A children's poem/picture book

I thought this week, rather than some idol ramblings, I'd post one of my poems for children. As my sub for PitchWars was dragon themed, here is my dragon themed poem 'The Bravest Boy in the Village'. I hope you enjoy it!

In a small unnamed village, north of the downs

Lived a boy called William, the bravest in town.

He looked for adventure wherever its found

But saw nothing he feared for miles around

 

Then, one day, a dragon arrived

And a cave at the top of Mount Blue it espied

“How perfect,” it said, with its eyes on its prize

Then looked from its cave for some food and supplies.

 

Next morning it raided the village below

It knocked down some buildings and set them aglow.

It chased all the pets from the annual pet show  

And gobbled up all of the veg, row by row.

 

The villagers met in the town hall that night

To think up a plan that would sort out their plight.

But all were too scared and filled up with fright

To visit the dragon who set things alight.

 

Then up stepped William and proudly he said,

“I’ll climb up the cliff ,” then nodded his head.

He set off with gear from his grandfather’s shed:

Two picks, some crampons and rope from his sled.

 

But as he approached he let out a sigh,

He looked up the cliff and said, “Gosh, that’s quite high!”

An uneasy feeling filled up his inside

“That’s scary,” he said, “but still, I must try!”

 

This feeling was odd, peculiarly queer,

It span round his head and bounced ear to ear,

The face of the cliff before him was sheer.

He thought, is this what it’s like to feel fear!

 

He fitted the crampons, one to each shoe,

Looped up the rope and made a lasso.

He held one end tight and the other he threw

‘Round a rock that stuck up near the top of Mount Blue.

 

Then summoning all of his strength he set out

To conquer the cliff and his fear without doubt.

He climbed to the top and nearly passed out

From the smoke that flowed out from a scaly green snout.

 

“What do you want?” a booming voice said,

“What are you doing here, up by my bed?

Give me one reason why I shouldn’t be fed

And gobble you up from your toes to your head!”

 

William stood with his hands by his thighs

And said with no trace of fear in his eyes,

“You’re very unfriendly for someone your size,

Why must you chase us and swoop from the skies?”

 

“You’re mean and a bully and very unfair,

You don’t seem to think about others or care

For all of the people down there that you scare.

So please won’t you leave and find a new lair!”

 

The dragon cried and let out a bray.

It looked at the boy and said “lackaday,

I was only looking for someone to play.

So if I behave, would you mind if I stay?”

 

William just smiled and said, “I’ve a plan.

If you come with me now, I think that you can.”

So the dragon expanded his wings like a fan

And they flew from the mountain at William’s command. 

 

The villagers thought they were under attack

But as it got closer their tensions went slack

For they saw it was William who was having a crack

At riding on top of the great dragon’s back.

 

He yelled, “Have no fear, this dragon’s our friend.

He really just wanted to play in the end.

His chase is a game and his flame is pretend.

So if we join in he will make amends.”

 

After the day that he calmed down the beast,

The townsfolk were glad that the danger had ceased.

The dragon had fun and was happy to please,

while William was made the Warden of Peace.

#PitchWars Mentee Bio

I thought I better join in the fun of writing a Mentee bio, just that you can learn a bit about me and help me get into the spirit of things.

About Me

I'm a mid (late) thirties father of two and I work full time in the finance industry - investments to be precise. A lot of my work involves writing reports and articles, so I get plenty of literary and grammar practice in everyday - unfortunately, most of it is not on my current WIP!

I have always been involved in various creative arts, including music and amateur drama/filmmaking. It was only about 7 years ago that I began writing in earnest. My first book was called Argyle and is a sci-fi comedy. It's not great, my friends said it was funny, but it was just a practice piece if I'm honest with myself. And honesty to oneself is essential in this industry!

So, my real love is writing fantasy, specifically middle-grade. Why? Because middle-grade allows you to truly flex your imagination and children of this age are able to believe and immerse themselves into almost anything you throw at them.


I'm a member of the SCBWI (UK) and I also enjoy cycling, surfing and reading... lots and lots.

Why Me?

I guarantee you that if you pick me, I will give you my everything. I will pour my heart and soul into the changes you suggest I make, together with some coffee and chocolate sauce. I may even send you some homemade chocolate fondant through the post - if you're not too far away!

I write for my family. It's something that I feel I can create and give to them to enjoy for years to come. But I also write because I love creating and I create best with someone on the sidelines to cheer me on! CP's and beta-readers have been awesome in this respect.

My submission to PitchWars has taken 5 years to get where it is today - with a three year hiatus due to baby arrivals! But it is where I want it to be today and I hope you like it! However, if it takes me another 5 years to get it to where it needs to be to be published, then I will do that too.

What has inspired me in my writing?

Everything I have ever read and somethings I haven't! But in particular, the works of Tolkein and JKR are high in my sphere of influence. TH&MW of the DRAGONLANCE series were very influential when I was younger, and Raymond E. Feist's MAGICIAN will always be in the back of my mind. But the one thing that really inspired this particular story is the 1982 animated film, FLIGHT OF DRAGONS - I must have watched it a million times as a child.

People have compared my novel to many different combinations but there are two that I think really catch its character: WINTERLING meets HOW TO TRAIN A DRAGON; and FROZEN meets GAME OF THRONES (with FLIGHT OF DRAGONS thrown in for good measure).

I may add to this later... We'll see.

Obligatory PitchWars Post

It's the most wonderful time of year... Ding! Dong!

No! Not that... Hey everyone, it's PitchWars! The awesome competition run by writers, for writers. Run by Brenda Drake to be precise, who has got together a pretty awesome list of Mentors to look through our (us writer's) manuscripts and pick one to polish and champion to the equally impressive list of Agents.


Now that's out of the way, I've been scanning through the list of Mentors and trying to select the Famous Five that I want to submit my manuscript of Alexandra Frost and the Dragons of Overearth to. Boy, it's been tough! The first selection was easy, narrow down 105 to just those accepting Middle Grade. Done! The section part was easy too, remove all those who are definitely not accepting fantasy (in particular High fantasy).

After parts one and two were complete, I was left with a list of ten or so Mentors who could have been a fit. So now I've been reading through their blogs, twitter posts, eking out reactions on twitter and just generally trying to find out who loves dragons the most! Ten became 7, became 6 and now, I need to make one final cut. This is the hardest part of all, everyone in my final 6 seems open to fantasy and dragons and so I could be cutting the one Mentor who would have chosen my manuscript!






I will just have to bite the bullet, go with my gut, and many more clichés, hoping that one of the five loves my manuscript as much as some of my beta readers and critique partners!

There are hundreds of other writers out there, competing for spots. So the likelihood of getting one is very low, but I feel like I've now given my manuscript the best possible ass-kicking to ensure it stands the best chance yet of making through the slush. If you're reading this and you're a hopeful mentee... Good Luck! If you're reading this and you're a Mentor... PICK ME!! I promise you, you won't regret it :)

Monday 17th August is the submission date, so I'll be working on finishing touches to openings, query letter and synopsis before then... as well as stalking Mentors on twitter. Here's hoping!

Finally, I thought it would be fine to meet some new folks through PitchWars so I set up a linky bloghop. Enter your blog below and visit the other links. The community works by helping each other out, so pay it forward :)

Can you draw like I write?

Last week, I was thinking about how I can get something done with some of my other pieces of work as a little distraction from my work on AF. It struck me that I have a number of picture books I have written that have no pictures to go with them.

It's a minor problem for a picture book... not having pictures. So I thought, there must be some highly talented artists and illustrators out there who have some pictures with no words to with them. If a picture paints a thousand words, then why has no one painted mine? Probably because I've never asked anyone.

A few beta readers & critique partners have kindly read one or two of my picture books and have given relatively positive feedback. I wonder if there is someone out there, who might read this, who knows someone that sat next to some dude on the bus who's sketching on the back of fag packet and could say, 'Hey! I know this guy who's looking for someone just like you! And not in a romantic sense!'

And here's my proposition.

Dear Illustrators,

I am putting forward one of my picture books for illustration. I'm looking for someone who really gets my writing and can make my words dance and sing across the page. Bring my story to life. If you think it might be you, please get in touch. I am posting below a snippet from one of my rhyming stories that I would love to see some examples or submissions for. What's in it for you? Well if we get on, we can work together, make a book and sell it online. I'll do all the hard graft posting about it every and trying to get recognition. I'll compile the eBooks and paperbooks and set them up for sale on my distribution account.

The joy for me is just to see my stories come to life. And we might... just might... make something out of it.

As the great band ABBA once sang, 'Take a chance on me!' You won't regret it :)

So here is the snippet from my picture book, 'Who's afraid of Monsters?' I'll leave it completely open to your interpretation.

"Sleep well," my dad said as as he turns out the light,
"Tuck yourself in, pull that duvet up tight.
Don't be afraid that the bedbugs might bite,
There's no monster or ghost to go bump in the night.”

For a moment I'm fine, for a moment all's well.
But... Hold on, what's that noise? Was it dad? I can't tell!
Maybe he tripped down the stairs and he fell,
Or it's maybe a monster who gave that stark yell!

A flicker, a glimmer, a whisper of white.
By the door, now the window, it's faster than light!
It's closer, I feel it, but it's just out of sight...
Then gone without warning, not wanting to fight.


So that's it. Do one picture or a small collection, it's your choice. I may get zero submissions, which is fine too. But I truly hope that someone is inspired and wants to make a go of it. Here's to hope and ambition... every writer's fuel for life!

May & June... Where art thou?

Wow... where the @#$% did those months go?!

So, just as I was beginning to get a decent number of hits to my blog (by decent I mean more than 1 or 2) and May & June happen. As an unpublished, aspiring author, two things usually get in the way of raising my profile: Life and Work - not necessarily in that order.

Work has been busy, busy, busy - so much so that hours have been long, travel has been nauseating and my time at home, writing, has been restricted.

Life has also been busy, but in a good way. If I thought raising one child was hard... two is unencroachable (not sure that is a proper adjective but hey, artistic license et cetera). But at the same time it is full of the joys and wonderment of parenthood.

Full of joys and wonderment of parenthood... yes. Conducive to effective writing... No. But I wouldn't change it for the world.

So, just a few months ago, I was hitting all my writing goals and in an almost euphoric place in terms of creativity. The last two months has seen me confined to scribbling ideas on the back of a notebook while riding a train to the airport; typing paragraphs into an iPad (other quality tablets are available) and emailing them to myself so I can retype them into Scrivener; and dreaming up sequences in my head only to forget them when I wake up upon landing in a different country.

But progress has been made. Much progress. Significantly more than I had realised.

My initial push was going to be trying to get the novel published a few months ago, but after a series of rejections, I decided to get some external input (see Plot Changes and Editing), take on the advice and rewrite.

Alexandra Frost & The Dragons of Overearth is now developing into an Epic/High Fantasy split into multi-book format. I was unsure about this at first, but it is really beginning to take shape and the whole first part of the story now has a clear purpose, obstacle and is driving head first into a proper resolution.

My writing pace is picking up; the path is mapped out; and I've conjured up a few more ways to make poor Alex's life more difficult. But she's strong and we know/hope she can pull through!

My new goal is to get the book finished ready for My Editor to go through with a fine-tooth comb so I can submit the book to the upcoming SCBWI Anthology in mid-August.

As my favourite record-breaker host famously said at the end of every show, 'Dedication's what you need, if you want to be the best'. So dedication is there, I think a little blood, sweat and tears is all that's left to give.

I may not be a successful writer... but I am still a writer!

Transformations and Thank you's

When I was growing up, I always envisioned writing as a lonely business. Few writers work in a collaboration - notable from my youth were Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. My picture was of a slightly crazy person, living in isolation, churning out novel after novel. Johnny Depp's portrayal of Mort Rainey in the adaptation of Stephen King's Secret Window, Secret Garden sitting squarely in the forefront of my mind.

When I first began writing properly as a hobby, this view was reinforced in my mind. Living in a small community with few writing groups or resources available, I quite easily could have slipped into the stereotypical role. I wrote on my own. I sent my writings to a few friends who I knew wouldn't laugh in my face. I had a view out of a window that was pleasant but by no means spectacular. Coffee was at hand. I was all set to be the lonely writer.

But the world has changed since the 80's and 90's. Being 8,000 miles away from someone no longer prevents you from collaborating, meeting, speaking and bouncing ideas off each other. In the early 2000's I was blissfully unaware of the various communities available on the Internet. My first discovery was WriteWords, a UK-based writing group. I stayed there for a short while, but very quickly real life took over and writing faded gracefully into my background.

Several years later, my studies complete and family well underway, I re-immersed myself in my writing. I wrote a very poor attempt at a novel and joined a group called Scribophile. Another writing group, allowing writers to critique each other's works. However, to get the most out of the website, a premium account was required - something I feel is fundamentally wrong, charging people for offering each other support.

I decided to seek alternative routes and discovered Twitter. At first I was apprehensive, but in mid-2014 I created my account and started building followers. Soon after arriving I discovered the phenomenon that is pitch contests. The thing that drew me into these contests wasn't the opportunity of getting my novel in front of agents. It was the community that was immediately apparent. A group of humble writers, seeking solace in each other's company through online social media.

Months later and I have built up a following of over 1,000 like-minded, and some not-so-like-minded, followers. But true wonder that has transformed and revitalised my writing ambition was the introduction of Critique Partners and Beta-Readers. Through various pitch contests, I met a group of writers who have now contributed considerably to my learning curve in writing. I'm nowhere near perfect, but I'm a damnsight better than I was nine months ago!

The Internet has transformed the solitary writer into a thriving, buzzing (tweeting) community of authors eager seek each other's opinions, offer praise where it's earned and encouragement where it's needed. I can honestly say, that without this community, I would definitely not be writing today - and would not have properly finished my first novel. Well, I'm not quite there, but almost!

So thank you all! And thank you for reading.

Plot changes and Editing

Having very nearly given up on Alex Frost, I decided on one (or two) last hurrah!'s.

#PitchSlam and #NestPitch - two contests that I thought would be a great opportunity to have one last go on getting noticed and before shelving the project. #PitchSlam was the first catalyst, two more were to follow.

The first phase of #PitchSlam is a critique on a 35-word pitch, provided by 6 of the judges of the competition. The feedback was constructive and led me to rethink a few things. This in turn made me realise something, the structure of the book was such that explaining the plot in few words always confused the reader.

I needed change. I liaised with a couple of my Critique Partners who agreed that the changes seemed positive for the manuscript. I was left with a conundrum: do i start improving the script and pull out of the two competitions or leave it as is and try my luck.

I knew the story needed some fixing up, so I decided to press on with changes and pull out of the competitions.

Changes were written and reviewed and, again, feedback was positive. And then catalysts numbered two and three arrived.

I received glowing feedback from a beta-reader in my target audience (9+ year old readers). After all the rejections, critiques, discussions, negative thoughts, the level of response from a reader in my target bracket brought everything in crystal clarity. This is the person whose imagination I am trying to capture. Who i am trying to bring the joy of reading back into their lives - away from computers, iPads, TV and countless other distractions.

And then, moments later, further strong positive feedback from a beta-reader who has just got through my initial revamp - pre-most recent changes.

Spurred on, I decided that I needed to finish the re-write and get some professional help. In steps freelance editor and literary agent Jessica Schmeidler (The Write Shadow).  Jessica will be working with me on an initial manuscript review to help me polish this story until it more than shines. I will post some more info on my experience with the review process and (if I push on) the editing phase too.

Onwards and Upwards!