Hello fellow Children’s Writers and Friends,

It’s been almost two months; two meandering, trying months. So how have I gone with my own Mojo Kickstarting recommendations? And how have you gone if you took them up. There’s still ample time if you haven’t and an additional one at the end, for those still frozen by our current circumstances.

1. Grabbing some rays 🌞while I work, erm, ah, er… well let’s move on shall we?

2. Taking on a fresh creative pursuit 🧵🌿🤹‍♀️🩰while my preferred one eludes me- Yes, Yes indeed. I’ve revelled in some quiet personal sketching time. ✏️It takes me back to the less congested leisure time of my youth; that magical time where you have increased autonomy, but are yet unable to drive.

3. Prospecting and polishing. 50% score on this one, I’ve definitely been polishing (see number 4) but possibly need to do some prospecting. Although, due to the impact of recommendation number two, I haven’t needed to. That’s the beauty of the muse, give a little yourself and perhaps from a numerous angle and the muse will return it tenfold. I’ve discovered something about myself this last two months or at least admitted to it. I love Kidlit- the books, the people, the industry, but I’m not always realistic about physically writing Kidlit. Luckily for me, my preference is Picture Book writing and despite the complex task of coming up with a suitable kid-friendly idea and perfecting the word choice, the initial writing doesn’t take that much time. It’s less that 500 words after all. That’s not to say it’s simple, they have to be the right 500 words in the best possible order! But not the first draft, that’s what editing’s for😊And if I want to write anything longer than a Picture Book…? Well that might have to be the subject of another blog post.

4. Submitting? 👩‍💻📖🤞Yes, I’ve certainly polished what I have and submitted several manuscripts to publishers, when the Inner Critic allows.🌥 Definitely more than in the past. Still, I have much of that self-confidence highway to traverse, but I hear it’s one of which you never really attain the periphery.

5. Educating myself ✅ and enjoying it! 😁In fact, I’ve not only been learning but reflecting- a lot. (I’m sure I’m not alone there) That, the reflecting part, may also be the subject of a future blog post, perhaps even the same one as above.

How have you gone with kickstarting your mojo? As you can see I’ve had a varying degree of success, but I’ve discovered that another vital aspect for nurturing creativity during these historic times is to go gently 🤗 with myself. Beating myself up, for wasting this incredible writing opportunity- especially at this time, is counter productive.

So dear fellow traveller, nurture your creative spirit and take care of the rest of you too!

Savour the journey,

Journeygirl 😊