Zanni Louise's Blog, page 2
February 5, 2018
The Happy Author
Sometimes, I have to pinch myself. I get to write for kids. I also spend a lot of work hours hanging out with kids, making stories. I have six books coming out this year, and more in production. It’s a dream job, and a dream run.
If I told my six year old self one day I’d be making books like the one she was reading, I think she would have gotten pretty excited. A bit the way my own kids bounce up and down when a new book of mine arrives in the post. Being an author is FUN. In so so many ways.
But it’s not always fun. And it’s not always happy. Or easy. Children’s authors share common experiences with the rest of the population. Fear. Envy. Worry. Sadness. Laziness. Most nights last year, I laid awake, thinking about things. Sometimes stressing. Really. We are making beautiful things. Hanging out with lovely children. Why the stress? Why the worry?
I put it down to being human. I also put it down to being someone who cares about getting things right, and doing well. I care about not disappointing people. Or myself. To add to that, I am self employed. If I don’t make it happen, no-one will. And as most self-employed people or business owners will know, that pressure keeps you awake.
I’ve been chatting with lots of authors lately, and it seems I am not the only person with fitful sleep, and bouts of negative feelings. But my goal for this year, is not getting overwhelmed by the negatives. Keeping the worry at bay. Not getting too consumed with the BUSINESS of it all, and returning to the pure joy of creating. Isn’t that what it’s about, after all?
Anyway, I’ve been thinking up a guide for the Happy Author. And although the pressure to be happy all the time, whether you are an author or a goat, is plain ridiculous and a recipe for disaster, at least let this guide be inspiration.
A remedy for envy
Ah envy. The root of evil. It’s the one human emotion I can’t justify, and can’t bear. Why do we need it. Why? And yet, there have been many times in my life, I can’t help feeling a little bit jealous of someone else, even though my own path flourishes, and so many wonderful things are happening.
After a recent attack of jealousy, my husband took me by the horns and sat me down.
‘Focus on your side of the net,’ he said. He was talking tennis, as he often does, and about the master players, like Nadal, or Federer, who reign strong year after year. All the top 900 players and insanely amazing players. Why, though, does this tiny bunch of men dominate tennis year after year?
Because they are focused on their own game. They do their best for each and every shot. That’s all they can do. They can’t control or influence the other player. They can only be their own master. They take pleasure in the perfection of each hit. And as soon as one is done, it’s behind them. And when another player wins, they congratulate them on their game, graciously, and with appreciation. Then they get on with mastering their skill.
Creativity is not a competition like tennis is. But there is something there, about putting your head down, and mastering each stroke of the pen. Focussing on you and what you are doing. Let the haze of others’ success wash over you, with appreciation.
A remedy for sleep and creativity
The life of an author is a sedentary one. We spend countless hours in front of the computer, necks craned, wrists at risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. And yet creativity requires anything but sitting still.
When we move, our brains are juiced. Thoughts flow. Ideas flow. Connections are made. Apparently, Aristotle gave lessons walking. It was the only way to learn, as far as he was concerned. It’s also the only way to be creative, as far as I am concerned.
When I analysed why I spent so much time awake in 2017, a lot of it came back to lack of exercise. I was exercising regularly, but my runs were slow and short and lazy. I wasn’t doing 8km around the forest, like I’d done the year before, or races, like I’d done the year before that.
2018 arrived, and I resolved to exercise every day. So far, so good, and I feel amazing. I sleep well, which is great for creativity. And while I move, ideas flow. Exercising is also a good opportunity to listen to inspiring creative podcasts, like All the Wonders or The Yarn. That half hour a day is an invaluable investment in my creative life.
Make for joy
I love Elizabeth Gilbert’s ideas about the joy of making. In Big Magic, she asserts that the pressure to be a creative genius takes the joy away from the making. Humans were made to make, says Gilbert. We’ve been making for most of human history. And why not do it with a cheerful heart?
The year I spent unemployed, overseas, I put a lot of pressure on myself to be ‘successful’, whatever that means. Get published, I suppose. But more than that. Get published again. Get noticed. Sell books. Honestly, it never ends. After about ten months of relative silence, I was by a lake in Italy, tearing my hair out. Why wasn’t it happening?
‘Quit,’ said my husband.
‘What?’ I yelled back. ‘I can’t. I can’t quit.’
‘But why do it if you don’t enjoy it?’
‘But I do,’ I said. ‘I really do.’ What I enjoy is writing. I love getting lost in a page. I love turning ideas over like rocks, and discovering what’s underneath. I love talking about ideas, and watching them flourish. I can’t do without that. Not now I know how good it feels.
So I didn’t quit. But I let go of something. A certain seriousness and pressure I’d put myself under. Moments later, I opened my laptop, 3pm on a Sunday, and bam. There was a four-book offer from a big Australian publisher. Well, if that’s not a lesson, I’m not sure what is. Make with joy. The rest follows.
Be at one with the kids
Really, we are making children’s books. Bits of joy, strung together to please small smiley people. Why so serious? Why serious at all, really? Why not pure joy?
I was struggling over some business-y thing one afternoon. Practically going crazy. My kids ran to me with new Tiggy books, which had arrived in the mail earlier that week. ‘Please read!’ they said, then buried me with hugs etc, until I read. And I read those precious books, so long in the making, through gritted teeth as I processed what was in my head. And I missed that precious moment, of sharing joy with the kids. The kids! I wrote those books for the kids! Really. I had to kick myself (softly) at that moment, and take it as a lesson.
Wear the happy pants
Mum made me happy pants for Christmas. I’d wear them every day, except people might think I’m unhygienic. When I wear them, I feel happy. Other people feel happy too, and smile at me, and the world becomes a better place.
When I used to struggle with depression in my late teens, early twenties, I put on my happy pants. Back then, they were a pair of denim overalls, before overalls were trendy. Something about them made me feel silly and sweet, and it was impossible to take myself too seriously.
Thankfully Mum brought happy pants back into my life. It’s a remedy I’d highly recommend.
Ride the waves
It often amazes me that I can go weeks – months even without any external feedback on my writing. Then kapow, three emails on one day. A drought or flood type thing. My creativity is a bit the same. Sometimes it’s there with stores to spare – keeps me awake at night, manuscripts flowing out of my fingertips. Other times, it’s frustratingly barren. I sit staring at a blank page, hate everything I write. Need coffee. I’ve come to realise that I have to go easy on myself, and on the publishing industry generally. It comes in waves. Some high and mighty, and others flat.
No matter how big the waves, you have to keep things on deck in order. And go gently on yourself. Sleep well. Feed your creativity. Enjoy the little highs, and accept the little lows. It’s all part of the process. Each bump helps you grow, somehow. The hardest times in my career so far have been a secret lesson in disguise. And it’s only months later I realise how relevant those times were.
And as for being a happy author? Well, if you were always happy, you’d have nothing to write about.
If I told my six year old self one day I’d be making books like the one she was reading, I think she would have gotten pretty excited. A bit the way my own kids bounce up and down when a new book of mine arrives in the post. Being an author is FUN. In so so many ways.
But it’s not always fun. And it’s not always happy. Or easy. Children’s authors share common experiences with the rest of the population. Fear. Envy. Worry. Sadness. Laziness. Most nights last year, I laid awake, thinking about things. Sometimes stressing. Really. We are making beautiful things. Hanging out with lovely children. Why the stress? Why the worry?
I put it down to being human. I also put it down to being someone who cares about getting things right, and doing well. I care about not disappointing people. Or myself. To add to that, I am self employed. If I don’t make it happen, no-one will. And as most self-employed people or business owners will know, that pressure keeps you awake.
I’ve been chatting with lots of authors lately, and it seems I am not the only person with fitful sleep, and bouts of negative feelings. But my goal for this year, is not getting overwhelmed by the negatives. Keeping the worry at bay. Not getting too consumed with the BUSINESS of it all, and returning to the pure joy of creating. Isn’t that what it’s about, after all?
Anyway, I’ve been thinking up a guide for the Happy Author. And although the pressure to be happy all the time, whether you are an author or a goat, is plain ridiculous and a recipe for disaster, at least let this guide be inspiration.
A remedy for envy
Ah envy. The root of evil. It’s the one human emotion I can’t justify, and can’t bear. Why do we need it. Why? And yet, there have been many times in my life, I can’t help feeling a little bit jealous of someone else, even though my own path flourishes, and so many wonderful things are happening.
After a recent attack of jealousy, my husband took me by the horns and sat me down.
‘Focus on your side of the net,’ he said. He was talking tennis, as he often does, and about the master players, like Nadal, or Federer, who reign strong year after year. All the top 900 players and insanely amazing players. Why, though, does this tiny bunch of men dominate tennis year after year?
Because they are focused on their own game. They do their best for each and every shot. That’s all they can do. They can’t control or influence the other player. They can only be their own master. They take pleasure in the perfection of each hit. And as soon as one is done, it’s behind them. And when another player wins, they congratulate them on their game, graciously, and with appreciation. Then they get on with mastering their skill.
Creativity is not a competition like tennis is. But there is something there, about putting your head down, and mastering each stroke of the pen. Focussing on you and what you are doing. Let the haze of others’ success wash over you, with appreciation.
A remedy for sleep and creativity
The life of an author is a sedentary one. We spend countless hours in front of the computer, necks craned, wrists at risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. And yet creativity requires anything but sitting still.
When we move, our brains are juiced. Thoughts flow. Ideas flow. Connections are made. Apparently, Aristotle gave lessons walking. It was the only way to learn, as far as he was concerned. It’s also the only way to be creative, as far as I am concerned.
When I analysed why I spent so much time awake in 2017, a lot of it came back to lack of exercise. I was exercising regularly, but my runs were slow and short and lazy. I wasn’t doing 8km around the forest, like I’d done the year before, or races, like I’d done the year before that.
2018 arrived, and I resolved to exercise every day. So far, so good, and I feel amazing. I sleep well, which is great for creativity. And while I move, ideas flow. Exercising is also a good opportunity to listen to inspiring creative podcasts, like All the Wonders or The Yarn. That half hour a day is an invaluable investment in my creative life.
Make for joy
I love Elizabeth Gilbert’s ideas about the joy of making. In Big Magic, she asserts that the pressure to be a creative genius takes the joy away from the making. Humans were made to make, says Gilbert. We’ve been making for most of human history. And why not do it with a cheerful heart?
The year I spent unemployed, overseas, I put a lot of pressure on myself to be ‘successful’, whatever that means. Get published, I suppose. But more than that. Get published again. Get noticed. Sell books. Honestly, it never ends. After about ten months of relative silence, I was by a lake in Italy, tearing my hair out. Why wasn’t it happening?
‘Quit,’ said my husband.
‘What?’ I yelled back. ‘I can’t. I can’t quit.’
‘But why do it if you don’t enjoy it?’
‘But I do,’ I said. ‘I really do.’ What I enjoy is writing. I love getting lost in a page. I love turning ideas over like rocks, and discovering what’s underneath. I love talking about ideas, and watching them flourish. I can’t do without that. Not now I know how good it feels.
So I didn’t quit. But I let go of something. A certain seriousness and pressure I’d put myself under. Moments later, I opened my laptop, 3pm on a Sunday, and bam. There was a four-book offer from a big Australian publisher. Well, if that’s not a lesson, I’m not sure what is. Make with joy. The rest follows.
Be at one with the kids
Really, we are making children’s books. Bits of joy, strung together to please small smiley people. Why so serious? Why serious at all, really? Why not pure joy?
I was struggling over some business-y thing one afternoon. Practically going crazy. My kids ran to me with new Tiggy books, which had arrived in the mail earlier that week. ‘Please read!’ they said, then buried me with hugs etc, until I read. And I read those precious books, so long in the making, through gritted teeth as I processed what was in my head. And I missed that precious moment, of sharing joy with the kids. The kids! I wrote those books for the kids! Really. I had to kick myself (softly) at that moment, and take it as a lesson.
Wear the happy pants
Mum made me happy pants for Christmas. I’d wear them every day, except people might think I’m unhygienic. When I wear them, I feel happy. Other people feel happy too, and smile at me, and the world becomes a better place.
When I used to struggle with depression in my late teens, early twenties, I put on my happy pants. Back then, they were a pair of denim overalls, before overalls were trendy. Something about them made me feel silly and sweet, and it was impossible to take myself too seriously.
Thankfully Mum brought happy pants back into my life. It’s a remedy I’d highly recommend.
Ride the waves
It often amazes me that I can go weeks – months even without any external feedback on my writing. Then kapow, three emails on one day. A drought or flood type thing. My creativity is a bit the same. Sometimes it’s there with stores to spare – keeps me awake at night, manuscripts flowing out of my fingertips. Other times, it’s frustratingly barren. I sit staring at a blank page, hate everything I write. Need coffee. I’ve come to realise that I have to go easy on myself, and on the publishing industry generally. It comes in waves. Some high and mighty, and others flat.
No matter how big the waves, you have to keep things on deck in order. And go gently on yourself. Sleep well. Feed your creativity. Enjoy the little highs, and accept the little lows. It’s all part of the process. Each bump helps you grow, somehow. The hardest times in my career so far have been a secret lesson in disguise. And it’s only months later I realise how relevant those times were.
And as for being a happy author? Well, if you were always happy, you’d have nothing to write about.
December 19, 2017
ERROL off to UK!
Was thrilled to wake up to news this morning that my little mate Errol will be heading to UK late 2018.
ERROL, illustrated by Philip Bunting, will be released by Scholastic UK.
ERROL, illustrated by Philip Bunting, will be released by Scholastic UK.
December 18, 2017
New picture book acquisition!
I was reading one of those unappealing digitally created ‘Find the something in the somewhere’ book with Rosie (who adores that book, by the way), when a completely random thought flashed across my brain. A thought that fit in very well with Errol, my soon to be released overweight penguin character.
I aired the idea with the kids, a friend, a husband, and generally got the OK. They laughed. That’s what I was hoping for.
So, I started mocking up the idea. Like most of my picture book ideas, it emerged slowly over a few sessions with my notebook. Unlike most of my picture book ideas, I developed ERROL as a storyboard of sketches. I am not an artist, as such, though I like to draw. But somehow, Errol, and his humorous antics, come to life very well in sketches.
I spent some quality working hours developing the idea into something more substantial, turning doodles into an impressive (ahem) PDF document, and submitted to Scholastic.
The Scholastic team, and ERROL’s illustrator Philip Bunting replied with a resounding YES! So ERROL II will be coming out in 2019. Very exciting stuff.
I love working with characters over more than one book. A character like Errol, and his mum, seem very real (even though they are overweight walking talking penguins), and have a lot of potential. What did I hear recently? A character is not a character until they’ve got a decision to make? Well, Errol and his mum have pretty unique responses to decisions. And I guess that’s what excites me.
The ERROL concept is very sparse. Few words. Lots of action. A helluva lot of space. Like Mo Willems says, space allows the readers to put themselves into the story. They have to piece it together. And the more work they do, the more invested they are in the story.
Anyway, you’ll get to meet Errol next year, when the first book is released.
Meanwhile, clever Philip Bunting is going around being nominated for Kate Greenaways and stuff like that. Can’t fault the guy! So lucky to work with him, as his career takes off. I got to see the final artwork for the first ERROL book the other day, and it is sublime!
I aired the idea with the kids, a friend, a husband, and generally got the OK. They laughed. That’s what I was hoping for.
So, I started mocking up the idea. Like most of my picture book ideas, it emerged slowly over a few sessions with my notebook. Unlike most of my picture book ideas, I developed ERROL as a storyboard of sketches. I am not an artist, as such, though I like to draw. But somehow, Errol, and his humorous antics, come to life very well in sketches.
I spent some quality working hours developing the idea into something more substantial, turning doodles into an impressive (ahem) PDF document, and submitted to Scholastic.
The Scholastic team, and ERROL’s illustrator Philip Bunting replied with a resounding YES! So ERROL II will be coming out in 2019. Very exciting stuff.
I love working with characters over more than one book. A character like Errol, and his mum, seem very real (even though they are overweight walking talking penguins), and have a lot of potential. What did I hear recently? A character is not a character until they’ve got a decision to make? Well, Errol and his mum have pretty unique responses to decisions. And I guess that’s what excites me.
The ERROL concept is very sparse. Few words. Lots of action. A helluva lot of space. Like Mo Willems says, space allows the readers to put themselves into the story. They have to piece it together. And the more work they do, the more invested they are in the story.
Anyway, you’ll get to meet Errol next year, when the first book is released.
Meanwhile, clever Philip Bunting is going around being nominated for Kate Greenaways and stuff like that. Can’t fault the guy! So lucky to work with him, as his career takes off. I got to see the final artwork for the first ERROL book the other day, and it is sublime!
November 13, 2017
New book! The Five Mile Press contract Dewey Decimal
Hi! Well this was a bit of an exciting afternoon, signing a contract for a new picture book with The Five Mile Press / Bonnier Publishing called DEWEY DECIMAL.
I bet you can guess where Dewey might live… Yep, you’ve got it. A library! Dewey is a library mouse, who keeps everything in order. But one night, a curly haired girl, who is no stranger to destruction, lands in his library. It appears she’s fallen out of a book! This story is about going beyond the library bookshelf, into a land of adventure.
Niki Horin, commissioning editor at the Five Mile Press came to me with this idea about a year ago. I’ve been working with the Five Mile team, mainly Samone Bos, ever since. Dewey’s first adventure will be out in 2018, and we are beyond excited.
I feel like this contract came at a good time. School library funding is under threat, which is weird, given how important libraries obviously are. Yes of course we use the internet etc. but libraries are communal, free and give kids and adults access to infinite worlds beyond what they know. The library was a sanctuary for me growing me. Everyone in publishing has strong feelings about their childhood library. And kids I meet today have the same affinity. Just because technology is changing the world, doesn’t meet we have reduce the importance of libraries. Libraries can change with the world! Heck, they could even change the world.
I bet you can guess where Dewey might live… Yep, you’ve got it. A library! Dewey is a library mouse, who keeps everything in order. But one night, a curly haired girl, who is no stranger to destruction, lands in his library. It appears she’s fallen out of a book! This story is about going beyond the library bookshelf, into a land of adventure.
Niki Horin, commissioning editor at the Five Mile Press came to me with this idea about a year ago. I’ve been working with the Five Mile team, mainly Samone Bos, ever since. Dewey’s first adventure will be out in 2018, and we are beyond excited.
I feel like this contract came at a good time. School library funding is under threat, which is weird, given how important libraries obviously are. Yes of course we use the internet etc. but libraries are communal, free and give kids and adults access to infinite worlds beyond what they know. The library was a sanctuary for me growing me. Everyone in publishing has strong feelings about their childhood library. And kids I meet today have the same affinity. Just because technology is changing the world, doesn’t meet we have reduce the importance of libraries. Libraries can change with the world! Heck, they could even change the world.
November 7, 2017
New book announcement!
Well, this is a bit exciting. The first two books from TIGGY AND THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH have been whipped off to press, and I finally get to show you the covers!
Tiggy has big feelings and a huge imagination. When Tiggy gets in a pickle, she uses her magic paintbrush. But the magic sometimes causes more trouble than it’s worth. So Tiggy has to use her big feelings and big imagination to solve her problems.
In book one, A SCHOOL DAY SMILE, it’s Tiggy’s first day at school. Tiggy feels a little nervous, but knows everything will be A-Okay because she has a magic paintbrush.
In the second book, A PET CALLED NIBBLES, Tiggy is the only one in her class without a pet for Pet Day.
The Tiggy series for independent readers has been a concept that’s been developing for nearly three years. She’s taken various forms. I am so in love with and proud of how these books have turned out. And I ADORE that Tiggy has pink hair!
Artist Gillian Flint has done a wonderful job bringing Tiggy to life. And my editor at Five Mile Melissa Keil has brought so much magic to this story and has been invaluable, helping me develop the series.
So excited for you all to finally meet Tiggy! These first two books are out with The Five Mile Press in March, 2018.
Tiggy has big feelings and a huge imagination. When Tiggy gets in a pickle, she uses her magic paintbrush. But the magic sometimes causes more trouble than it’s worth. So Tiggy has to use her big feelings and big imagination to solve her problems.
In book one, A SCHOOL DAY SMILE, it’s Tiggy’s first day at school. Tiggy feels a little nervous, but knows everything will be A-Okay because she has a magic paintbrush.
In the second book, A PET CALLED NIBBLES, Tiggy is the only one in her class without a pet for Pet Day.
The Tiggy series for independent readers has been a concept that’s been developing for nearly three years. She’s taken various forms. I am so in love with and proud of how these books have turned out. And I ADORE that Tiggy has pink hair!
Artist Gillian Flint has done a wonderful job bringing Tiggy to life. And my editor at Five Mile Melissa Keil has brought so much magic to this story and has been invaluable, helping me develop the series.
So excited for you all to finally meet Tiggy! These first two books are out with The Five Mile Press in March, 2018.
