Susie Bower: 'Writing text for picture books is every bit as complex as writing for any other genre'
BY Katie Smart
16th Apr 2020
Susie Bower worked on her picture book SHOOO!! during our online Writing a Children’s Picture Book course. Now the picture book will be published by Pushkin Press.
We caught up with Susie to find out more about writing for children and her time on the course ...
You took our online Writing a Children’s Picture Book course in 2019 – what was your experience of studying online with us?
I took the course because I was plodding along with the first draft of a middle grade novel (I hate first drafts!) and hoped the course would bring some fun and light relief into my writing life, which it certainly did. I found the course informative and well-paced, giving me plenty of time between sessions to brainstorm ideas. It was great being able to read other course participants’ work and receive critique, and David and Sarah’s lessons were accessible, friendly and stimulating.
How did the course impact your approach to writing?
It concentrated my mind. Writing text for picture books is every bit as complex as writing for any other genre, but – like writing a haiku – everything is distilled. Each word must count. And because you are working with the concept of illustrations, there also has to be some ‘give and take’ in what you write: the illustrations tell the story too, so once again, only the completely necessary words make the cut.
The picture book you developed on the course SHOOO!! will be published by Pushkin Press. How did you feel when you found out about this book deal?
I was completely thrilled! My middle grade novel, School for Nobodies, will be published by Pushkin later this year, with another in 2021, and their ethos is that they invest in their writers just as much as in books. SHOOO!! will be Pushkin’s first in-house picture book, so I feel very honoured.
Can you tell us a bit about SHOOO!! and the inspiration behind it?
SHOOO!! is the story of a grumpy woman who dislikes animals. When a zoo moves in next door, she finds her life turned upside down as the animals take up residence in her house. When she eventually succeeds in shooing them all away, she finds that life is surprisingly quiet and lonely, and discovers that she rather likes animals after all. I tend to base my characters on parts of myself, so Mrs Golightly is the grumpy, antisocial part of me who likes to be in control! I guess in writing the story I’m showing that life with others can sometimes be messy and smelly and noisy and chaotic – and it can also be sociable and friendly and fun and caring.
What does a typical writing day look like for you?
‘Typical’ varies, depending on what projects I’m working on. I generally write in the mornings, followed by a long walk (which sometimes helps ideas ‘bed down’ or percolate). Today, for instance, I was re-plotting the last third of my current novel, answering the questions for this interview and having a chat with Pushkin’s Digital Marketing Manager about using social media to publicise and connect, in this very unusual time. I also write audio scripts for the wonderful now>press>play, who bring adventures into the primary classroom via pink headphones.
You also write middle grade novels, what advice do you have for aspiring children’s authors?
Read widely. Read the classics and read what’s coming out now.
Take Isak Dinesen’s excellent advice: ‘Write a little every day, without hope, without despair.’
Don’t give up. I was 67 when I signed with my agent!
Finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
My new middle grade novel (working title OUTSIDERS) will be published in 2021, and I’m about two-thirds through the first draft. Meanwhile, there’ll be the launch for School for Nobodies and any publicity I’m able to do! And of course, I’d love to come up with some more picture book texts, too…