According to my Oxford Concise a manifesto is ‘a public declaration of a policy and aims’.

I’m currently planning a tour in October for 3 teen/tween writers – 3 days, 3 cities, 3 remarkable writers – title yet to be decided, but we have some pretty nifty names already. The writers involved are Judi Curtin, writer of the fab Alice and Megan series, Sophia Bennett, writer of the equally fab Threads series set in the London fashion world, and moi!

And I came up with a tongue in cheek manifesto:

No vampires
No werewolves
No boys that go bump in the night

Real girls
Real drama
Really amazing stories straight from the heart
Prepare to be pinked!

We all write books for age 9/10+ with characters who are in their early teens. We all deal with real life issues – family drama, friendship problems, bullying – hence the no vampires, no werewolves bit.

So it got me thinking – maybe I should have my own writing manifesto, a Sarah Webb Manifesto. A ‘public declaration’ of my writing intentions.

So here goes:

I guess my most important aim is to entertain.

First commandment of popular fiction of any kind is (as the lovely Claudia Carroll once said): Thou shalt not bore. Quite right too.

Second aim – to say something.

I know this sounds a little vague but sometimes I read books that don’t actually say anything. They just potter along, telling a nice story, but not really going anywhere. I think books should have something solid rooted at the heart of them – a theme if you like.
Sometimes that theme doesn’t make itself fully known until you finish the 1st or 2nd or even the 3rd draft, but it’s often bubbling away under the surface of your words, slowly rising to the surface.
For example in the first Amy Green book I wanted to tell readers it’s OK to be yourself. In fact it’s pretty darn cool to be yourself. It’s a theme that runs through all the Amy Green books.

My third aim is to write with passion and with confidence.

I’ve been writing for many years now and I’ve started to understand what both these things really mean and how important they are. Write without passion and you’re doomed. The confidence bit – that can be learned over time. But if you write with both passion and confidence – then you might just have a pretty good book on your hands.

So there you have it – three aims for my own personal manifesto.

What are your aims when you write?

Do you have a writing manifesto?

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

This piece will run in Inis Children’s Book Magazine – but here’s a sneak peek. Hope it’s useful, SarahXXX

So You Want to Write for Children?
Some Advice for Unpublished Writers by Sarah Webb

Recently I spoke to thirty six-year-olds about my new Panda book, Emma the Penguin at the Dublin Book Festival. It was my first foray into the world of the jitter bugs that are 1st classers, and as I watched fellow Panda-person, Gillian Perdue round up her herd of cowboys and teach them how to line dance, I realised just how much I still have to learn about entertaining younger children. But I’d like to share what I have learned with you, in the hope it will prove useful to other writers, especially to those starting out.

Firstly the bad news, it is no longer enough to write an amazing book. There are over 8,000 children’s books published annually, many of which are also amazing. Some of these amazing books will have a lot of money behind them, some of them will be ‘written’ by pop stars or models. Some of them will be written by authors with a long standing track record.

But do not despair. There is a lot you can do to build your profile or ‘platform’ (as the market-eers like to call it) as a children’s writer before your book is published or even accepted for publication.

I’ll start with some general points. It goes without saying that you should put most of your time and energy into your writing. Write for the child inside you, write remembering just how it feels to be 4 or 7 or 9. Dig deep and use your memory. In a recent edition of Inis (Spring 2010) Sophie McKenzie says ‘I remember exactly what it was like being a teenager . . . (I) can vividly remember the years between 13 and 15.’

Yes, modern children now have You Tube, Facebook, mobiles – but they are just different ways of communicating, but emotions don’t change. After all, your parents may not have had televisions or telephones growing up!

If you want to write for children or teens, talk to children or teens, ask them what music they like, what actors, what books, what telly shows. The average 6th class girl’s favourite show is Desperate Housewives – who would have guessed?

Take constructive criticism on your work from people who read a lot of children’s books. Teens make good critics, but younger children generally want to please. You might find an experienced librarian or teacher who will read your work – take on board what they say.

Write from the heart and don’t be afraid of strong emotion. In Jacqueline Wilson’s books siblings jump out of high towers, killing themselves (My Sister Jodie), mums have nervous breakdowns and take emulsion paint baths (The Illustrated Mum). Oliver Jeffers’s latest picture book, The Heart and the Bottle, features a girl whose father has just died. She does not know how to cope with the grief so she takes her heart out and places it in a bottle for safe keeping. Strong stuff!

If you want to write commercial children’s fiction, you must have an eye to the market. Read children’s books – especially in the age group/area you are interested in writing for – library/bookshop recommendations, modern classics, bestsellers and award winners. There are many good guides out there to help you pick fantastic books to read, my favourites being the Ultimate Book Guide series published by A & C Black, a must for anyone serious about writing for children or teens.

This reading will also help you be aware of what modern children like and are interested in – and what works in a book. And also it’s fun; some of the best books out there are children’s books. It will also help you work out what age group you are writing for: early reader, confident reader, teen reader. This is vital. Children’s books are categorised in most shops and libraries by age. Young readers are aspirational – they like to read about children older than they are. If your character is 11, your readers will probably be 7/8 to 11.

Are there any gaps in the market? In a word, yes. At a recent Irish Pen event called ‘New Kids on the Block’ event, Svetlana Pironko, Director of the Author Rights Agency, Siobhan Parkinson, Children’s Editor at Little Island (New Island’s imprint for children and teens), and Paddy O’Doherty, Children’s Editor at Puffin Ireland, explained what they were looking for.

Paddy would like to see fiction for the 7 to 9 age group, but especially 8 to 12 fiction.
She says ‘read Puffin books’ and see where the gaps in the list are – and try to fill the gaps! She is very interested in good animal and child stories like Charlotte’s Webb, humour for girls – Louise Rennison type books (she kindly mentioned my own Amy Green books as the type of thing she is looking for), and Fantasy.
She said the books must be ‘well written, original ideas and voice, with a real sense of control’. She wants to feel that the author knows what she (or he) is doing, they have a sense of authority. And overall she is very keen on reading more manuscripts from new authors – all good news!

Siobhan Parkinson is looking for novels for age 9+ and teens. She is personally not a huge fan of fantasy, she prefers realistic novels and she, like Paddy is looking for ‘originality, a strong voice, someone who is in control of their writing’.

Svetlana, however is a big fantasy fan and finds this sells best to international publishers. She also likes teenage/crossover fiction and says universal stories are vital; she is interested in books that can travel.
In the UK, the publishers are veering towards ‘brand’ authors, authors they can work with over a number of books. And this goes for the picture books as well as novels. Oliver Jeffers for example has just signed a four book deal with Harper Collins for his new picture book series, The Hueys. Cathy Cassidy’s new book, Cherry Crush, will be the first book in a new series for girls.

Once you have written your book, what next? While awaiting publication (or your manuscript to find a home), there are many things you can do to start building your profile. Of course, you must start working on your next book, that goes without saying. But you can also begin creating an on-line presence. A website, a blog or both. A Facebook, My Space or Bebo page. Down the line, your readers should be able to find out more about you online and contact you – it’s part of the job of a modern children’s writer.

Blog about what interests you – whether it be books, writing, music, fashion, the universe – as long as it’s interesting! Decide your blogging market – are you targeting parents, teachers, librarians, or children themselves? For blogging inspiration, check out David Maybury’s blog, the children’s literature blog of record.

Reviewing children’s books for Inis magazine is a good way of keeping in touch with current books and also getting your name out there. And it goes without saying, do join CBI and attend some of the wonderful events and workshops. Attend author events and hear other children’s authors speak about their work. Immerse yourself in the children’s book world and you will have a better chance of spreading the word about your book to the right people when it is published.

Start reading your work to children right now. Think about what you have to offer as a performer. If you want to write for children, these days you have to connect with them LIVE. Find your own special way of doing events – standing in front of children and reading is not enough. The first and only commandment of doing events is: Thou Shalt Not Bore.

I use a lot of show and tell during my talks. I show the audience photos, toys, books and clothes from my childhood and talk about what I was like as a child and teen. Then I use these stories to explain how I became a writer.

Finally, be optimistic and have a strong constitution. You will probably be rejected many, many times before you make it. Even after fifteen years and twenty-seven books some of my ideas are still turned down. Write because you can’t not write. Multi-award winning writer Patrick Ness says write with joy. I would go further, I would say write as if it’s your last day on this earth. Give 100% every time you sit down at your desk. And hopefully your joy, passion and dogged hope will translate onto the page. Good luck and keep the writing faith!

For marketing and publicity tips for published writers, see another of my articles on the CBI website – CBI Info section – www.childrensbooksireland.ie

I did a talk recently for Irish Pen on writing for children – and I thought I’d pass on some of the notes from the event.

The most useful things I can tell you writer to writer:

1/ Read children’s books – especially in the age group/area you are interested in writing for – library/bookshop recommendations, award winners etc.
There are a lot of good guides out there to help you pick fab books – esp the ultimate book guide/teen book guide

It will also help you be aware of what modern children like reading – and what works in a book. And also – it’s fun – some of the best books out there are children’s books. I read very few adult books these days. If a young reader does not like the first few pages of a book, they won’t read on. So books for young people have to catch the imagination from the very first lines, making them darn good reads.

It will also make you aware of the different age groups – picture books, early readers (age 4/5 to 7/8 depending on the child), confident readers age 9+, readers 11+, YA/Teen readers. You must know what age you are writing for – every publisher will expect you to know – if you don’t know, how are they supposed to know? Be very clear about what age group you are writing for. This is often the first mistake people make when writing for children. No book is for 5 to 16 year olds – think about it. OK, maybe Harry Potter, I’ll give you that one. But unless you are JK Rowling you give yourself more chance of getting published if you do the leg work – starting with reading in the age group you would like to write for.

More to come (12 points in total in fact) . . .

SarahXXX

D Day, Teens and Books

D Day, teens and books. OK, what is Sarah on about I hear you ask. Well, this morning I’d like to be writing but I have twenty minutes before I have to take Amy (6) to the dentist so it will have to wait. I find it very hard to climb in and out of my writing in short bursts – it interrupts the flow and for me it’s best to wait until I have a decent chunk of time – at least 40 minutes. So I’m scribbling this down instead.

Yesterday the teenager brought home his school project – D Day – with his grade, A-.

Now I’m delighted with this as:
a/ in the end he spent hours on it – OK, he only admitted he had to do the project a few days before it was supposed to be handed in. And at first it was a hard slog. More on this in a mo.
b/ he’s not the best at spelling or writing. He has a spelling exemption for exams but we don’t make a big deal of this. He knows he has to work just as hard as every other student in his year. Harder in fact.
c/ after a false start he used books and not the internet to do his research.

Like most teen boys he’s not all that library-aware. I tend to borrow books for him and hope he’ll enjoy them. He sees the library as geeky. So his first port of call for project info was the intent. Herein lay the problem – the sites he looked up were all ‘boring’. The information was laid out in a very ‘facts and figures’ way, there was no colour to the writing. Maybe he just didn’t find the right sites. I looked for others but again on the ones I found the information wasn’t delivered with any sort of style.

So he struggled to rewrite the information and add his own mark to the project at first. Then I went to the local library and found three books – one on World War II (Dorling Kindersley) and two on D Day itself. The DK one was particularly good – lots of photos, maps, personal accounts – it really brought the whole thing alive. On the way back from the library I read up on D Day and found out dozens of things I’d never known.

Sam flicked through the books, decided they looked ‘OK’ and that he’d give reading them a go. Twenty minutes later I stuck my head around the door and he said ‘Omaha Beach, all those soldiers dead, man! And those Mulberry yokes, mad. And some of the soldiers were my age, and . . .’ He’d started to really take the information in and think about the war in personal terms. Result!

Sam had every chance to be a book loving child. He was read to from birth, our house and his bedroom have always been over flowing with books, I read the books he reads (to review and out of choice – they are far better than most adult books) and we talk about which Skulduggery Pleasant is the best (book 3), what we liked most about Crocodile Tears (the scenes in Africa), when the new Eoin Colfer is out. We fight over my proof copies – especially the Derek Landy ones!

I’m by no means a perfect parent, but when I saw the interest, the spark in Sam’s eyes pouring over the D Day books it made me smile. At least I’ve done something right.

If you have a baby or toddler in your house – especially a boy – please do read to them as often as you can. As they get older – please never stop talking about books with them, leaving books around the house, using the library, visiting your local bookshop, listening to audio books in the car, encouraging your friends and rellies to give him/her book tokens for Christmas. It really can make the difference between a reluctant reader and a book lover.

It’s a true gift for life. I’m not sure I could get through even one day without reading something. For me books are lifesavers. And our teens need them too . . . it’s as simple as that.

Happy December!

Sarah XXX

People – especially children – always ask me ‘where do you get your ideas’? And it’s a good question.

Yesterday as I sat in the hairdresser’s I wrote the bones of an early reader called Joseph and the Pumpkin.

My early reader called Emma, the Penguin is coming out with O’Brien Press in Feb and I had so much fun doing it I thought I might give the age group another go – age 5+.
Plus I promised a son’s friend – Joseph – I’d write a book about him – to impress his school mates!

So I had a name – Joseph – and I knew the kind of boy I wanted to write about – afraid, nervous, lacking in confidence – and I love Hallowe’en so I thought that would make a fun book.

But I had to find a story. So I decided that Joseph would be afraid of Hallowe’en (told a ghost story as a toddler and never got over it – he loves stories but not ghost stories) and by the end of the book overcome this fear.

The plot involves a lost dog (the real Joseph loves his dogs) and a spooky cottage and a journey to find the lost dog involving spooky noises, rustles in the hedges, foxes and deer – drawing on fairy tales like Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel etc.

So that’s the idea in the nutshell – a little boy, a lost dog and his fear – Hallowe’en – and how he overcomes it.

Ideas come from all sorts of place, but finding the central theme, the ‘kernel’ to hang the book around is the important thing – for this story it’s Joseph’s fear and what this fear is based on. Oh and the character has to learn something about themselves along the way – in this case Joseph will learn how strong and brave he can be when he has to be.

I love it when a story starts coming together. There’s still a lot of work to do on the plot, but it’s a start.

SarahX

You are very lucky that I’m am a master of procrastination when supposed to be keying in edits – which I don’t find all that thrilling to be honest. I’m at the final tweaking stage – typos and minor changes – and by this stage I know the book almost off by heart. Still, I am making myself laugh even now – so the book can’t be all that bad. In fact there are a couple of pretty good scenes – coming from me that’s saying a lot! It’s Amy 3 – Bridesmaid Blitz and it really, really is almost finished.

So – Irish Pen New Kids on the Block night – more detailed notes. I will basically transcribe all my notes from the night in case it’s useful to those writing for kiddi winks.

First off was Paddy O’Doherty.

Paddy is an experienced editor and has worked with Children’s Books Ireland for many years. She has recently become the Children’s Editor at Puffin Ireland.

Here is what she had to say (paraphrased) and very interesting it is too:
Penguin Ireland has published for 8 years now. Puffin Ireland is linked to Puffin Uk so the big advantage is that authors will have immediate access to sales in the UK and maybe all the English speaking countries. But this does restrict the books we can take on. They will have to have international appeal.
We will accept unsolicited manuscripts (not from an agent) but there will be little chance at the moment to publish books for the under 7s and picture books. In the future I would dearly love to publish picture books. Paddy explained that the economics of picture books just don’t add up.
This is what she wants:
Age 7 to 9 fiction
Age 8 to 12 fiction
We need books that fill the gaps in the market and gaps in PUffin books
eg Fantasy
Books that will appeal to both boys and girls
animal and child stories like those of MIchael Morpurgo and Dick King Smith
Humour for girls
Louise Rennison type books
She also mentioned Cathy Cassidy and my own Amy Green books (very kindly)

Paddy again: There is no difference between literary and commercial books to me – if they are good that’s all that matters.
We have 80 submissions at the moment – and some have potential.
We want well written, original books with an original voice, a sense of control, a sense that the author knows what they are doing, a sense of authority.

Puffin Ireland’s first book will be by Laura Cassidy – to be published in 2010 or 2011 – and it’s a teen book for girls with an unusual premise.

Puffin Ireland want a cover letter, 3 chapters and a synopsis

It will take 2 to 3 months for them to get back to you and at present they do not acknowledge receipt of manuscripts although this may change.

They give priority to work sent in by agents.

Submission details are on www.penguin.ie

More on Little Island as soon as I get a chance.

YOurs in writing,
SarahX

First of all, thanks so much to all the lovely libaries and schools around the country who hosted Amy Green events or workshops or just plain old talks during the Children’s Book Festival – I had a ball.

I just thought I’d jot down some observations on the festival and generally how you can make us writerly types happy – mostly involving food and some TLC. Here goes:

1/ Do have a glass or bottle of water ready for the author – throats do go Sahara after talking for an hour.
2/ Do make sure the authors get fed at the relevant times – lunch is always good! They may turn into pumpkins if you don’t.
3/ If staying over, put them up in the hotel you would choose to stay in – warm, quiet and clean. Remember some of your authors may need to write/work in the evenings – so do take this into consideration – a tiny room without a desk is a no no.
4/ Please don’t expect them to drive 30 or 40 miles between events – remember many authors are city slickers and more used to trains and buses. Cows in the middle of the road disturb them.
5/ Think about the logistics and what’s best for the author – it might be a better use of their time to base them in the main library rather than slepping them all over the county.
6/ Make sure the person at the desk/in reception knows an author is coming and greets them with a smile. Glum = bad, keen and smiley = good!
7/ Make an effort with posters – these can be ordered from the author’s publisher in advance – or at the very least type welcome and the author’s name on a sheet of paper and stick it to the door. Make the author feel wanted – us authors are sensitive souls, be kind (rewind).
8/ A follow up email/letter to say thanks for visiting is always nice. Chocolates are even better.
9/ Do try to have the author’s books in stock – they will look for them on the shelves!
10/ If the author asks for 5th and 6th class girls, don’t give them 1st class boys – there is a reason for their request! In my case involving bra talk and ballet tutus!!!

Some of the brilliant things librarians and schools did for me this festival:

Cootehill made me a lovely welcome poster and book display.

Alexandra School library provided six copies of Amy Green, Teen Agony Queen for the girls to win on the day of the visit. They also gave me a book token and a box of chocolates. And a follow up thank you card. Many Brownie points for Alex!

Bray/Wicklow libraries presented me with a huge box of Dairy Milk and two darling pink candles for my study. Darlings!

Clare libraries put me up in the Old Ground Hotel – which had a desk so I could work in the evening! Yeah!

Much kindness all round!

SarahX

Did a magic writing workshop with kids in Tallaght LIbrary today. There were supposed to be 1 group of 6th class kids, but I ended up with that lot plus a gang of 4th class kids. So 60 odd in all. Difficult enough for a workshop but they were great – very imaginative and interactive.

We talked about genre, what makes a book ‘good’, how to write interesting sentences – I asked them to come up with a more interesting way of saying ‘The mouse ate the cheese’ and some of their answers were brilliant!
What else – using detail in your work, memory, the importance of unforgettable characters, plotting and conflict and lots of other things.

My tip for doing workshops – be very, very prepared! Lots of exercises for them to do, ones that can easily be adapted for different age groups (in case you get landed with 1st class instead of 6th – happens all the time! Lots of show and tell material – books, photos, diaries etc. And a whole heap of energy and attitude – vital for entertaining 30/60 or more kids!

Paddy O’Doherty’s (Puffin Ireland) wise words keep coming back to me – you must make them know you are in control – in her case she meant her good self, the editor, and she was talking about writing, being in control of the story – but it goes for doing children’s events too – the kids must know you are in control, that you have the session planned, and that you know what you’re talking about and are prepared to be honest, open and attentive during the whole hour/90 mins.

If they start getting twitchy or flicking bits of paper at each other – they’re bored! Try an Abba song (only half joking – it actually works!). Get creative – engage with them. Ask them questions – about their lives, their families, their hobbies/interests, their school.

More next week after sessions in Clare, Lucan and LImerick! Ah yes, Children’s Book Festival – don’t you just love it?!

SarahX

I’ve just set up a new Amy Green facebook page for young fans and readers of 9+ – with lots of tips on great books and insider info on the Amy Green characters – if you have a young reader at home do let them know.
Right, back to edits now!
SarahX

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ask-Amy-Green/157542427175?ref=nf

Phew! I’ve been having a fun time at the Children’s Book Festival. I kicked off my school visits last week with Arklow, Wicklow and Bray; Deansgrange, Stillorgan and Alexandra College in Rathgar.
All the visits were lovely, and a bit shout out to the girls in Hollypark and all the other schools. And thanks for all the emails you’ve been sending me, including the amazingly great poems and stories – it’s a pleasure to read them.
And a big thanks to the librarians, especially Noelle Ringwood, for all their hospitality.

I have just come back from Cavan where I visited Cootehill, Balieborough and Cavan libraries and met pupils from St Mary’s in Drung, (sorry I kept calling it Dung!), and The Dorley school in Cootehill.

5 Things I Love About the Children’s Book Festival

1/ Meeting great boys and girls from all over the country.
2/ Visiting some really fab libraries – and the lovely librarians who run them.
3/ Finding out about the students favourite books – from Jackie Wilson to Derek Landy and everything in between.
4/ Talking about some of my favourite books with the students and teachers – and believe me, I have a long, long list! (Wilderness is right up there, with Judy Blume and The Cat Mummy)
5/ Answering all the odd and bizarre questions that are thrown at me – from ‘What’s your favourite pet?’ to ‘Are you Cecelia Ahern’s sister?’