Sheffield Summer Children’s Writing

Just a quick post today.The week after next, starting August 11th, I’m running a four day long project for younger writers (8-11) at Sheffield Central Children’s Library and there are two places left and I’d love it if they got filled. So do spread the word if you can.

Here’s the flier.

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The following week I’ll be doing the same at Bollington Library and there are, as far as I know, a place or possibly two still available (we’ve had a holiday cancellation) and it’d be fab if we had a full house there too.

And after that I’ll have a couple of months to write and to teach and to appear at places (more on that soon) before Beautiful Trees is released. I’m excited about that. An awful lot. And I’ll be able to confirm the release date very soon. Watch this space.

Finishing Things

I finished a couple of things last week. The first was the final proofs for A Book of Beautiful Trees, due out later this year. I’ve said it a few times already on here but I am genuinely so proud of it and with 100% bias I can happily say that it is stunning. I am excited about it (and terrified that I’m the only one who’ll like it) and, really, I’m just looking forward to it being out there so people can make their own minds up.

After I proofed I was proud.

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And then exhausted.

 

Nik Perring

And I birthdayed too because the other thing I finished was my 33rd year.

I got a card.

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There was cake.

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And, later, sushi.

IMG_2926-2And lovely presents too.

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And I had a lot of birthday messages. And I mean a LOT. Thanks, so much, to everyone who was nice to me and to everyone who spent it with me. I’m just glad it’s out the way for another year because, believe it or not, I can get a little grumpy when it comes to getting older (as those close may tell you – I must be very lucky that they put up with me).

And now I’m firmly back in work mode. There are books children have written to be produced and books that adults have written that need editing and I am all over it.

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Bunbury

So, since the turn of the year I’ve been working in Rotherham (among other places), for the brilliant Writing Yorkshire, looking after the Young Writers’ Group there when Vicky, who usually runs it, has been off. And I’ve loved it. It’s a top group and super-talented too and, now everyone’s broken up for the summer, I’m really missing it and them (hello, everyone!).

Charlie, one of the group’s members, had a couple of stories accepted while I was working with the group and, you know, that is such a big deal and it’s one of the best bits about doing the job I do (doesn’t do my ego any harm, either, knowing I’ve helped). I remember, very clearly, my first acceptance back in 2003 (I think – okay, maybe I don’t remember it all that clearly). It was a feature on local Arthurian legend and it went in a county magazine and that was the moment I felt validated as a writer – the moment I felt like I really could do it. I think I cried. I know I’ve still got a copy of the cheque framed somewhere. I was in my very early twenties back then, not in my teens. Yes, I’m a bit jealous.

And yesterday Charlie got in touch to let me know that the issue the story’s in has gone live. It’s in Bunbury Magazine (Oscar Wilde reference?) and it’s brilliant, and I’m certainly not just saying that. IT’s the sort of piece that I’d have loved to have received when I’ve judged competitions and edited for places. Go and see for yourselves. Bunbury are doing that cool thing where you pay what you think it’s worth so you’ve no excuse.

And well done, Charlie.

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In The News

Nice to see one of the courses I’ll be running for children over the summer at Sheffield Central Children’s Library featured as news earlier. There are still places left (not too many) so do get in touch if you’d like to be involved.

In other news, I’m still very busy. Lots of editing has been happening and I’m about to take a look at the latest round of proofs for my next book (which is why this one will be a pretty short post). More soon…

Children’s Summer Writing With Nik Perring

It has been a busy old summer so far. There’s been loads of editing (really good stuff) and teaching and meetings and writing too – over the past fortnight I’ve written two stories that I’m really happy with, or will be when they’re done at least. And I had the proofs for A Book of Beautiful Trees last week and – I know, I’d say this anyway – but it looks wonderful. So far so good, so busy, so happy.

And I’m very pleased to confirm that I’ll be running two summer writing projects for children aged 8-11 yrs. They will each happen over four days and over those four days we’ll find out how to generate good ideas, turn them into great stories (and all that that entails), write and illustrate them, and turn them into a book at the end. I’m really looking forward to these – they’re going to be great fun.

The first will be at Sheffield Central Children’s Library, where I’ve been working quite a bit over this past six months, and it will run for four days from August 11th to the 14th.

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Places are very limited (so those attending get the most of my attention) so you will have to book quickly which you can do by contacting the library here: [email protected]. And you can drop me a line if you have any questions by using the form here. If you’d like to speak to the staff over the telephone here’s the number: 0114 2734734

The second will be at Bollington Library from August 18th to the 21st. Again, places are very limited – to book contact the staff here: [email protected] or you can call them: 01625 378266. I’d love to see you there. Do spread the word.

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Proofs

Yesterday was one of those days that I love. I received the proofs for my next book A Book of Beautiful Trees – the follow up to Beautiful Words and the second in the series of three, with Beautiful Shapes to follow. And you don’t get those days often – I’ve been lucky enough to have four. And that feeling never diminishes. There’s huge pride that you’ve created something other people will hold and read and like or love or hate. And there’s the obvious fear that, you know, what if they all hate it. And there’s a sense of achievement – a kind of validation that yes, Nik, you are a writer. And I don’t think that’s something we get to feel too often because most of us – the ones I know at least – spend most of their time doing far less glamorous things than book launches and readings or attending the premiers of our film adaptions (not happened to me yet – but I’d love to see some of my stories animated – if you know anyone then tell ’em to get in touch). They do things like ironing and cooking and raising children and sitting at desks trying very hard to make something good happen. In pyjamas, often.

So, yeah – it was a thankful moment and it’s helped hugely that I’m in love with what the book looks like. Miranda’s illustrations are, as ever, wonderful and moving and different enough for them to work as illustrations for the kind of stuff I write and my publisher, Roastbooks, again, clearly show why I love them so much. I’ll be able to confirm publication dates very soon but for now, rest assured, it’ll be out a little later in the year and I’m very excited (and a bit terrified) about it all. But I like the book a lot, so there’s at least one happy reader out there.

 

So that’s me. I am very much looking forward to seeing what typos I’ve missed.

I have a couple of events lined up over the summer and I was going to post them here today but time, as it does, has caught me and I have to fly out of the door. More very soon.

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What I’ve Been Reading

I’m still not reading anywhere near as much as I’d like and I keep telling myself that that’s okay because sometimes we simply don’t have enough time. But it’s still something that bothers and I think, over the coming weeks, I am going to try harder.

But I have been reading some things. And some of those things have been wonderful.

After seeing Angela’s Readman’s Don’t Try This at Home get the digital treatment over at The Pigeonhole, I’ve been dipping into some of the other things they have up there – most notably Fable, a collection of modern Fairytales and that’s been really great fun. They’re doing good and interesting things and I like that, so much in fact that I’ll be interviewing them on here very soon.

And last week I read Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami. 39 year old Tsukiko meets her old Japanese teacher in a bar. They get into an interesting conversation and go home. And then, over a period of a few months, they keep bumping into each other and having similar interesting conversations, go mushroom picking, take a little holiday together. It’s a charming novella and delightful too and very, if I can say it without generalising, Japenese. I especially loved the food references. Definitely worth a go. Reading it kind of felt like going on a nice walk. I loved it.

And after that I read, from cover to cover in one very pleasant sitting, This Is For You by Rob Ryan. I loved it – a story told in pictures (that are actually cut outs). It felt like a very close relative of what I’m trying to do with Beautiful Words and Trees (more news on that soon, folks). Again – definitely worth a read. It’s 100% beautiful. Tender and sad too. I loved it very much.

 

And I think that’s about it. There are exciting things happening in the background and I shall tell you all about them very soon. In the meantime, go and read something great.

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