left to hide away in my little cosy shell not taking risks and putting myself out there to be judged.
This was my year to challenge that comfy couch. It all began when I agreed to attend the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) National Conference. Although I was only an attendee not a speaker, I did have the opportunity to be at a book signing table with other CBCA (ACT) members. This lead to my being invited to speak at this years ‘Romancing the Stars’ CBCA (ACT) event a month later. While I am accustomed to speaking in front of groups of kids, (as a former teacher, I have no issues there,) speaking to an audience of adults is another prospect entirely. With butterflies in my stomach, I walked to the front, holding my notes in my shaking hand. But once I started telling my story, something strange happened, I began to relax and forgot all about my notes. I can almost go so far as saying, I enjoyed myself.
After that experience, I accepted the opportunity to speak at the Canberra Writer’s Festival. My nerves were not too bad that day, my audience was both parents and children. As part of the advertising for that festival, we were asked to create a video for social media. That really was way out of my comfort zone. I am practising to improve on this, and who knows, you may see more videos from me next year.
My takeaway - Unless you are prepared to leave your comfort zone behind, you never know what you can do. Looking ahead, stay tuned for appearances and more videos, even if they are somewhat embarrassing. What will you do to leave your comfort zone behind?
Show Gratitude
I am thankful every day for the connections and friendships I have made in recent years being part of the community of children’s writers in the ACT and online in writing groups such as Share Your Story and the Duck Pond. It is through knowing and connecting in a positive way that has lead me on to opportunities and opened up possibilities. I am so grateful to be included along with Jacqueline de Rose-Ahern and Kerry Malone in founding the Story Creators Community which we hope will continue to grow in 2020 as we foster and mentor other creative people towards their goals. I know that without the support of these amazing people both on and offline I would not be as far in my writing career as I am today. I still have a long way to go, however I am mindful and grateful to everyone that shares my creative spirit.
Another note worthy of mention is my gratitude to Speech Pathology Australia for recognising the value in ‘Secrets Hidden Below,’ the Adamson Adventures 1, and shortlisting it in their Book of the Year Awards. I am honoured to have one of my stories not only considered but deemed worthy of such an important industry award.
My takeaway - Find your tribe and be grateful for them. Whether you are a children’s author like me, an illustrator, an adult fiction writer, musician or whatever your creative pursuit, there is a group out there for you, and they will help you move forward just by being there to share your wins and commiserate your losses. There is strength in sharing and connecting with like-minded friends. Looking ahead I will continue to be grateful for my tribe every day and never take them for granted. Who are you most grateful for?
Allow yourself Time For Family and Friends.
Life can get pretty busy with events, engagements and social occasions, it is hard to fit everything in. You have to learn to say no, sorry I can’t do that, (because it’s not possible to do everything for everyone). When all is said and done family come first. Relationships with those closest to you must be nurtured. I find myself in the awkward predicament where my husband is working overseas in a position that makes planning or scheduling time together quite hard. Most of my events need to be booked months in advance, his timetable changes daily. So I try to be flexible and take my laptop and fly around Australia to meet him in whatever city he happens to be in. July, he phoned me from Indonesia to say he had a four day weekend in Jakatarta, could I meet him? I met him in Bali instead. We had four beautiful relaxing days and I managed a bit of book marketing while I was there. I then agreed to fly on to Jakarta with him, then Singapore and back to Port Moresby. A four day long weekend turned into two weeks away. This was only possible because I can be flexible with my time and laptop, however, I did need to return home after that as August and September were fully booked with book launches and school visits. Hubby is home for the next four weeks over Christmas and New Year, so I will not be writing or spending much time on social media. This next four weeks is all important family time. We don’t get to spend enough time together so must cherish the time we do have.
My takeaway - Make time for yourself, your friends and most of all your loved ones. Time is precious and time with family is the most precious of all. Looking forward I will continue to do my best to maintain a healthy balance between my writerly life and my family. How do you manage to fit it all in?
Before you go , some of my writing friends are remembering seasonal family traditions in their December Dreaming. Why not stop by their blogs and see their recollections too. To get you started, here’s the link to one of my past memories, then visit my other #Gr8tblog friends too.
I wish you all the best for the Christmas and holiday season, no matter how you chose to celebrate.