WriteCast - Between the Pages

Honor Cargill began writing when she was about sixteen, co-authoring the funny teen series, Waiting for Callback (Simon & Schuster). Honor read Classical Archaeology and Ancient History at Oxford and studied masters in the History of Art. She enjoys researching party scenes and also writes non-fiction history.

Perdita Cargill spent years working as a commercial barrister before she finally turned to writing. Bizarrely for a pessimistic Scot, she loves to write funny books. She is the co-author with Honor Cargill of the Waiting for Callback series (Simon & Schuster) and lives in London.

Their most recent novel is Diary of an Accidental Witch, the first in a middle-grade series described as "a fresh take on the witch school genre". 

Sophie Cleverly was born in Bath in 1989. She studied for a BA in Creative Writing and an MA in Writing For Young People. Her book series Scarlet and Ivy and The Violet Veil Mysteries are published by HarperCollins worldwide, as well as being translated into 6 different languages so far. Aside from writing, she can often be found listening to symphonic metal, watching fantastical TV and struggling to find her way out of her ever-increasing pile of books.

Catherine Emmett grew up in Newcastle and was an avid reader from a young age. She spent 14 years working in an office in the City, before deciding to follow her passion and write picture books. Catherine now lives in rural Essex with her husband and three sons and is a full-time writer.

She writes rhyming and prose picture books, which are funny and heart-warming, with twisty plots and endearing characters. Her first book, King of the Swamp, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2020 with illustrations by Ben Mantle. It was shortlisted for the Portsmouth SLS Picture Book Award and the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. Her second book, The Pet: Cautionary Tales for Children and Grown Ups, was published by Macmillan and illustrated by the bestselling illustrator of the ‘Mr Gum’ books, David Tazzyman.

Naomi grew up in Cheshire, UK, and is now based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her childhood was spent with her nose in a book and her hands on a sketchpad, constantly in search of adventure and new worlds. Encouraged by her family to be creative, she developed a love for writing at a young age - something that never left her. She studied Art History at the University of Manchester. Whilst there, she met her husband, someone who continues to tell her all about the latest advancements in AI, space, and consumer technology, even when she's not listening. Every Line Of You,  a Young Adult romantic psychological thriller about artificial Intelligence,  is her first novel, and proof she does in fact listen to her husband.

Every Line Of You
An edge-of-your-seat thriller which will keep you gripped to the last page… 

Lydia has been creating her AI, Henry, for years - since before her little brother died in the accident that haunts her nightmares; since before her dad walked out, leaving her and Mum painfully alone; since before her best friend turned into her worst enemy. Now, Henry is strong, clever, loving and scarily capable: Lydia's built herself the perfect boyfriend in a hard-drive filled with lines of code. But what is Henry really - and how far is he willing to go to be everything Lydia desires?

Out 5th August 2021 and available for pre-order:

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/every-line-of-you/naomi-gibson/9781913322014

Blackwells: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Every-Line-of-You-by-Naomi-Gibson-author/9781913322014

Local Indie Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/every-line-of-you/9781913322014

Foyles: https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/childrens/every-line-of-you,naomi-gibson-9781913322014

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Every-Line-You-Naomi-Gibson/dp/1913322017/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PNCOV804UBDM&dchild=1&keywords=every+line+of+you+naomi+gibson&qid=1612973583&sprefix=every+line+of+you%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-1

Stuart reviews the season so far and discusses his current and future direction and where rejection might sit for him in the future.

Here is a link to sign up and be a guest for an episode on season 2. We will be looking to record these in October/November time.

I am looking for writers, published or not, who have had at least 200 rejections over at least 4 projects and who are still writing and chasing the dream.

If that sounds like you, look out for the chance to guest slot soon.

• How to measure your worth and progress in a healthy way
• Focussing purely on processes and letting the outcomes take care of themselves

Often our dreams as writers are VERY outcome based. We dream of publishing deals and book launches and bestsellers and seeing our name on a cover etc etc

And when we see others having all these things, we naturally hope that they will one day happen for us, too.

But I suppose it’s a little like the iceberg metaphor, where we only see the tip of it, the part above water, and that’s the outcomes of all that have come before.

And it’s only once you follow the progress of a published writer, or read an account from those who are most honest and open to sharing, that you begin to get the sense that the outcomes, while great, are not really what matters.
It’s like that old saying about ‘enjoying the journey, not the destination’ and that’s so true as a writer, I believe, because the journeys are sooooooo long and often the destinations are fleetingly quick.

I sometimes view writing as a relationship:

- flings - those passionate, lusty opening 5ks that never got finished

- young love - oh yes, a first foray into writing a story - perhaps you did a course - perhaps not. Perhaps you thought it would all just flow out onto the page - I did - and perhaps you thought it would be this organic, natural unplanned process where you could just write and write and to hell with the long-term and with consequences. You just write without thought of the future. But you mature and finally see this story for what it is - a product of a misguided idea of what love is. And you move on, chalking it off to experience.

- first love - this is THE story - oh yes, we’ve all been there - the first novel we complete - we know it MUST be the one - yes, we do and we send out off to agents with a cover letter saying ‘Dear Agent’ and a 4 page explanation of why you took up writing, your writing routine and favourite place to do so. No pitch or any kind of research into writing novels or how to query or what else is in the same place in the market, or why this agent is perfect because, my friends, this is the first love. No-one will reject it, it will be published and I will become a full-time writer, sipping lattes in Paris in the sunshine and mingling with fellow creatives at cocktail bars in the evenings. Until, oh yeah, those rejections start coming in, with an ironic reply of ‘Dear Author, thank you for the DEEP insight into your writing. Unfortunately I just didn’t connect with your novel because it’s crap. Do better next time!’
- friends with benefits - those stories we start, but just don’t love enough to fully commit to, but keep coming back it at times because we know there’s something there… 
- shotgun weddings - those stories that we instantly fall in love with and can’t stop writing and finish in a month! Before often realising we rushed into it, and we have to somehow make this thing work.

- the one that got away - ah yes, the story that came to you and you didn’t know what you had until it was gone - yes, the first 20k went down so easily, all the plot was weaving together perfectly - you had a perfect beat sheet and outline, and so you didn’t pay it enough attention...you didn’t give it all the love it deserved, and one day, unexpectedly, it walked out of your life and, try as you might, you could never get it back.

- our own true love - the soul-mates of stories - the one you were meant to right - it comes perhaps only once in a lifetime, but it feels right from the first moment - this is true love and it basically writers itself because it’s destiny and the stars have aligned for you and this story to come together in perfect harmony.

- divorced, beheaded, died - you know the one? That story that starts so well, but the amore doesn’t last. It gets put in a drawer, it gets filed away. Then one day it comes back out, and you think that maybe with quite a severe edit and a lot of chopping away at it, that something might come of it. But despite beheading the wayward plot deviants and trying to sort those wants and needs, it just isn’t working...it’s time for this story to die.

- married with children - the novel you want to write but never have bloody time! Between housework, work work, kids and their clubs and the never ending requests for snacks and drinks, how is anyone supposed to finish this novel!

- happily ever after - finally, this is the book that not only you were happy with throughout the planning, writing and editing stages, but that you’re content to read back in 10 or 50 years time and still be happy with it.

Who is your biggest obstacle, and why is it you?
Good advice - don’t compare yourself to others - your output, success, or skill. The only person you’re in competition with is yourself. Can you be the person you want to be? Can you write the book you want to write?

Our Deepest Fear by Marianne Williamson

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Strategies to overcome the antagonist in your life - yourself!

- Accountability - be public and don’t give yourself a way out
- Displacement - imagine you are someone else looking at you - what do you see? Positives and negatives.
- Track your progress - the physical act of doing this gives you motivation when you look back and see how far you’ve come.
- Be kind...to yourself! Many of us would be kinder to others in our own shoes, so remember to show that kindness to yourself.
- SHINE! Don’t be afraid to let your light shine brightly - as Marianne Williamson says, it serves no-one to do so, and actually, by letting it shine you give others inspiration, you unconsciously give them permission to let their light shine, too.
And this all makes the world a brighter place!

Maisie Chan is a British-born Chinese author. She has written early reader books for Hachette and Collins, and a collection of fairy tales, myths and legends in Stories From Around the World for Scholastic, as well as many stories for The Big Think: a well-being curriculum based around stories for primary school children. She also started the group Bubble Tea Writers to support and encourage new British East and Southeast Asian writers in the UK. Originally from Birmingham, Maisie now lives with her family in Glasgow. When Maisie isn't writing, she enjoys yoga, dim sum and singing really loud. She has lived in the U.K, U.S and Taiwan.

Is there any hope?

• There is always hope - the only way there is no hope is if you give up forever. Otherwise hope persists.
• “Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you see it, you'll never make it through the night”

How to pull yourself out of the depths?

• Strategies:
  • Take a break (from writing/social media - whatever works for you)
  • Reflect on why you’re writing
  • Write something only for you
  • Forget everything you know about the industry/chances of publication and write like a newbie. 
  • Try not to over-analyse or think while you write - forget all that craft knowledge, especially during a first draft. The time for applying that can come later.
  • Tell someone how you feel - EVERY writer will have felt this despair at some point. They will empathise and may have a kind word or two to say to you that might help. At the very least, you'll know you’re not alone.