Children’s picture book writer Louise Greig is the latest Farshore author to offer up some writing advice, for budding writers and people taking part in NaNoWriMo.
Writing tips from Louise Greig
Little quotes have stuck in my mind by various iconic picture book writers over the years and I find their simplicity profoundly inspiring. I think it was Uri Schulevitz who said, ‘Decide what you want to say and you will then find the way to say it’.
Picture books say big things to small people. They allow you to use strong, exciting metaphors to articulate big subjects but you have to be clear about what you are trying to say.
I also believe that ideas are never wasted. I have hundreds of ideas in files on my computer; some are just titles that I love the sound of and which may never become anything more. However, there’s this beautiful little thing that happens when one idea inspires another and another until this shadowy outline begins to step into the light and become the shape of something meaningful.
But you have to believe in it, utterly.
About Louise Greig
Louise Greig is an award-winning poet and a children’s picture book author with a unique, lyrical voice. Her childhood was filled with animals, the poems of Robert Louis Stevenson and picture books by iconic children’s writers such as Margaret Wise Brown, Charlotte Zolotow, Ruth Krauss, Maurice Sendak, Astrid Lindgren and Tove Jansson.
She won the inaugural children’s poetry prize organised by The Caterpillar (2015) and has been joint winner of the Manchester Writing for Children Prize. She was also a runner-up in the Chicken House Publishing ‘Big Idea’ competition in 2014.
Louise lives in Aberdeen and when not writing is a director of a dog rescue and re-homing organisation. The wild solitude of Scotland and the beauty of nature remain strong influences in her life.
The Night Box, an enchanting bedtime story written by Louise Greig and beautifully illustrated by Ashling Lindsay, was recently nominated for the CILIP Greenaway Medal 2018.
Keep up to date with Louise Greig on twitter.
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.
