23 Dec My writing journey… so far!
Becoming a writer is definitely a journey. Maybe I should rephrase that… if you write, then you are ALREADY a writer. You don’t need to become one, but you do need to practise! This is something it took me a while to figure out. To have the guts to say ‘I’m a writer’ was the first step.
So, steps! This is how I have come to view my writing journey. Sometimes it feels like you’re leaping forward, and sometimes (more often than I would like), it feels like you’re taking some steps backwards. But it’s all progress. They are all taking you forward, even the backwards steps, because they build up your determination and grit, and this carries you forward. Since I decided to ‘be a writer’, back in 2016, I’ve always thought, ‘what next?’ Having a goal, a ‘next step’, helps keep me focussed and drives on.
In 2018, I came to a point where I felt lost with my writing. As I said, it took me a while to be able to call myself a writer, but even then, I doubted myself. Was I good enough? Would I ever be good enough? Could I even write? It was then that I decided to apply to the Golden Egg Picture Book Programme. This was my ‘next step’. I took the plunge and was so pleased to be accepted onto the
programme. It was what I needed just at the right time.
Golden Egg helped increase my confidence in my writing. Having editorial surgeries developed my story writing skills, giving me the push I needed to make my writing stronger. The workshops were really helpful, especially the writing exercises. It was during one of these exercises that I wrote a rough draft of a picture book. I had a feeling straight away that this story could be a good one. I let the story sit in a drawer for many months before I looked at it again and began polishing it. My gut instinct was right because I can (proudly) say that this story is going to be published by Nosy Crow!
My advice to other writers? For me, the journey is all about looking for the next steps and taking opportunities when they come your way. Take a plunge, take a risk, because you never know where it will take you!
Emily Ann Davison lives in the Garden of England, Kent, with her husband and daughter. After a family bereavement in 2015, she decided life is too short not to be following her dreams of being an author. Now, Emily is a children’s book writer and her debut picture book is being published in early 2022 by Nosy Crow. Emily is the co-founder of the monthly #ukpbchat twitter chat and volunteers as a children’s book reviewer for Macmillan Cancer Support and the My Book Corner blog. She graduated from the Golden Egg Picture Book Programme in July 2019 and is a member of SCBWI.
Look out for updates on twitter about my forthcoming picture book with Nosy Crow, follow me:
@emilyanndavison
Applications are now open for the next GEA Picture Book Programme, Sept 2020 – Aug 2021.
Click here for details.