Writing Process

I just finished reading a great interview with Jocelyn Shipley over at Debbie Ohi’s Inkygirl blog. It was interesting to read that in Jocelyn’s first draft of How to Tend a Grave, there was one main character but in a subsequent draft, a second main character emerged. Jocelyn concluded that she would achieve more depth by telling two merging stories in two voices, but this conclusion required some time and distance from the manuscript.

I love hearing about a writer’s process, and can’t emphasize enough that first drafts are a beginning point.

 

Writing Contest

Heads up to all you wanna be kid’s book writers.

Here’s an Island writing contest aimed at producing a book of illustrated stories for 9-12 year olds while benefiting The Old School House Arts Centre (T.O.S.H.) in Qualicum Beach, British Columbia.

Stories should be unpublished and in the 1500 word range.  The entrance fee is $10 with the best story taking home a $200 prize. The top ten stories will be published and illustrated by artists-in-residence of T.O.S.H. The profits from the sale of the book will go to support the non-profit arts centre.

Thanks to my colleague Jocelyn Shipley for passing this on. Do be sure to check out her site and her work.