Writing about Writing

I have been thinking a great deal about the writing process recently.  This is mainly due to the fact I have been doing a lot of writing myself,  mostly about writing! I was asked to write a blog page about writing for one organisation and then very excitingly I was asked to write a book by a big publisher. Now I have always wanted to write a book and whilst this was not the book I had in mind (it’s non-fiction for children rather than fiction) it is all about writing fiction.

Writing your own book is a little like having a baby– you really cannot envisage what it will be like beforehand. The book I’ve written was just a selection of notes and scribbled pictures (I say pictures, but they bore no resemblance to true drawing!) and then some very talented designers turned my words into something amazing.

What struck me was how I had correctly conveyed my ideas in words to be turned into lavishly illustrated pages and  exciting activities. I must, therefore, have written something well enough to be understood clearly. There were comparatively few alterations I wanted to the proofs, which seemed astounding to me. I realised the power of a clear turn of phrase or precise instruction.

You cannot get every child published in order for them to realise this, but there are many platforms they can use, where to all intents and purposes, they are being published and can have a large audience of readers. It can be as simple as an article in the school newsletter, or a blog page, or a site like Lend Me Your Literacy. Suddenly they can have an audience who will respond.

Showing the proofs of my book to friends and family I got my first audience for my book, my new baby. Of course my brother noticed a tiny spelling error I had not spotted but that was useful as it was in time to be corrected. Their comments did not feel like criticism– it felt like help. If we can train children to be the same sort of help to each other, just imagine the value of peer support in class.

My excitement at having accomplished this writing was unmatched. I write all the time, including for my own pleasure, but nothing came close to this excitement of having a proper book published.  I’ve never experienced a feeling quite like it– I’m sure the people I met at the publishers thought me quite mad when I kept saying how much fun it all was. I’d found, not only writing for a purpose, but writing for pleasure combined and how I wanted to transmit that to children.

I can always remember enjoying writing. When I was six I had a teacher who never seemed to check up on what we were doing.  I was not that keen on maths so I scarcely did any maths that year. Instead I wrote, I wrote books, pages and pages of stories. Many off my stories were in ‘chapters’ and about a magical snowman. I wrote virtually a whole exercise book about this snowman. It was my first ‘book’ and I was so proud of it. I can’t remember anyone doing anything to make me love writing, I just did.  I know many children are not like that, but if you start young, I’ve seen whole classes of nursery age children passionate about writing and wanting to communicate their ideas for other people to read and enjoy. 

So I am really excited about my first proper book. I know it will be a never to be forgotten experience. I hope there will be lots of children who manage to achieve that same joy in writing that I have.

Write Your Own Book will be published by Dorling Kindersley towards to the end of the year.