Hayley Chewins's Blog, page 4

the turnaway girls is available on audible!

And it's narrated by the wonderful Bailey Carr, who read none other than my favourite audio book ever, WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS by Anna-Marie McLemore!Somebody pinch me.You can pre-order the audio book here. (Pre-orders really help authors by showing the publisher that people are interested in a book.) (I'd appreciate it.) (Thank you!)

the turnaway girls got a kirkus star!

I was thrilled this week to announce that Kirkus Reviews has given THE TURNAWAY GIRLS a starred review!

 

I'll just be over here, not fully comprehending that this is real life. You can read the full review here. 

the turnaway girls has a UK cover!

I repeat: THE TURNAWAY GIRLS has a UK cover! And I am so over the moon about it!If anyone in the UK wants to pre-order, you can find TTG online at Waterstones or Foyles. Or, you know, go to your local independent bookshop and tell them what you want! (What you really, really want!)Okay, I apologise for the Spice Girls interlude. I have just woken up from a nap and my head feels a little bit like it's been stuffed with cotton wool!Here's the cover!























As you can see, it's quite different from the US cover (which I love and will always love). But I also love this! The turquoise tones make the tree stand out so beautifully, and Delphernia's silhouette makes her seem. . .mysterious. Which she kind of is. ALSO. ALSO. That gorgeous quote from Kiran Millwood Hargrave (author extraordinaire, poet extraordinaire and goddess extraordinaire) makes my heart beat all silly-like.What do you think of the UK cover? Which do you prefer: UK or US?Happy Friday, everyone. May your weekend be filled with all the things you love and that love you right back.xxx

how to survive an R&R

I have done three R&Rs. And I might very well do another in the future. I’ll let you in on a little secret: I am totally okay with this. Really. I actually kind of like R&Rs. They’re not offers, sure, but they’re not rejections either. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that an R&R is a “soft no.” Writing up notes for an unknown writer takes time—time literary agents and editors simply don’t have. An R&R is a compliment, a vote of confidence. Most of all, it’s an opportunity. And I love opportunities. They smell a little bit like freshly brewed coffee. If you want to write and publish a novel, I suggest you learn to love them, too. Like I said, I’ve done three R&Rs. Two of them worked out; one of them didn’t. So I feel like I’ve learnt a fair amount about them. If you’ve just been offered an R&R from a literary agent or editor, or you’re curious as to how they work, here’s some of the wisdom I’ve acquired over the years: [In case you’re reading this and you don’t know what an R&R is, it’s when an agent or editor asks you to revise a piece of work and gives you an opportunity to resubmit it after those revisions have been done. Usually this involves getting some sort of edit letter from them, detailing what they perceive to be the weaker areas of the work and suggesting ways that you might go about strengthening them. Got it? Okay, on to the wisdom!]Firstly, it really is a Good Thing. Okay, so this agent or editor didn’t call you immediately to offer representation/a book deal. But an offer to revise and resubmit really is a) rare and b) a huge vote of confidence. It means that the agent or editor in question loved one (or more) aspect(s) of your book SO MUCH that they couldn’t just say, “Sorry, this isn’t for me.” But they also couldn’t say yes, either, because maybe they know your plot is weak (*raises hand uncertainly*) or maybe they know the voice doesn’t work or the characters are flat, and, because of that, even though they love it A LOT, they won’t be able to sell it to the people they need to sell it to. Remember that agents and editors are not gods and goddesses—even though, sometimes, they may seem to exist on an entirely different plane to writers (and I’m pretty sure my literary agent is at least 25% magic). Agents and editors have to convince other people to love your book as much as they do. Most times, an R&R is an opportunity to give your book its best chance at selling. Secondly: be open. But not too open. I mentioned above that I did an R&R that didn’t work out. What do I mean by that? Well, this lovely agent sent me some notes on how to make my manuscript—a novel in verse set in Johannesburg about a young girl whose voice is stolen by an ailing violinist—better. And I was so excited to dive into making changes! One of his (very smart) notes was that the story felt too small. It needed more of the main character’s life in it—her school, her neighbourhood, her family. And, for some reason, this translated to me as, “Oh, you know what I should do? I should rewrite the whole thing in prose rather than in verse!” And I did. You can see where this is going, and you can probably predict why it went that way. The agent in question got back to me fairly quickly, and it was a no. And although he didn’t say, “Ummmm, hello? You changed the very essence of what I loved about this book!” it’s clear to me, now, that that’s what I did. See, you want to do changes, but you don’t want to change your book so much that it becomes Another Thing Entirely. How do you stop from doing that? Well, you find the heart.FYI: Your book has a heart. And its heart consists of non-negotiable elements. Earlier this week, I tweeted that I like to make a “Goosebump List” before starting revisions. This is a list of all the scenes, characters, world elements or snippets of dialogue that literally give me goosebumps. They make me feel all tingly, like a thunderstorm is on the horizon. The Goosebump List helps me to keep track of my book’s heart, so that I don’t stray too far from why I originally fell in love with the story. The Goosebump List is your book’s heart. Notice it. Keep it close to you.  If I’d given any thought to this back in 2014, I would have seen that the fact that my book was written in verse was a Major Non-Negotiable Element! (And just in case this isn’t clear: the agent who offered me the R&R did not ask me to write the story in prose. The error was entirely mine.)You have to remember that if you’re getting an R&R, the person on the other end actually loves your book already. You might rework the plot, or add more setting, or cut a character, but they don’t want an entirely different book from you. They want This Book, but Better. So don’t throw the poodle out with the bathwater. Make your Goosebump List, pay attention to the elements the agent/editor said they loved, and don’t change your book’s heart. I promise you don’t need to. Thirdly, take your time! No one wants to see an R&R in a couple of weeks. Most take a few months. The first R&R I did took four months. The second (for my magical agent) was supposed to take 4 months, but things changed when I received an offer of representation on my original manuscript. And the R&R I did for Miriam Newman at Candlewick (editor extraordinaire of THE TURNAWAY GIRLS) took me 3 months. Bottom line: rather take a little more time (and get the changes right) than rush through them and miss an opportunity to submit the best book you can submit. They won’t forget about you if you take six months to revise. Lastly, when you read the agent’s or editor’s edit letter, do the following: read it through once. Step away from it. Come back to it the next day, or at least after having walked your dog, and read it again. Then make notes on what you’ve read, and start to think about how you could implement the changes. Let the notes sink in. Maybe take a week or two to mull them over. Don’t rush. Take a deep breath. You can do this. I think that’s enough wisdom for today. But there’s a lot I have to say about R&Rs, so I might do another post like this soon! If you have any specific questions on revising and resubmitting, please let me know in the comments, or on Twitter, and I’ll try to answer them next time around.Happy writing! 

an interview with...me!

Some of you may remember that I interviewed my friend and writing soulmate, K.A. Reynolds, last week. (She’s the author of one of the most beautiful middle grade books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, THE LAND OF YESTERDAY (coming on July 31, 2018 from HarperCollins)! Well, this week, I am interviewing myself. No, not really. Kristin is interviewing me! But I’m posting it here, on my own blog. (Is this a weird thing to do? I don’t know. This is basically the interview equivalent of a selfie.) Anyway, Kristin asked me some really interesting questions and I couldn’t resist sharing them, so HERE WE GO.Kristin: If the world were on fire and you could only save one book (not your own!), which would it be and why? Hayley: THIS IS AN IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION. (At first, I thought you meant if my house were on fire—but the whole world?! What are you trying to do to me?!) Okay, if I had to answer, I would probably choose THE FOLK KEEPER by Franny Billingsley, because it’s really beautiful and delicate and it’s about courage and gender and love—and a world burnt down would be a world in need of things that are beautiful and delicate (about courage and gender and love).Kristin: Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?Hayley: I actually don’t. But I’m always surprised, reading over my work, when I see something in there I didn’t intend―a connection I didn’t make consciously. I’m always surprised by how everything I have ever seen and heard and been ends up on the page. So I suppose I kind of leave secrets for myself?Kristin: THE TURNAWAY GIRLS has a very feminist message. As a middle grader, was there a moment when you felt especially oppressed as a girl? How did you react then? Is that different from how you’d react now?Hayley: There were lots of little moments, and most of them involved being objectified by older men. For instance, I had a music teacher who used to pat me on the legs or bottom, and who once looked up my shirt. At the time, I reacted by moving away from him/ignoring him. I also never told anyone about it. If I could go back, I would leave the room and call my mom to fetch me. I would also tell my mom about it. Kristin: If you could go back in time and give your middle grade self one piece of advice, what would it be?Hayley: Ditch the emotionally abusive friends. Write something all the way to the end. It’s okay (and possible) to happy and not “popular.”Kristin: What is your favourite scene in THE TURNAWAY GIRLS? Hayley: My favourite, favourite, FAVOURITE scene is too full of spoilers to describe. So I’ll tell you my favourite scene from the first part of the book: when Delphernia sneaks out in the middle of the night to sing and discovers the magic that opens her eyes to her own power. I adore that scene. Kristin: If you could spend time with a character from your book, who would it be? And what would you do during the day?Hayley: I would spend time with Linna, because she knows so much about the history and legends of Blightsend. We would probably snoop around Sorrowhall and discover secrets we have no business knowing, which would be PERFECT.Kristin: Who are you favourite authors and why?Oh, so many! Laini Taylor, because her writing is dazzling on every level―sentence, world, plot. Roshani Chokshi, for writing lyrical books about girls who go to war with lipstick on.  Claire Legrand, because her characters always have the biggest, clearest hearts. Franny Billingsley, for writing books about girls with desire. Jessie Burton, because she’s a genius who writes about creativity unlike anyone I’ve ever experienced. Dhonielle Clayton, for writing about being a girl in such a deep, rich, tangled, complex way.  Kiran Millwood-Hargrave, because her writing is so surprising and poetic. Jhumpa Lahiri―her short stories are so beautiful they give me chills. Toni Morrison, because she writes like words are music. Anne Michaels, because she writes with such vividness that she makes time travel seem possible. Sarah Crossan, for writing characters I instantly and irrevocably fall in love with. And Louise O’Neill―her writing is so true and brave. There are so many more, but I’ll stop there! Kristin: Did you ever feel like giving up as a writer? If so, how did you push through?Hayley: Yes, about a month ago! I sent my agent a revised version of my WIP and she told me (very gently) that it wasn’t working. She was right, and I’ve since rewritten that book, but at the time it felt like the end of the world. I usually let myself wallow in despair for a day. I’ll spend some time crying in the shower and watching Netflix in my pyjamas. And then I'll get back to work. I might feel like giving up, but I’m not prepared, ever, to actually give up. I love writing too much and I know this is what I was born to do. Kristin: Hogwarts house?Hayley: Ravenclaw!  Kristin: Favourite movie? Amélie. I’ve loved it since I first saw it in my teens. I watch it once a year! It encapsulates so many of my values as a human being―the way I want to see the world and the way I want to be in the world. Thanks so much for Kristin for interviewing me! I really hope I never have to choose one book to save during the Apocalypse. PS. If any of this has piqued your interest, you can add THE TURNAWAY GIRLS on Goodreads, pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Indiebound, or follow me on Twitter or Instagram.

an interview with k.a reynolds, author of the land of yesterday

Today, I have the honour of hosting the incredibly talented and unicorn-like K.A Reynolds, author of my favourite 2018 debut, a strange, dark and whimsical middle grade fantasy called THE LAND OF YESTERDAY. If you haven’t yet heard of this beautiful book, here’s the description from Goodreads:A tender and fantastical adventure story perfect for fans of CORALINE.

After Cecelia Dahl’s little brother, Celadon, dies tragically, his soul goes where all souls go: the Land of Yesterday—and Cecelia is left behind in a fractured world without him.

Her beloved house’s spirit is crumbling beyond repair, her father is imprisoned by sorrow, and worst of all, her grief-stricken mother abandons the land of the living to follow Celadon into Yesterday.

It’s up to Cecelia to put her family back together, even if that means venturing into the dark and forbidden Land of Yesterday on her own. But as Cecilia braves a hot-air balloon commanded by two gnomes, a sea of daisies, and the Planet of Nightmares, it’s clear that even if she finds her family, she might not be able to save them.

And if she’s not careful, she might just become a lost soul herself, trapped forever in Yesterday.Doesn’t that sound AMAZING? I mean, I’ve read it, so I can 100% assure you that it IS amazing! But don’t just take my word for it. THE LAND OF YESTERDAY has been blurbed by TWO New York Times bestselling authors―Laini Taylor and Roshani Chokshi. Here’s what they have to say about this gorgeous book:“From its first words, The Land of Yesterday has the pure crystal ring of a classic, like The Little Prince or The Phantom Tollbooth—beautiful, unique, and shimmering with truth. It’s a balm for grief, and a bursting fantastical joy of a story.” (Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Strange the Dreamer) “Told with riveting language, this is a poignant tale that will resonate with readers of all ages and leave them reeling from such an emotional, gorgeous story.” (Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of Aru Shah and the End of Time) Are you sold yet? Because you should be! Okay, so now that you know all about Kristin’s stunning book (and you know you can pre-order it here) let’s get this interview started! (Kristin is also running a pre-order giveaway, and she's got some lovely prizes up for grabs! You can find out more about that here!) Hayley: All the characters in THE LAND OF YESTERDAY have absolutely wonderful names! How did you go about choosing them? Was it a long process, or did they come naturally to you? Kristin: Aww, thank you! Like the drafting process, names swirl out of the ether and whisper into my ear like magic. Sometimes I hear wrong, however. For example, my main character Cecelia wasn’t Cecelia at first, but Cicely! It was only after typing Cicely consistently wrong as Cecelia that I realised, “Hmm, I think her name is Cecelia!” Hayley: That is so fascinating! If you could either travel by hot air balloon or by hippogriff for rest of your life, which would you choose? Kristin: Okay, this should be a no-contest question in favor of 100% hippogriff. BUT . . . practical me is screaming, “THINK OF THE BOOKS!” Not much reading and napping and snacking on cheese and tiny cakes could occur on the back of a hippogriff, so I think I’m sticking with hot air balloon, preferably Dröm Ballong #19, if you please. Hayley: Wise choice! We've spoken before about how your books are very driven by colour―how do you choose what "colour" a book is? Kristin: While writing, the characters and their world bloom inexplicably onto the dark canvas of my brain in full colour. Then I write down what I see. Cecelia appeared to me with blue hair. Her father, Aubergine, came to me in an aubergine suit, her mother’s name is Mazarine, like her eyes, etc. The tiny gods of the otherworld who deliver these stories to me are much smarter than I am. They see instinctually that colors help to convey emotions, character arcs, and the tone of the entire book on subconscious levels in ways words alone cannot reach.Hayley: Ah, that's so interesting! I always find it so fascinating how some elements of writing are totally subconscious, and others are so deliberate. It's such a mysterious process. You're a poet, too! What's your favourite poem?  Kristin: Oh, now THAT is a loaded question! How long have we got? Days? Eternities? No? Well, in that case I’ll have to settle for one my favourite poems by one of my three favorite poets/prophets: Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī. This poem embodies so much of me it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. . . . Who Says Words with My Mouth?All day I think about it, then at night I say it.
Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing?
I have no idea.
My soul is from elsewhere, I'm sure of that,
and I intend to end up there.

This drunkenness began in some other tavern.
When I get back around to that place,
I'll be completely sober.  Meanwhile,
I'm like a bird from another continent, sitting in this aviary.
The day is coming when I fly off,
but who is it now in my ear who hears my voice?
Who says words with my mouth?

Who looks out with my eyes? What is the soul?
I cannot stop asking.
If I could taste one sip of an answer,
I could break out of this prison for drunks.
I didn't come here of my own accord, and I can't leave that way.
Whoever brought me here will have to take me home.

This poetry, I never know what I'm going to say.
I don't plan it.
When I'm outside the saying of it,
I get very quiet and rarely speak at all. Hayley: I love Rumi, too! His poems are so profound. I 100% approve of this choice! :P Your books always feature strange, quirky houses that have personality. What does home mean to you? Kristin: Home is my all-time favorite word. Has been since I lost my first one at six, and the next seventeen after that first. I’ve not had the greatest luck holding onto homes, as you can tell! They get ripped away by death or disaster, monster or fire. I’m uprooted, and then, I move on. But each means something to me. The walls hold whispered midnight secrets. Laughter. Tears. Screams. Even after I leave, a ghost of myself remains. And that always feels sad, for myself, and for the house. Homes are the silent, forgotten members of the family—there for every triumph and sorrow, almost always overlooked. We leave them when they get old and decrepit, walk away when we are forced or find something new. So maybe the personified homes I write into my books now are a way to honour those fallen houses that kept me safe and warm through the years, because they’ve always felt like friends to me. They are where I hang my heart at each stage of my life. The foundation where I live and love and laugh until it’s time to move on . Hayley: That is so beautiful! You're going to make me cry! *wipes eyes* Okay, if you could give Cecelia Dahl one piece of advice, what would it be? Kristin: ☹ “Don’t be so quick to hate your little brother. He just wants you to love him back.” Hayley: Excellent advice. Kristin: Great question! I would go back to myself at 22, when I was homeless and travelling alone in another country and didn’t think very much of myself. I would order my younger self a nice blonde ale downtown though, because the coffee at the local coffee shop (Icky’s Teahouse in Eugene, OR) by the school bus I was crashing in, was seriously as thick as tar, and oh my gods, the things I would say! We would laugh to tears and get into trouble, too I bet. Haha . Hayley: I would love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation! Kristin: French! Being born and raised in Canada meant I took French until high school, but I’ve forgotten most of it and was never very good at it anyway. But it’s such a beautiful language and I have big plans for France.

five songs that inspired the turnaway girls

“Dorian” by Agnes Obel

This is the song I listened to on repeat while drafting THE TURNAWAY GIRLS for the first time. It became the book’s touchstone song, something I returned to whenever I wanted to remember why I was writing it. A song can be a door, and this song was the door to the world of the turnaway girls. I only had to listen to it, and I was transported to an island of mist with black-winged cloisterwings whirling through the air.

“The Brothel” by Susanne Sundfør

This is the song that I found myself more and more drawn to while revising THE TURNAWAY GIRLS. It’s so dark and mournful—and feminist-ragey—and I think it helped me to discover some of the more hidden layers of this book’s heart. The lyrics are incredibly beautiful and sad, and I kept coming back to this line: “There are echoes in the garden/Is anybody listening/There are echoes lost in the garden/Is anybody listening…”

“S.T.A.Y” by Hans Zimmer

A.K.A: the Saddest Song in the World. INTERSTELLAR pretty much gutted me, and this song continued to remind me of the separation between father and daughter, the endless time and space that both tore them apart and brought them together. I especially listened to it when I was working on scenes where secrets were revealed, epiphanies were squandered, and vulnerabilities showed their skins. It’s such a beautiful mix of sadness, hope, and longing.

“Show Me Forgiveness” by Björk

I have always loved the lyrics of this song. They’ve resonated with me deeply since I was about eighteen, and listening to Björk for the first time. This song is off my favourite Björk album, Medulla—an album made entirely out of voices and vocal sounds, which is very Blightsendish! It's a song about forgiving yourself for not remembering your strength, forgiving yourself for letting others dictate who you are―who you should be―and ultimately surviving because you recognise that you are your own safety net. It’s beautiful. And determined. And I’m sure you can see why the heart of its meaning resonates with Delphernia’s story.

Here are the lyrics:

Show me forgiveness
For having lost faith in myself
And let my own interior up
To inferior forces
The shame is endless
But if soon stars forgiveness
The girl might live

“Time Spent” by Deaf Center

This little song, with its lilting piano melody, sounded like a whispered story to me, and that’s why it ended up on my playlist. I like to think of it as the details song, as I listened to it often when I was putting the finishing touches on THE TURNAWAY GIRLS―adding sparks of gold, sewing little iridescent fish scales to the hem of a dress, or etching patterns into metal. It’s the delicate songs that remind me of detail, and the sweeping songs that remind me of the history and future of a story. This, as it turned out, was my zooming-in song.

No you go!

What songs inspired your work in progress?

Do you use music in your writing process?

five books that inspired the turnaway girls

Since THE TURNAWAY GIRLS is just over three months from release (somebody hold me!) I thought it would be fun to chat about some of the books that inspired it. After three years of writing and revising, TTG is finally done—it’s growing wings and getting ready to fly off into the world! Here are some of the books that subtly (and not-so-subtly) influenced its themes, style, tone and subject matter:























THE HANDMAID’S TALE by Margaret AtwoodI read THE HANDMAID’S TALE for the first time in 2011 or 2012—so, at least three years before I started drafting TTG—but when the TV series came out, I couldn’t help but spot the similarities they have in theme. THE HANDMAID’S TALE is unapologetic in its feminism, and so is TTG. THE HANDMAID’S TALE deals with the idea that women’s bodies are nothing more than literal vessels for something that others want/need. In TTG, the turnaway girls allow music to run through their bones in order to turn it into gold. They are not valued; the gold they make is. They make gold, but it'll never belong to them. In terms of theme, I like to think of TTG as a kind of middle grade HANDMAID’S TALE. (Sans the very adult themes, of course!)























MUSICOPHILIA by Oliver SacksThis is an interesting one. I first read this book in 2008. It’s all about the relationship between music and the brain, and it is FASCINATING. There are stories in it about people who have amnesia, but who can remember how to play the piano perfectly; people who are struck by lightning and have a sudden, inescapable desire to learn a musical instrument; and people who can taste different keys/notes when they hear them. (Like I said, it’s fascinating!) I think what MUSICOPHILIA did was help me to think about music in magical terms. (Ironic, because it's a highly scientific book!) But the more I thought about it, music was a kind of real-life magic. I think it really influenced TTG in that way. (I highly recommend this book if you’ve never read it!)























THE FOLK KEEPER by Franny BillingsleyDiscovering Franny Billingsley’s work had a huge influence on me as a writer. I love how beautiful her prose is, how she doesn’t shy away from very challenging and dark subjects in children’s books, how her protagonists have such distinctive voices. (Plus, her world building is amazing!) Reading THE FOLK KEEPER gave me permission, in a way, to write a dark, strange book for young people. Or, at least, it made me want to write one very badly! THE FOLK KEEPER is the kind of book you read and then put breathlessly down, thinking, I want to make something that makes a reader feel like this! In THE FOLK KEEPER, time is marked by the celebration of festivals, and that gave me the idea of having every day be a different festival on the island of Blightsend.























JANE EYRE by Charlotte BrontëI first read JANE EYRE at university in 2009, long before I started trying to write a novel. And it completely captivated me. This is one of those really interesting instances where I didn’t think at all about JANE EYRE while drafting TTG and revising it, and then, when I was reading over my second pass pages, I kept seeing it everywhere. The strange, old, rambling house, the institutionalised girls, the punishment of disobedient women, and the imagery ("I am no bird; and no net ensnares me…”) somehow found their way into TTG in a completely magical, subconscious way.























CORALINE by Neil GaimanI have no doubt that CORALINE has inspired countless MG writers. It’s so dark and original and strange. I think it pushes the envelope of what a middle grade book can be. And I loved that the story was told in such a succinct way. CORALINE influenced me in the sense that it showed me that a children’s book could be very strange and very horrifying, and still hopeful. It also has a masterful structure, and even though I am The Actual Worst at Structure, it made me want to be better.So there are five books that influenced TTG!What books have influenced you on your writing journey?I’d love to know!PS. If this post in any way made you want to read THE TURNAWAY GIRLS, please preorder it! (Preordering really helps authors.) Thank you so much for reading! 

some things i’ve learnt about writing so far (which may or may not be helpful to you)

1.     Write what you want to write. (Seriously. The world doesn't need books written by people who didn't want to write them.)  2.     If you don’t know what you want to write, try finding an intersection between: what matters to you + what frightens you + what you find beautiful.3.     Read books that are worth paper cutting your fingers for. Read everything. And read for pleasure—not just to analyse books. 4.     Find one song that will always bring you back, instantly, to the world of your book. Use it when you’re feeling stuck. 5.     Do an activity that gets you out of your head and into your body: driving, walking, yoga, crochet, whatever. Give your brain time to figure things out.6.     Find what works for you. You might love to outline in detail, or you might not. You might need to fast draft a project, or you might need to write slowly, polishing as you go. There are no rules.7.     I need to reiterate this: there are no rules.8.     Try to do the unexpected. One of the ways I try to do this is by going the opposite way. Take your instinct and flip it on its head. If you’re trying to figure out what should happen in a scene, don’t just go with the first thing you think of. Write a list of 50 possibilities and choose the most unlikely one. 9.     Learn how to format correctly. (It makes a big difference when you’re submitting work.)10.  Read every word aloud. 11.  Read from the end to the beginning when you’re polishing—it helps to prevent your brain from filling in the gaps. 12.  If you don’t know where to start with a character, try asking yourself what they want. Then ask: why can’t they have what they want? Then ask: what will they do to get it? 13.  Don’t worry about your relatives reading your writing.14.  Don’t talk too much about the book you’re writing. Channel the energy you would use talking into putting the words down on the page.15.  Yes, it’s as hard for everyone as it is for you. This isn’t an excuse to give up. Keep going.16.  Keep. Going.17.  Pay attention to criticism, but also pay attention to what readers think you’re doing right. (If no one’s telling you what you’re doing right, ask.)  18.  You probably won’t know what the story is about until you write the whole thing.19.  Sometimes switching to writing in a notebook, or changing the room you’re writing in—or even sitting on the opposite side of your desk—can help you to see a story/scene differently. 20.  The weirder the idea, the better. (Don't worry about being "too weird.")21.  Find your Best Time to Write and arrive there regularly.22.  Repetition can be a good thing. 23.  Experimentation = failure. Creativity = experimentation. Aim to fail interestingly. 24.  Your greatest dreams can come true if you show up to the truth of yourself, everyday, and don’t give up.25.  Too many voices = no voice. (Don’t listen to everyone. Or: listen, but make your own choices about where your story should go after listening. You can’t please everyone.) 26.  Be polite and professional when you query. Say thank you. Try to avoid typos.27.  Your villain is the hero of her own story.28.  Go for the worst. Get pushed off the ledge of your own story.29.  Ask for help.30.  Don’t start writing a story before you’ve listened to the voice of that story. (Can you hear it?)31.  Sometimes you are not ready.32.  Begin and end each chapter with an irreparable disaster.33.  It helps to give your character a longing that is satisfied only by something that complicates their life immeasurably.34.  A plot is just an opposition of wants.35.  The language will take you there. Which is to say: sometimes you can’t plan where the story will go until you are actually writing it. Sometimes the voice of a character holds the map to your plot. If you're anything like me, the language will take you there. Wade into it.  

when was the last time you felt beautiful?

When was the last time you felt beautiful?The words floated up on the screen in front of me, hovering, shimmering like gold dust. I was watching a behind the scenes video on SLDV Portrait’s Facebook page. There was an image of a woman having her make-up done, then sitting in a plush armchair, looking at the camera. The words drifted across the screen, and I had tears in my eyes. I wiped them away, feeling silly.But the truth was, I hadn’t felt beautiful for a long, long time.The truth was, I’d been fighting myself, and my body, for a long, long time. And I was tired of it.























When I met with Sarah, she explained that her studio worked a little differently from most. The portraits were taken over a whole day. There was a make-up artist to do make-up, and a studio wardrobe to play dress up with. Instead of receiving a whole bunch of images on a flash disk, the idea is that you choose your favourites, and those are printed on archival paper that will last for over 100 years.I loved the sound of this.Suddenly, having this portrait taken seemed like a way to mark a monumental year. The year I turned thirty. The year my first novel was published. The year I finally, finally gave up on all my disordered behaviours around food.























Weeks passed.  A few days before the shoot, I started to panic. Did I need to go for an emergency facial? Should I try to drop a kilo or two? These thoughts swirled around my head, but I watched them swirl. I didn’t act on them. I didn’t restrict my food intake to steamed spinach and green apples. I didn’t go on a juice fast. I didn’t stare for hours in the mirror, wishing I was better, or different.  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous on the day of the shoot, but I needn’t have been. The truth was, Sarah (and her assistant, Anastasia) took care of me that day. It sounds strange, but they did.























They made me coffee and let me peruse the studio wardrobe. They chatted to me about make-up ideas. They had put a lot of thought into how I would be photographed—from props, to backdrops, to angles—and they asked for my opinion on everything. They made me feel at ease—at home, even. They fed me vegan lunch and let me bask in the sun with Sarah’s cat. They are evidence of the fact that perfect strangers can make you feel loved.























When I went back to the studio a week later for the reveal of the portraits, it was with trepidation. I didn’t know if I would like myself in the pictures. I had spent a long time not liking myself in anything, in any way, and habits like that are difficult to break. But as soon as I stepped into the bright studio, and saw the portrait Sarah and Anastasia had chosen as their favourite, I couldn’t stop smiling.























I did look beautiful.More than that, I looked at peace. I looked like someone who believed in herself.Like someone who’d finally found the courage to show her true face, and her true heart, to the world. This is the real gift of what Sarah does. The beautiful studio, the gorgeous, high-quality products, the pampering—all of those things are wonderful. But the true beauty of Sarah’s work lies in this one fact: her goal is to let you step outside of yourself for a second, to see yourself how the world sees you, how the people who love you see you. To see how you might see yourself, if you loved yourself, really loved yourself.And that is priceless.























If you’d like to find out more about SLDV Portrait, you can go to their website, or find them on Facebook or Instagram. All photographs were taken by Sarah-Louise de Villiers and Anastasia Vorisek.I didn’t receive any compensation for writing this—I just really believe in the work Sarah does.