‘Every footstep taken on this continent connects each of us to an impossibly vast story, and for me poetry can often be the best way to comprehend that relationship to place and time.’
‘With few exceptions, writers don’t figure out their plots on the first attempt, whether they’re sitting down and plotting it out in advance or figuring it out as they draft. Plotting is a skill that requires an understanding of the mechanics of story, and that will develop as you apply yourself to the task of writing and rewriting.’
‘Children are on the cusp of their lives, they’re only just setting out on their own grand adventures. To offer possibility and hope in our stories can inspire and empower children for the rest of their lives. What an honour for a writer to have this chance.’
‘Sometimes we resist an idea because it doesn’t feel original or brilliant enough, but it’s only when you commit to it, and spend some time exploring it, that you find your connection, start inhabiting it, and then the magic starts to happen.’
‘The more you pitch, the more comfortable you become with rejection, with no response, and with pitching again. Editors want to hear from you, and rejection is never personal!’
‘Research allows us to write about subjects which we are not already experts in… It allows writing to be imbued with the kinds of details which bring the reader into the worlds we’ve created and make those worlds fascinating.’
‘A good opening sentence is simple, raises questions or is surprising in some way. It is an invitation to the reader to enter the story; how you present that invitation is important.’
‘It’s a strange magic of poetry that the more specific you are, the more widely your poem will be understood.’
‘It’s exciting to encounter, through a memoir, a life lived in a way completely different to our own. It’s also reassuring to see our own experiences shared and reflected by others.’
