The ‘Masterminds’ name was actually suggested years ago by Christopher, who produces Prepublished. It’s a term commonly used for groups that get together to learn and share knowledge on a specialist subject. In this case: writing YA fiction. The group meets once a week or once a fortnight (online during lockdown) to workshop a couple of pieces and to be each other’s encouragement, writing conscience and inspiration. As you’ll hear, this was more necessary than ever at the time we spoke.

Thanks as always to Christopher Pett for production and editing.

Links:

City Lit: https://www.citylit.ac.uk/

Arvon: https://www.arvon.org/writing-courses/courses-retreats/

British Library: https://www.bl.uk/

David Higham: https://www.davidhigham.co.uk/

Undiscovered Voices competition, run by SCBWI: https://www.undiscoveredvoices.com/

City Uni Novel Studio: https://www.city.ac.uk/study/courses/short-courses/courses/the-novel-studio/

Faber FAB Prize: https://www.fabprize.org/

Spread the Word: : https://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/projects/london-writers-awards/

In season one of Prepublished, I talked mostly to writers, agents and editors in the world of children’s fiction, as that’s where I spent the first ten years of my published life. Season two will spread its wings a bit and include conversations with writers across all age groups, including poets and playwrights, debut authors and bestsellers. As before, we’ll also take a look behind the scenes at the world of publishing.

But I start where I left off, with children’s writing. James Nicol is the author of a fantasy children’s series, published by Barry Cunningham of Chicken House. Barry is the man who discovered JK Rowling, Lucy Christopher, MG Leonard, Kiran Millwood Hargrave (sorry I misspoke your surname in the spoken intro, Kiran), Maz Evans and, in amongst them, me.

James is the first person I spoke to for this series, during the first lockdown, and once we’d mastered the technology, it was a balm to the soul. Like me, he had a long route to becoming a published writer. I love his story about turning down a dependable job in a sticking foam factory to work as a bookseller for many years.

James took various writing courses while he honed his craft, and I wanted to discuss the value of these with him. Is it worth it? Should one do it? What do you get out of it? All useful things to know, I think. As always, it was good to talk to a fellow writer about the ups and downs of the road to publication. I loved his comment that ‘you can’t fix a blank page’. If you want to be a writer, however hard it is, you first have to write.

https://jamesnicolbooks.com

https://goldeneggacademy.co.uk

https://www.chickenhousebooks.com

Over a 20-year career, Cliff has written many fantasy, sci-fi and supernatural stories for children and young adults. The Doomspell Trilogy, his debut series, sold to 26 countries. His 2006 ghost novel, Breathe, was voted as one of the top 100 adult and children's novels of all time by the Schools Network of British Librarians in 2013.

Thanks as always to Christopher Pett for production and editing.

Links to resources:

Cliff’s website: https://www.cliffmcnish.com

Cliff’s posts on 'Notes From the Slushpile': https://www.notesfromtheslushpile.com/2013/05/deepening-character-conversation-with.html

https://www.notesfromtheslushpile.com/2015/06/the-devil-is-in-detail-writing-villains.html

John Truby on writing: https://truby.com

'Save the Cat' by Blake Snyder
Website: https://www.savethecat.com
Book: https://store.savethecat.com/collections/save-the-cat-books/products/save-the-cat-the-last-book-on-screenwriting-youll-ever-need

‘Morning pages’, from 'The Artist’s Way' by Julia Cameron: https://juliacameronlive.com/basic-tools/morning-pages/

'On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft', by Stephen King: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Writing:_A_Memoir_of_the_Craft

'The Seven Basic Plots' by Christopher Brooker: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots

Caroline is a bestselling crime writer of books such as 'In a Cottage in a Wood', under the name Cass Green. She teaches the short course in writing crime fiction at City University, London. As Caroline, she’s also an award-winning writer for young adults, with books including 'Dark Ride' and 'Cracks'.

Thanks to Christopher Pett for production and editing.

Links to resources:

Caroline’s website: https://cassgreen.co.uk

The plotting mountain - traditionally known as Freytag’s pyramid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramatic_structure

Writing Advice from Matt Stone & Trey Parker @ NYU | MTVU's "Stand In”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGUNqq3jVLg

Raindance screenwriting courses with Eliot Grove: https://www.raindance.org/courses/

'Save the Cat' by Blake Snyder
Website: https://www.savethecat.com
Book: https://store.savethecat.com/collections/save-the-cat-books/products/save-the-cat-the-last-book-on-screenwriting-youll-ever-need

John Truby on writing: https://truby.com

'Take Off Your Pants' by Libbie Hawker: https://www.hawkerbooks.com/libbie

'Stealing Hollywood' by Alexandra Sokoloff: https://alexandrasokoloff.com/books/writing-workbooks/

'Into the Woods' by John Yorke: https://www.johnyorkestory.com/thebook/

'The Story Grid' by Shawn Coyne: https://storygrid.com/resources/

'Reacher Says Nothing' by Andy Martin: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/14/how-jack-reacher-was-built

'David Almond': http://davidalmond.com/on-writing/

Val McDermid interviewed by Danuta Kean, 2017: http://www.publishingtalk.eu/writing/why-weddings-can-be-murder-for-val-mcdermid-interview/

'Deep Work' by Cal Newport: https://www.calnewport.com/books/deep-work/

I was interested to know the part that RSI played in Thomas's shift from illustrating and writing picture books to writing middle grade novels. You might think that his cover art – for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – woud be the key moment in his career, but what is truly fascinating is that it isn’t. That moment came over twenty years later, in 2018. I found it honestly inspiring. Listen out, too, for Thomas’s top tip, which corrects a mistake that many prepublished writers I know have made.

Apologies for the sound quality of this episode. The technology defeated us on the day and we had to record on Zoom. However, Thomas's story and his insights definitely merit listening until the end .

NOTES:

Thomas’s website: http://www.thomastaylor-author.com

Natasha has been a children’s writer for a long time, and awards such as the Costa weren’t always on the cards. You might be interested in her answer to my question about when she felt ‘safe’ as a writer – I wasn’t surprised at all.

We met through her job as a book scout for my first publisher, Chicken House. Listen to my lockdown brain failing to grapple with what exactly scouts do, despite the fact that I have first-hand experience of it.

Back to the writing, she describes taking an editor’s advice about what to write next after a difficult moment in her career, and what happened when the pressure was off to write a better a book. I love her suggestions of the books she goes to when she needs inspiration. A couple are already on my list.

Links:

Natasha's website: https://www.natashafarrant.com
Costa book awards: https://www.costa.co.uk/behind-the-beans/costa-book-awards/book-awards
Faber: https://www.faber.co.uk
The Science of Storytelling by William Store: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-science-of-storytelling-why-stories-make-us-human-and-how-to-tell-them-better/9780008276973
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-pocket-edition/9780007586325
What Ho, the Best of PG Wodehouse: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/what-ho-the-best-of-wodehouse/9780099551287
Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/journey-to-the-river-sea/9781529066197
The Greengage Summer by Rumer Golden: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-greengage-summer/9781447211013

Jasbinder Bilan is a debut children’s author and winner of the Times/Chicken House competition and the Costa Children’s Book Award. After a career in teaching she did an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, and her first novel was started on that course. She shares her writing journey, why family are so important to her, and how one of the tips she picked up on her course helped her to build the story Asha and the Spirit Bird.

Thanks as always to Christopher Pett for production and editing.

Links:

Jasbinder Bilan: https://www.jasbinderbilan.co.uk

Chicken House: https://www.chickenhousebooks.com

Costa Book Awards: https://www.costa.co.uk/behind-the-beans/costa-book-awards/welcome

Bath Spa Writing for Young People MA: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-writing-for-young-people/

Cover reveal: https://twitter.com/chickenhsebooks/status/1235158289996013569

Candy was born and raised in the Philippines. For years, as a pre-published writer, she was the author of the blog 'Notes From the Slushpile'. Eventually, her debut novel, 'Tall Story', won the National Children's Book Award of the Philippines in 2012 and the Crystal Kite Award for Europe in 2011. 'Tall Story' was shortlisted for 13 further prizes, including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the Branford Boase Award, the Blue Peter Book Award and the UKLA Children's Book Prize. Her second novel, 'Shine', won the Crystal Kite Award for the British Isles in 2014. 'Bone Talk' was shorlisted for the Costa Book Awards and the CILIP Carnegie Medal in 2018.

Thanks as always to Christopher Pett for production and editing.

Links to resources:

Candy’s website: https://www.candygourlay.com
The CILIP Carnegie medal: https://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk
Notes from the Slushpile: https://www.notesfromtheslushpile.com
Money, Time, Confidence: What Writers Need to Thrive: https://www.alcs.co.uk/news/money-time-confidence-what-writers-need-to-thrive
Bookseller conference: https://www.thebookseller.com/childrens-conference
Unbound: https://unbound.com
Times/Chicken House Childre’s Fiction Competition: https://www.chickenhousebooks.com/submissions/
Undiscovered Voices: http://www.undiscoveredvoices.com
SCBWI: https://britishisles.scbwi.org
Lee Weatherley’s tips on how to write a synopsis: https://www.notesfromtheslushpile.com/2007/06/lee-weatherly-tips-on-how-to-write.html