Dandelion Clocks (18 page)
Authors: Rebecca Westcott
How long did it take you to write
Dandelion Clocks
and
Violet Ink
?
I tend to write a first draft quite quickly â it takes me about six to eight weeks, writing after work in the evenings and at weekends. Being a teacher is great because I get lots of writing time during the holidays, which helps! Once the first draft is written I'll take my time on the edit, really developing the voice of the main character and making sure that there are no inconsistencies in the plot.
Does anyone read your books while you are in the process of writing them?
I'm really lucky to have an incredibly supportive family, who read everything that I write (and have an opinion on everything I write too!). My eleven-year-old daughter was the first person to read both books. In fact, it was a conversation that I had with her in
our garden one day last spring that gave me the idea for
Dandelion Clocks
. She also helped me to write some of Izzy's poems in
Violet Ink
. Once I'm happy with what I've written, I'll ask people to have a read and give me their thoughts. My husband, mum, sister and lovely friends are great at doing this!
Which authors have inspired you?
One of my favourite authors is Robert Cormier. He writes about topics that are quite grown up in a way that younger readers can access, without being patronizing. I often find his books chilling â they always leave me with a list of questions and wanting more.
When I was a child, I loved Judy Blume. I would read her books and feel as if I completely knew the characters, even though their lives were so different to mine.
Now, I enjoy reading books by authors like Patrick Ness, Meg Rosoff and John Green. They aren't afraid of tackling âbig' issues. After all, life happens to everyone â not just to adults.
What is your favourite way to spend a day off from teaching and writing?
I love spending time with my family. We are all big fans of camping and what I enjoy most is sitting in the sunshine watching my husband cook us an amazing campfire meal while our three children race around
on their bikes (I'm not completely lazy though â I do the washing-up!).
In the winter, if I'm not writing then I'm probably reading, while my husband cooks us a meal and the children create chaos with Nerf guns. (You can probably tell that I really, really hate cooking.) Actually, I'm not that fond of housework either, so at the weekends we play a card game after supper â the loser has to do the washing up.
I want to be a writer. What are your top tips for getting published?
Write for fun! When I wrote
Dandelion Clocks
I was so excited by the idea that I wanted to write it down just to find out if I could create a story from beginning to end. I didn't write to get published â I wrote because it made me feel happy.
Sometimes, write as quickly as you possibly can. Don't worry about whether it's perfect â just enjoy the excitement of writing your words down. And then leave it. One of my favourite things about writing is returning to read something I wrote a while ago. It's a great way of figuring out what works in your writing.
Write for lots of different reasons. Being a writer doesn't mean that you are writing a book. It means that you communicate and record information using written words. So write a diary, write letters, write emails, send texts. Make lists, write a poem that you'll only ever show one person, leave notes for your family
on the fridge in magnetic letters. Write using as many exciting, interesting words as you can and then write using only twenty words. Play about â they're your words and there aren't any rules.
Don't give up. If someone gives you feedback on your writing (it could be your friends, family or a teacher), then listen to what they have to say. Try out their ideas and decide if it improves your writing. If it does, then great â you've developed your skills. If it doesn't, then you haven't lost anything.
Best books
Goodnight Mister Tom
by Michelle Magorian
After the First Death
by Robert Cormier
Wonder
by R. J. Palacio
A Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness
Skallagrigg
by William Horwood
(But really, it's impossible to choose just five! I have always loved The Dark Is Rising trilogy by Susan Cooper and I've recently started reading books by John Green. When I was growing up my reading included Enid Blyton, Judy Blume, Willard Price, Lynne Reid Banks and Lucy M. Boston to name just a few. I've just read
Grace
by Morris Gleitzman and thought it was amazing.)
Favourite photos
Holidaying on the Isles of Scilly, we stumbled across a deserted beach with hundreds of Makka Pakka rocks. We stayed there for hours, adding our own contribution
.
On holiday last year in France â I was terrified that the rope swing would break but I made myself swing across the river!
Me, aged five. Check out the dodgy haircut!
My little sister and me, aged six and fourteen. I am cuddling Bracken, the guinea pig I had when I (eventually!) recovered from the tragic death of Smokey
.
I took this at a local festival. It was really muddy and my children went inside this storytelling shed. I like the way that the filthy wellies look as if they're waiting for feet to be returned to them
.
This photo makes me laugh! My family are very outdoorsy. I am less outdoorsy. We were in the French Alps and I look utterly lost, trying to find signal for my phone
.
Perfecting the art of pancake tossing, aged eleven
.
Favourite foods
Pizza with extra pepperoni
Toast with crunchy peanut butter
Satsumas
Very spicy beef chilli with lots of fresh green chilli peppers
Butterscotch Angel Delight â it HAS to be butterscotch. Every other flavour is disgusting but this one tastes like a little bit of perfection!
Cosiest places to read
In bed, with a cup of tea
In the bath â I
hardly
ever drop my book in the water
Halfway up the stairs, looking through the window into the garden
In a tent, with the rain lashing down outside
Snuggled up next to a roaring fire (although I am a total fire-killer, and if I'm in charge then the fire will be less roaring and more spluttering)
Things to put in Room 101
Umbrellas:
I have always disliked umbrellas. Sure, I get that they keep you dry but at what cost? If you're holding an umbrella, then you suddenly can't do anything that requires two hands and the risk of poking someone in the eye is dramatically increased. I would rather get wet or put my hood up (even if this does make me look a bit daft).
Cooking:
I love eating but I really cannot stand cooking. When I was younger I used to believe that it was something I'd grow to enjoy â but one husband and three kids later I can honestly say that I loathe cooking. And making packed lunches. My repertoire is basically limited to chilli, spaghetti Bolognese, pesto pasta and baked potatoes. Perhaps it isn't surprising that I married an excellent cook and our children are fast becoming great chefs â¦
Self-service checkouts at supermarkets:
These send me into a crazy, ranting rage every time I use them. Unexpected item in baggage area? I don't think there is,
actually
. I always seem to do something wrong and then have to spend so long apologizing to the poor checkout assistant that it would have been quicker to just queue up for a normal till in the first place.
Dog poo:
Nobody would say that they actively LIKE poo, but I routinely ruin walks with my family by alerting them to the presence of every single bit of poo that we encounter along the way. I can't help it â I just don't trust them not to step in it and then the rest of my day will be spent cleaning their trainers. Getting rid of dog poo would make me very happy (I'm not that bothered about other kinds of poo).
Excessive use of exclamation marks:
Just kidding! If I am Queen of anything then it's Queen of Exclamation Marks. I love them and firmly believe that you can never have too many. My great-granny used to say of chocolates that âone's a tease'. I think the same can be said of exclamation marks!!!!!!!