Stories That May Never See the Light of Day By Tamsin Cooke

Becoming a writer means learning to deal with disappointment and heartache. Most of us, apart from the very lucky few, have had to deal with rejection right at the beginning of our careers. Trying to find an agent and then a publisher is a hard road full of twists and turns. But when you finally sign those contracts, it’s like rainbow fireworks bursting into the sky. Life is fabulous!!!

But what happens after your contracts with the publishers have run out? Maybe you had a 2 book, 4 book, 6 book deal - and then you write something new.  And you write a story that you absolutely love. Perhaps your agent loves it too and you work on it together, making it even better. Then the time comes for it to find a home with a publisher … but no publishing house wants it.

This happened to me recently and I was utterly heartbroken. I wrote a book for young teenagers and I was desperate to see it on a shelf in a library. (And yes, I had pictured it in my mind!) I wanted my characters to be let loose into the world and for readers to enjoy their adventures. But alas, none of this was meant to be.  

Since then, I have spoken to numerous authors and have realized that this happens far more often than people think. Authors who are incredibly successful have written books that may never see the light of day. Their agents loved them, but for whatever reasons, they were rejected. There is some solace in knowing that I’m not alone. 

My story did receive some wonderful feedback from editors and got very close to finding a home. This made it a little easier to deal with. Plus I paid great attention to why it was rejected and took their observations and advice on board. And as I write another story, I keep their feedback in the back of my mind. Because most authors don’t give up. We keep going, hoping our next story will be published. We are persistent and courageous! That’s what I tell myself anyway. 

Today I’d like to give a toast to all those books that haven’t quite made it. They might be languishing in a file on a computer, tucked away in a desk drawer or hidden in a box under a bed.  To all those stories, characters, and adventures - you aren’t forgotten. Your creators still believe in you! And who knows - maybe one day you will be self-published, or an editor might ring out of the blue, wanting to see you again ...

Tamsin Cooke

Author of The Scarlet Files Series and Stunt Double Series

Website: tamsincooke.co.uk
Twitter: @TamsinCooke1 

Strange Inspiration

Just under two months ago, I went to see a therapist for an introductory conversation. I’d been troubled by some thoughts I could never quite get under control and I was hoping that talking to someone with an objective outlook/insight would help me put things in perspective.

It was a pleasant conversation. I liked the therapist and thought I’d made a good choice in selecting her. But there was a problem. I couldn’t afford to see her. My health insurance – I live in the Netherlands – would only cover 40% of her hourly rate, up to a maximum of €400 in any one year. And while I’m not destitute, I didn’t and don’t have the money to make up the shortfall. I could try a state-sponsored therapist she said, and she knew one or two to recommend, but she also had to point out that there was a waiting list of at least six months. 

            I thanked her for her time, said I was sorry we couldn’t go further, and went home. That’s when the inspiration struck. 

            You see, for several years now, I’ve had an idea for a ghost story. But only an idea. It’s never gone any further than that because every time I’ve tried to develop it, my imagination has dried up completely.     

             Yet walking back home that day, asking myself what I was going to do to solve my problem, it occurred to me that if I couldn’t talk to somebody about troublesome emotions, then I could at least express them another way. I could get them out of me by giving them to a fictional creation. I could use them to drive her story. 

            If I say that this fictional creation is a 12-year-old girl and that the book is a middle grade adventure describing her meeting with a ghost, some people may think that I really do need a therapist. (Or perhaps not.) All I can say is that since that initial conversation, when I began researching the setting, thinking up character names and constructing a plot, inspiration hasn’t deserted me. Progress is slow – I’m a slow writer - but it is progress. And my overall outlook has perked up considerably.

            Strange inspiration?

            Or just inspiration?

The Book of Hopes - Clémentine Beauvais

A quick one from me this week - but I thought we might as well mention it here, especially since I'm sure there's a few ABBA-bushkas or their friends in there (is that not what we're known as?):

You've probably - hopefully - seen it everywhere on Twitterbookstagram: The Book of Hopes is Katherine Rundell's carefully-curated, free, beautiful response to lockdown. It's available on the National Literacy Trust website, and it's composed of over 100 contributions by children's authors and illustrators.

 

It's not a space to reflect on The Virus, or to make fun of it, or to pretend that everything is as normal - it's just a myriad little windows through which to escape, wonder or daydream.

 

Happy reading !

Full list of contributors: A.F. Harrold, Abi Elphinstone, Aisha Bushby, Alex T. Smith, Alex Wheatle, Andy Shepherd, Anna James, Annabel Pitcher, Anthony Horowitz, Anthony McGowan, Axel Scheffler, Ben Bailey Smith, Carim Nahaboo, Catherine Doyle, Catherine Johnson, Catherine Rayner, Cerrie Burnell, Chris Haughton, Chris Riddell, Clémentine Beauvais, Danny Wallace, David Almond, David Roberts, David Solomons, Ed Clarke, Ed Vere, Emma Chichester Clark, Emily Gravett, Emily Sutton, Fleur Hitchcock, Francesca Simon, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Geraldine McCaughrean, Gillian Cross, Greg James and Chris Smith, Harriet Muncaster, Hilary McKay, Isabel Thomas, Jack Noel, Jackie Morris, Jacqueline Wilson, James Campbell, Jane Ray, Jasbinder Bilan, Jenny McLachlan, Jessica Townsend, Jessie Burton, Jim Smith, Jo Cotterill, Jonny Duddle, Joseph Elliott, Kate Pankhurst, Katherine Rundell, Katherine Woodfine, Katie and Kevin Tsang, Kevin Crossley-Holland, Kiran Millwood-Hargrave, L.D. Lapinski, Laura Ellen Anderson, Lauren Child, Lauren St John, Lissa Evans, Liz Pichon, Lorraine Gregory, Louie Stowell, M.G. Leonard, Marianne Levy, Mark Haddon, Maz Evans, Michael Morpurgo, Michelle Magorian, Michelle Paver, Nick Lake, Nicola Skinner, Nizrana Farook, Onjali Q. Raúf, Pamela Butchart, Patience Agbabi, Patrick Ness, Peter Bunzl, Piers Torday, Polly Ho-Yen, R. S. Mckay, Rob Biddulph, Robin Stevens, Ross MacKenzie, Ross Montgomery, Rutendo Tavengerwei, Sally Gardner, Sally Nicholls, Sam Copeland, Sam Usher, Sara Ogilvie, Sarah Crossan, Sarah McIntyre, SF Said, Sharna Jackson, Sibéal Pounder, Sita Bramachari, Sophie Anderson, Sophie Dahl, Stephanie Burgis, Steve Lenton, Susie Day, Swapna Haddow, Thomas Taylor, Tom Percival, Vashti Hardy, William Sutcliffe, Zana Fraillon.