I have always written but it was always in schoolbooks, and then when I caught up with technology, on the computer. All these short stories, poems, wonderful children’s stories, all hidden in folders in the computer.

There is something liberating in never having to worry about whether any of these “nuggets” are gold or not. Finally, last year and about 45 years after I had started writing, I decided that enough was enough! My goal for 2015 was to find out once and for all whether I can really write or not!

I joined Tauranga Writers and started going to the Words and Pictures sub group for writers of children’s books. My wonderful story about a Zebra went from a 5 page story to a 1.5 page story. It lost nothing in the ruthless cutting away but gained cohesion, relevance and forward movement.

So note number 1 is to trim, cut and condense. You lose nothing but words that are usually redundant anyway.

Then I read a small bit of my historical romance to a group from the Romance Writers coast to coast group and was told “Show, don’t tell!” I used words, just like with my zebra, to explain and describe when I should actually have been using the character herself, by her actions or thoughts to show the reader what she was like. So note number 2 is to show not tell.

And note number 3 is that it doesn’t matter that you don’t know these things. It doesn’t matter that you don’t even know what to ask about. Keep writing. Find people, groups like Tauranga Writers or classes and your writing will improve beyond measure.

Note number 4 is to leave the title fluid until near the end of the story process. It will change over the process but it will come to you. Unless you are one of these organised people and the title starts your process. Whatever works!

I went to a formatting course last weekend to learn how to format your manuscript to send to a publisher or use for self-publishing. It was brilliant. So many things that I had never thought could possibly be important, but they were! Again, it is the things you don’t know about and therefore don’t know what or who to ask. But same advice as number 3: find people and groups and courses.

Note number 5 is to have thought about exactly what you want when you employ an illustrator. It is not enough to leave it up to them. You need to be able to tell them the size of the book, the number of illustrations, information about the characters so that style can be determined. You also need to set a price and I have decided that a price per illustration is probably the best way to go.

I have never had anything published but after 2 years I have at least decided that I can write, that I enjoy writing and that it is a skill that can be taught and honed. I hope I have been useful to you!!!!