Still trotting

One of the few benefits of the month of February in the Welsh Marches, is that it is often too cold and miserable to work outside, forcing me to focus on writing: that was the plan, anyway. The reality is that I need activity, sunshine and fresh air to keep the batteries charged and there have been few opportunities to enjoy any of those, recently. Even Dotty ventures out for no more than a couple of hours each day, preferring to lie low in her warm nest under the bed and undertake some serious grooming. However, I am pleased to report that progress has been made and I have written well over two-thirds of the current children’s book, The Intrepid Trotter Malloy, the third book in the Megan Waterfield Series. This time, the Fearless Five set about solving a nineteenth century mystery against the usual backdrop of the Old Harbour. I always start with the title, as that points me in the direction of the plot. Next, I find my three themes and select which will be the main focus and which will be ‘sub plots’. Finally, I sketch out each chapter before starting on the hard part, writing the book. The first chapter is important, because it needs a ‘hook’. How many books have you returned to the shelf because that first chapter, or even the first sentence, did not grab your attention? If it is successful, that opening gambit should make you want to read on. In most of my children’s stories, I try to do this by creating a question that can only be answered by reading on. It does not always need to be a direct question. In fact, some of the most successful examples in literature start with an implied question that seems to push the bounds of possibility. Take George Orwell’s memorable opening to 1984, for example, ‘It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.’ Immediately you are prompted to find out what has happened to challenge the twelve hour chime. My latest story starts with, ‘ “The intrepid Trotter Malloy could have beaten her,” Billy O nodded in the direction of Dotty, as she swam backwards and forwards in the waters of the Old Harbour.’ I hope that it will prompt readers to ask, as the children in the book do, “Who was Trotter Malloy

and why was he ‘intrepid’?” Today, I feel pleased to have passed the ‘saggy middle’, pushed through the word count wall of 10,000 words and developed the good habit of writing something each day… and then I remember that I still have to edit it.