Getting on with the story

Last week I visited a couple of schools in Barking.  Manor Infant School in Barking and Manor Longbridge Dagenham. The both were nice schools and even then I had a rather busy time doing two talks, two visits to nurseries and two workshops in each school, I had a great time.

In Manor Infant School the children and teachers were dressed as book characters from their favourite books. Children always enjoying dressing up, but what is less known, is that the teachers also enjoy dressing up as equally as the children. Here is Catherine. The lovely teacher who invited me to the school. She is dressed up as Little Mouse of course.

With children we made a big picture. I do these often, but I can’t ever get tired of looking at children’s drawings. Look at this cat on the skateboard…

or these two beautiful cats.

Another of my favourite is the flying lion king and ladybird.

For the rest of the week I was trying to get on with my new story. It should be about a penguin, who is a bit different from the other penguins…or should it be about friendship? No it’s about being lonely…. I can’t get it right. I must admit, I’m struggling.

I started with sketching the pictures. I was so excited. I couldn’t wait to do the artwork.

But there is no use in pictures, if the story itself isn’t strong enough. My publisher Walker Books is well known for not letting out a book which won’t be up to their standards. So my editors are making me change it again and again.

My sketches are more basic every time as I’m rewriting the story. How many times I sketched the story is well demonstrated by my latest sketches.

I think by now it’s only me who knows what is going on.

Well, it’s nothing too unusual going through the difficult process in the early stages..I keep telling myself. But I need a break.

Luckily it’s Father’s Day and my daughter made me cakes. It’s time to have a closer look at them!