On Wednesday 9 October, Queen Anne’s Book Club went to St George’s Ascot for the launch of the Berkshire Book Awards. There they met author Laura Wood, writer of the Poppy Pym series as well as young adult novels: A Sky Painted Gold; Under a Dancing Star and Vote for Effie.
Wood gave a talk on how she became an author and the building blocks to writing a book. She said that if we like reading we could always write! She gave some great tips on creating an atmosphere, using the scenery and characters in the novel.
One of the other things she spoke about was inspiration. Her book, ‘Vote for Effie’ was inspired by the Women’s March in 2017. The second book that is in progress is going to be inspired by the climate change marches. Wood encourages students to use the things going on in the world as inspiration. That we should use our skills to speak up.
Laura Wood also said that entering competitions is great practice. Surprisingly, that is how her first book was published. She had entered a competition which involved writing a few chapters of a book. At the end, she had to write a whole book in two weeks!
Wood explained how working with illustrators works. They transform a rough plan into something spectacular, adding to the book. She talked about editing and how making a book takes 1 year to complete.
Overall, Book Club had a great time with 2 of us getting books signed by Laura Wood herself. We look forward to the Berkshire Book awards shortlist in February.
