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| My shed- 'Tuscany' |
But writing is only part of the picture, soon it comes time to put on the glad rags and go out to meet the readers, and other writers, and do all the other things that are part of being a writer - particularly a children's writer.
I have a lovely time with my books for younger children and I get to spend time with my cuddly friend Hamish McHaggis. I never thought almost 10 years ago when I started to write the Hamish stories, that I would have such fun or that children would take him to their hearts.
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| Hamish at Wee Write Children's festival (at Aye Write Book Festival) |
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| Visitor Centre |
I love the variety and the moments of delight when something unexpected happens. Recently I received a package in the post of wonderful stories written by a primary school class based around the Hamish McHaggis characters. Each story had a colourful and carefully drawn book cover.
Sometimes when I visit schools I discover that they have been working on Hamish related activities for an entire term, often using the great free classroom resources based on the Hamish series and produced by the Scottish Book Trust. Their classrooms are full of all kinds of wonderful pictures, letters to and from Hamish and models of Hamish's Whirry Bang (vehicle), the Loch Ness Monster and their own visitor's centre.
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| From 'The Search for the Loch Ness Monster' |
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| With Hamish illustrator Sally J Collins |
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| Tattie Bogles (Scarecrows) |
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| Versions of Hamish's Whirry Bang |
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| Hamish's little Hoggle (home) in Coorie Doon |
This weekend I will be speaking to a sell-out crowd of Hamish fans at the Coastword Festiival in Dunbar, East Lothian.
But Hamish is just one aspect of my life as a writer. At Coastword Festival I will also be speaking about my YA novels, about Joyriding, (Spider) Knife crime (Dead Boy Talking) and Don't Judge Me which involves fire-setting, quite a change from stories about cuddly Hamish McHaggis!
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Although I love speaking to little children I also enjoy the challenge of writing and speaking to a young adult audience. But I suppose in some ways the challenge is the same. It is my job to be saying something that will grab their interest, whether they are 2 or 8, 12 or 18.
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| Auchtermuchty |
I enjoy travelling, and visiting libraries and schools on my own is great but I do love it when I get the chance to meet up with other writers as part of an organised event. Having the opportunity to visit schools abroad is wonderful and I have found that children love stories wherever they live and often ask the same questions whether they are in Cairo or New Zealand, Scotland, England or Wales.
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| Mass Lobby for School Libraries in Edinburgh |
Writers also need to have a voice and to get out and about to promote and protect facilities for our readers and supporters. Independent bookshops and public libraries (and their librarians), and school librarians are under threat and we must raise our voices to support them.
Another aspect of my writing life is being a creative writing tutor and I get great pleasure in assisting aspiring writers, in all areas of writing, to realise their potential. I found tutoring the week-long Arvon Foundation courses an amazing challenge, with so many different kinds of people at all stages in their writing.
I also really enjoy running shorter, day long or weekend courses with adults, such as the Words in The Landscape workshops recently at Moniack Mhor Scotland's Creative Writing Centre, in conjunction with the Abriachan Forest Trust.
It is important to get any group to work well together and foster a sense of trust, so that people feel they can share their writing for fair and constructive criticism.
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| At Moniack Mhor |
It is important to get any group to work well together and foster a sense of trust, so that people feel they can share their writing for fair and constructive criticism.
I love the scenery I discover on my travels, the wonderful wilds that inspire stories of all kinds.
And most of all the amazing and interesting people I meet along the way. |
I feel privileged to be able to have such a wonderful and varied career. As with anything there are times when things don't go well, frustrations and of course there are disappointments but these are the times when I go back to my shed and disappear into my writing. By the time I emerge nothing ever seems quite so bad.
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Linda Strachan is the author of over 60 books for all ages from picture books to teenage novels and the writing handbook Writing For Children
Her latest YA novel is Don't Judge Me
Linda is Patron of Reading to Liberton High School, Edinburgh
website: www.lindastrachan.com
blog: Bookwords
0 Comments on Every day is different. I love it! - Linda Strachan as of 6/18/2014 3:47:00 AM
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Great post, Linda. School libraries are so important, as you say not every child will go to a library but they all go to school. I've met some lovely librarians when visiting schools who've shown tremendous dedication to encouraging the children to read.
Libraries/librarians - a measure of our civilisation.
I think it's a really excellent point that not all children visit public libraries, but they all go to school - ridiculously, it hadn't occurred to me before. I remember going to a recently refurbished primary school library in Bristol a few years ago - it was fantastic, with bright colours, murals by the children, inviting areas to set down - it just made you want to curl up with a book. All schools should have them - and the librarians to make them work.
Well said - and a good explanation of why they matter.
As the local public library may not be easy to reach, especially given the distances children do travel to secondary school and/or have limited hours and stock as well, so the school library and the library staff should grow even more important.
Hear, hear.
And in primary schools, in England anyway (most of the schools I visit are in England)there is often no library or designated librarian. And primary age children are even less able to get to the public library under their own steam than secondary children, and arguably it's even more crucial that they get that reading habit!
The Society of Authors is running a campaign about this also - hope it has some results.
There is one thing more unhapopy than a book without a reader Linda - and thats a child who wants to read, without a book! Hence the importance of libraries. I used to live in ours: I'd have been desolate without it.
Karen - I agree there are some lovely librarians with true dedication to getting kids and books together
So right, Joan.
Sue It is wonderful when libraries are lovely places the kids want to be in, and welcoming. I have also been in primary schools, as Emma mentions, where they have little or no library as if it was not important.
As you say, Penny many primary school children cannot get to a library and if the parents are not willing, interested or able to take them it is more difficult to get them into a reading habit.
Madwippit I agree about a child without a book.... I too spent many happy hours as a child in my local library
Linda, agree with what you say about there being no librarian in many primary schools, although often a teacher or parent takes on that responsibilty.
However, I'm also thinking of the additional hours many secondary children travel each day by school bus, train or car especially if they are in a rural location. And they have to fit in homework on top of that.
very good post
Thank you for this excellent post. Of course school librarians are necessary. I do hope the Govt listens to all the lobbying. Wish I could come to Westminster day but am busy, alas. Good luck to all.
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