Now that i’ve basically finished A Ghost in My Suitcase, I’m doing the small black and white pencil illustrations that will be inserted into the text. There will be about two illustrations per chapter and each one takes about half an hour to complete although that also depends on how complicated they are, or if I need to do any research. Even though I trained as an artist before I became an author, I certainly like writing now more than I like to draw. I guess because I don’t draw enough, I get frustrated with myself sometimes. As with everything, practice makes perfect.
Hi. Totally understand what you’re saying about writing being more enjoyable than drawing at the moment. I too am an artist trained but have recently discovered writing and am head down tail feater up in the world of writing stories for the young. The frustrations of an out of practice artist can be easily buried when immersed in the wonder of words!
I guess what we’re doing now is painting pictures with words. But I would love to be able to spend more time drawing. The only thing is, unless you draw on the computer, if you make mistakes, like I do often, it’s not so easy to cut and paste like you can with a story.
Yes, and hence the frustration! Tell me, how did you get your start as a published author/illustrator? I’ve been looking around at various sites and feel completely over whelmed and intimidated.
I took a subject ‘writing for children’ which is part of the professional writing and editing course at Tafe and during that time wrote my first junior novel The Garden of Empress Cassia. Before then I didn’t realise that I could write. I wanted to write picture story books and illustrate them but found during that class that writing novels was for me so much more rewarding. The following year, I sent the novel off to six different publishers all of whom promptly rejected them. The last publisher I sent it to was Penguin. I thought that they wouldn’t want it for sure as they are so big but I’m glad I took the chance because they have since published all four of my books with another one A Ghost in My Suitcase to be released next year and my first young adult novel Little Paradise in 2010.
The thing is to keep sending your stories off and don’t give up. It’s hard because you get so disillusioned every time a rejection letter comes back, but if you have something unique, you will eventually get there. It’s great getting the feedback from the teacher and fellow classmates when you take a writing course. It also gives you the weekly discipline to write. I gather from your blog name that you are in Australia so you
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Thanks for the pass it on tip. It looks like a great newsletter. Thanks also for your prompt and generous responses. Hope your day (or night as the case may be) is a beautiful one.
Bron