Children’s author Katherine Woodfine offers her three most important tips for writers taking part in this year’s NaNoWriMo.
Katherine Woodfine’s Writing Tips
1. Don’t get it right, get it written. If you worry too much about making your writing ‘perfect’ first time, there’s a risk that you might never get started at all. The blank page can be intimidating, but remember that rough drafts are meant to be just that – rough! So try not to angst too much about it, and instead just get some words down on the page. You can always revise, improve and polish them up later. The main thing is to begin!
2. Look for creative inspiration. If you’re feeling short on ideas, then make sure you’re taking time to be inspired by others’ work. Creativity doesn’t happen in a vacuum, so give yourself time to read, but also to visit art galleries and museums, listen to music, go to the theatre, watch films – whatever you feel most drawn to. New ideas can come from all kinds of unexpected places – and surrounding yourself with creative inspiration will always give you an energy boost.
3. Go for a walk. The best thing to do when you feel stuck. Leave your phone behind or turn it off, and just go for a wander. It’s amazing how effective even a ten-minute walk can be for untangling a tricky plot problem or kickstarting your imagination.
About Katherine Woodfine
Katherine Woodfine was born in Lancashire. She studied English at Bristol University and in 2005 she was highly commended in Vogue magazine’s annual Talent Competition for young writers. Woodfine writes an award-winning blog and her work has been published by Flax Books in the anthology Mostly Truthful.
She now lives in London. Since 2009 she has worked for the literature charity Booktrust, where she is a children’s book specialist and project manager of the Children’s Laureate, working with leading children’s authors such as Malorie Blackman, Julia Donaldson and Anthony Browne.
The final book in The Sinclair’s Mysteries, The Midnight Peacock is out now!
As well as her blog, you can keep up to date with Katherine Woodfine on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
About NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), is an annual, online creative writing project that takes place every November. Around the world, people of all ages try to write a 50,000 word manuscript between 01 and 30 November, while gaining support from other writers and NaNoWriMo participants. Find out more on the NaNoWriMo website.
