Work I'd forgotten about • Lynne Garner

My first picture book - first published 2007

At the beginning of the year I decided to set myself some goals. A few of these goals are linked to my writing. The first one was to get at least one picture book traditionally published or at least a contract signed. So, in order to set the ball rolling I decided to go through my computer files and put all my half written stories and story ideas in one place. A few hours later I'd rediscovered:

• 10 picture books - written to first or second draft stage
• 25 picture book ideas - some sketched out whilst others are just a few bullet points
• 4 fantasy stories for young confident readers - two have chapters sketched out whilst the other two are just a jumble of ideas.
• 1 young adult story - jumbled ideas only
• 3 steam punk stories for confident readers - one has each chapter sketched out
• 1 kids TV show - ideas for the first five episodes are sketched out
• 3 short stories for adults - the type you get in magazines
• 4 novel ideas for adults - in various stages
• 2 sitcom ideas - for one of these I've written five minutes of the first episode

My first collaboration on
a picture book (published 2017) 

I'll admit some of the files I rediscovered I'd totally forgotten about, whilst others still nag at me every so often.

As my original goal was to get a picture book traditionally published I started work on the first ten picture books that I'd managed to get to first or second draft. My intention is to get some of them critiqued by a professional who my fab proofread/editor (Hilary Johnson) works with. My reasons for this is because book markets change. Tastes evolve, publishers are looking for something new, something different. So by working with someone who knows the industry I'll be giving my stories the best chance of becoming published. This is also why I have all my Indie books proofed (I know my limits when it comes to the English language) and you're only as good as the last book.

Also by having a handful of them critiqued I'll hopefully have some idea which of the 25 picture book ideas have a chance of becoming a published book.

This doesn't mean I'm turning my back on my Indie work. Far from it. A few of the rediscovered ideas I have the skills or have access to the skills to get them published myself. So, they'll help me fulfil my second goal. That of having at least three Indie books published during 2018.

Lynne

Blatant plug time - Check out my various collections of short stories (ebooks just 99p)

Hedgehog of Moon Meadow Farm

Ten Tales of Brer Rabbit

Ten Tales of Coyote