Why you should talk to other children's authors
Moira Butterfield
A few years ago, when I’d just turned freelance, I went to a meet-up for authors and would-be-authors. It was a general local event for anyone, and there I was quickly cornered by a strangely aggressive chap who demanded to know how much money I made. That experience put me off meeting other authors for a while, which is a shame because in hindsight I realize he wasn’t even an author. He was one of those types who fancied being one because he thought he could get rich quick.Still, lacking confidence and coming from a distinctly untouchy-feelie office environment myself, I shrunk from mixing with other writers. Then I was asked to a local coffee meeting. I don’t remember why I decided to go, but I think I was probably feeling somewhat isolated. There I met some friendly folk who told me about a nationwide online children’s author group I could join. Well...It was online, so maybe I could. I could stay quiet or I could just log off if it wasn’t for me. Luckily I found a very supportive community. The authors there didn’t necessarily do the same kind of work as me but they were all writers and they led writer’s lives. I began to ask questions and get helpful answers, such as how to use Twitter or what to charge for a school visit. Eventually I met up with some of the authors in the group. I was nervous. I do a lot of work-for-hire projects in between trying to write my own material. How would that go down? I don’t have an agent. Would that be perceived as odd? No. It was OK. I found friendly supportive people prepared to share creative experiences. They’ve helped me to think about my own work and I’ve been encouraged to move forward and to write in different ways. Some of us even set up this blog. Amazing! Now I can talk to authors every day if I want to. I’ve also found myself being supportive, and that’s been a surprisingly big plus because it turns out that helping others leads to increased personal self-confidence and feelings of worth (a secret of life that I definitely did not learn in pressurized offices!). I’ve even found myself sending messages to people I’ve never met because they are going through difficult times, and though I don’t know the details (I don’t have to) I do know how very hard it is to work when life is tough, and I can say: “I understand. It's OK to take time out. Your creativity won't go away.” The other day I met a new group of children's writers near my home, and beforehand I felt that nervousness again, unsure who they’d be or what they would think of someone who might be working on a picture book one day and a history book or a first reader on another day. It turned out they were friendly, fun and wanted to hear from me. I still have those insecure feelings but I’ve found so much in common with other children’s authors. I’ve found lots of people who think rather like me. So I’d recommend meeting up with other children’s authors near you, and they don’t all have to be picture book authors. They could be writing all sorts of things for all sorts of projects, but the point is they ARE writing. Shoot the breeze, enjoy a coffee and know that you’re not alone in your working life.
http://www.moirabutterfield.com/
https://twitter.com/moiraworld Currently I'm working on both history books and picture books. I have books coming out about the Anglo-Saxons this week, aimed at schools. In the meantime I continue writing my own novel series for 8+, which I hope to finish by the 22nd Century. I definitely need a coffee!
A few years ago, when I’d just turned freelance, I went to a meet-up for authors and would-be-authors. It was a general local event for anyone, and there I was quickly cornered by a strangely aggressive chap who demanded to know how much money I made. That experience put me off meeting other authors for a while, which is a shame because in hindsight I realize he wasn’t even an author. He was one of those types who fancied being one because he thought he could get rich quick.Still, lacking confidence and coming from a distinctly untouchy-feelie office environment myself, I shrunk from mixing with other writers. Then I was asked to a local coffee meeting. I don’t remember why I decided to go, but I think I was probably feeling somewhat isolated. There I met some friendly folk who told me about a nationwide online children’s author group I could join. Well...It was online, so maybe I could. I could stay quiet or I could just log off if it wasn’t for me. Luckily I found a very supportive community. The authors there didn’t necessarily do the same kind of work as me but they were all writers and they led writer’s lives. I began to ask questions and get helpful answers, such as how to use Twitter or what to charge for a school visit. Eventually I met up with some of the authors in the group. I was nervous. I do a lot of work-for-hire projects in between trying to write my own material. How would that go down? I don’t have an agent. Would that be perceived as odd? No. It was OK. I found friendly supportive people prepared to share creative experiences. They’ve helped me to think about my own work and I’ve been encouraged to move forward and to write in different ways. Some of us even set up this blog. Amazing! Now I can talk to authors every day if I want to. I’ve also found myself being supportive, and that’s been a surprisingly big plus because it turns out that helping others leads to increased personal self-confidence and feelings of worth (a secret of life that I definitely did not learn in pressurized offices!). I’ve even found myself sending messages to people I’ve never met because they are going through difficult times, and though I don’t know the details (I don’t have to) I do know how very hard it is to work when life is tough, and I can say: “I understand. It's OK to take time out. Your creativity won't go away.” The other day I met a new group of children's writers near my home, and beforehand I felt that nervousness again, unsure who they’d be or what they would think of someone who might be working on a picture book one day and a history book or a first reader on another day. It turned out they were friendly, fun and wanted to hear from me. I still have those insecure feelings but I’ve found so much in common with other children’s authors. I’ve found lots of people who think rather like me. So I’d recommend meeting up with other children’s authors near you, and they don’t all have to be picture book authors. They could be writing all sorts of things for all sorts of projects, but the point is they ARE writing. Shoot the breeze, enjoy a coffee and know that you’re not alone in your working life.
http://www.moirabutterfield.com/
https://twitter.com/moiraworld Currently I'm working on both history books and picture books. I have books coming out about the Anglo-Saxons this week, aimed at schools. In the meantime I continue writing my own novel series for 8+, which I hope to finish by the 22nd Century. I definitely need a coffee!
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