World Book Night

I've been selected as a 2014 World Book Night Giver!! I've taken part before and it is fantastic to be involved in giving the joy of reading, the joy of imagination through 'new' books to people who can't normally afford to buy them or don't usually read.

It was with this in my mind that I chose my three books:

• Today Everything Changes by Andy McNab
• Short Stories by Roald Dahl
• Four Warned by Jeffrey Archer

I got my first choice:

Abandoned as a baby, Andy McNab's start in life was tough. He grew up in South London with foster parents, and poverty on all sides. Andy attended seven schools in as many years, disillusioned and in remedial classes. Before long his life was one of petty crime. By the age of sixteen he was in juvenile detention.

The book opens with a break in that goes very, very badly wrong and is even more shocking for the reader when we discover just how young Andy is. From there he tells the story of his tough youth till, in the army, he learns to read and everything changes. This is an incredibly powerful story of how important reading and literacy is, first hand from someone who knows what it's like to be an adult who struggles with reading and who has gone on to make his living as a writer. Today Everything Changes is the inspiring story of when life changed for the better for now bestselling author Andy McNab. 

This is quite an odd choice for me, and not a book I would usually choose because of the army connection. However, firstly I am not choosing a book for myself, I'm choosing a book for somebody who possibly may not have read a book for many, many years. Secondly, I know from personal experience just how important reading and literacy is and thirdly, I was aware of this book before World Book Night, as we have a copy in the library where I work. It is a Quick Read book and I have spent the last few years promoting Quick Reads.

1 in 6 adults of working age in the UK find reading difficult and may never pick up a book.  People’s reasons for not reading are varied but are often based in fear. Some people say they find books scary and intimidating, thinking they are ‘not for them’ or that books are difficult or boring.

Quick Reads sets out to challenge these beliefs and to show that books and reading can be for everyone. Each year we commission big name authors to write short books that are specifically designed to be easy to read.  They are the same as mainstream books in every respect but are simply shorter and easier to tackle for adults who are less confident in their reading skills. The books are then sold through major retailers, online booksellers and are loaned from libraries.

Quick Reads is making real, lasting changes to people’s lives.  Since 2006 they have distributed over 4.5 million books, registered 3 million library loans and through the outreach work hundreds of thousands of new readers each year, often in some of the hardest to reach communities, are introduced to the joys and benefits of reading. 

I thought about the people I would be giving the books to, some will be homeless, and some will be care leavers. There is scientific proof that children in care who are going through trauma find it very difficult to concentrate and this is often the reason why some children in care find it difficult to keep up with their studies. And this is the same trauma that a homeless person will be facing. Moved from placement to placement, living on their wits, no wonder it's so difficult to sit quietly with a book and feel safe enough to get lost in the wonderful worlds created by authors. So, it is was with this criteria that I chose my three books. Two Quick Reads and one set of short stories. And I love the title of my first choice, Today Everything Changes. I hope that when my WBN book receivers read the first page it will be the first step on a journey to a positive change in their lives. 

Start That Novel Workshop

Ever dreamed of writing a novel?

 Now you can with Greenacre Writers 

Start That Novel Workshop

This workshop will get you started and help with planning your novel, developing plot, characterisation, dialogue, and point of view. 

Where and when:

Saturday March 22nd 10.30-3.30pm

Finchley, London N12 0HU

Start That Novel Workshop £45.00

Book now and pay a £10 deposit via Paypal to secure your place

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'Thank you for such a useful course. It's really helped me plan and structure my 

novel as well as think closely about my characters. It was also a great opportunity to 

meet lots of other writers.' 

I found the course very helpful and the atmosphere really encouraging. I got a lot more out of it than I anticipated, and the set up of the course was comfortable and manageable. I liked the fact that it didn't matter whether I'd started the novel or written a lot of it, each session remained relevant to all levels.

Loved the Start That Novel course, motivated me to start and continue writing. Enjoyed the meetings and found everything so very helpful, thank you!

About Course Tutor:

Rosie Canning is a co-founder of Greenacre Writers. She studied MA Writing at Middlesex University. She has written a novel, short stories, some of which have been published and either long/short-listed: Spilling Ink, New Writer, Flash 500, The Yellow Room, and The Word Hut.

For further details, please contact:

greenacrewriters@gmail.com

Spring Writing Retreat 2014

This three day writing retreat is aimed at writers who want time to work on their writing, there will be no workshops or directed writing. 28th-30th March, 2014 at St Katharine's, Parmoor near Henley on Thames. Full board £160 from Friday teatime-Sunday teatime. Accommodation is in single rooms in the St Joseph's Annexe. St Katharine's This historic house stands in 12 acres of grounds in an area of great scenic beauty and abundant wildlife. The rural tranquility of the Chilterns, combined with a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere, make St. Katharine's an ideal destination for a writing retreat.  Visitors are free to stroll around the grounds, or find a quiet corner to write and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. There are a number of interesting features, including a walled garden, a pond, a formal garden which is in process of being renovated and a former sunken garden, which awaits restoration. You can also visit the chickens, who provide the delicious free-range eggs which are used in the House kitchen, and are also on sale to visitors. If you would like to book your place, contact Rosie Canning: greenacrewriters@gmail.com

Edward Timpson Does Care

I can’t remember how I first heard about the government press release, ‘Children to stay with foster families until 21’, but, I do remember I felt bewildered by a press release that began ‘All children in care…’ but by the end of the first sentence had excluded over 6,000 children in residential care.

What is going on?

This was the new support that would be available to children living not in residential homes but in foster homes until they were 21 years of age. At the moment when a child in care reaches their sixteenth birthday, they begin the journey to leaving care – some do leave when they are only 16.

Almost immediately discussions ensued between Ben Ashcroft, Ian Dickson, Lisa Cherry, Ed Dixon, Louise Holt and myself and we decided to start this campaign: Every Child Leaving Care Matters.

We believe this statement 100% - EVERY Child Leaving Care Matters.

I’m sure Edward Timpson believes this too. His own family fostered nearly 90 children, and I imagine his parents will have supported many of the children they fostered. However, there is a reason he has campaigned for children in foster care to have support until they are 21. He has had first hand experience of seeing so many young children moved on, or asked to leave his family home and I can only imagine that he concluded that in some instances, this was wrong. I can only imagine that maybe there were some of those children whom he grew fond of and whom he wanted to support. In the government press release, Timpson said:

‘I know from the many foster children I grew up with how crucial it is for them to be given sufficient time to prepare for life after care.’

So, again, I can only imagine, that Edward Timpson, does care and is aware that children in residential care are even more vulnerable than those in foster care and also need that time and support to 21.

‘Young people leaving care are among the most vulnerable children in our society. Even those who have had a stable placement may have very high levels of need. Many children who have been in the care system have had a childhood full of instability and trauma, with over 62 per cent of looked after children being taken into care due to abuse or neglect.’

(Barnardos - Still Our Children. Case for reforming the leaving care system in England)

The government press release goes on to say: ‘Children in care typically have much lower educational outcomes and are more likely to be out of education, work and training.’ And as our previous blog showed, there are also all the awful statistics that show some care leavers end up homeless, in prison, with mental health problems, pregnant just after leaving care and worse still are four or five times more likely to commit suicide in adulthood. For me, this last statistic is the most worrying one of them all. Because once a young care leaver is dead, there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to help that poor person ever again.

We have had a few worrying comments along these lines via the petition. Just recently, after Scotland announced that from 2015 they will be supporting ALL care leavers until they are 21, they put out this tweet:

As our previous blog mentioned, some care leavers, and others in the care industry prefer to align themselves with those that demonstrate the ‘positive’ portrayal of care leavers.

I believe 100% that positivity is the way forward. I am currently working on a PhD proposal that looks at this very subject, so I believe in the power of positive representation. I want to see an end to the public perception that children in care have done something wrong.

With support from the Scottish Government and Association of Directors of Social Work, Who Cares? Scotland’s 'Give me a chance: phase II' campaign is tackling the stigma and discrimination which children and young people in care and care leavers face.

Here are some podcasts made by some Scottish care leavers:

However, if we are to help the next care leaver who may kill themselves or worse be murdered – and we have been told about both of these distressing acts and have read about them in national newspapers – then we have to keep campaigning. Until there is support to 21 for ALL care leavers, we will have to continue letting the public know about these worrying negative statistics.

"Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving."-J K Rowling. Children in care are the same regardless of where they live.

Stop Press: There is to be an important debate in the House of Commons tonight Tuesday 21st January, 7pm, Watch Live Craig Whittaker, MP will debate the Staying Put agenda for looked-after children in residential care. This will be a chance for Edward Timpson to once again show that he really does care.

Rosie Canning – was once a care leaver but doesn’t live there anymore.

Some of my favourite writing blogs

So this is Christmas, another year nearly over. And what do we do around about this time of year? We tend to reflect on the previous one, what we've achieved, what we've won, new friends made, and what we've enjoyed. So just for a change, I'm keeping this short. Here are a very small selection of writing blogs and websites I've enjoyed. There are hundreds more but I've lately been reminded, no more than 250 words for a blog entry.

The Creative Penn
Joanna Penn offers some fantastic resources for writers.

Emily Benet
She is the blogging queen of London. As well as working full time on her own writing, she runs blogging workshops, is a published author and writes short stories. She is also very funny.

Dove Grey Reader
Bookaholic, sock-knitting quilter who was once a community nurse. She writes about, you've guessed it - books. Lots of interesting reads and some bargains worth picking up.

Lisa Cherry
Describes herself as Author, Speaker, Trainer, Coach, Chocolate lover and Coffee snob! She is wonderfully positive, writes mainly non-fiction, art journals and is an independent campaigner.

The Reluctant Perfectionist
This is fairly new blog and is already attracting a lot of interest. A writer with OCD who writes about OCD, very interesting plus I like the symmetry!

Morgen Bailey
As well as author interviews, writing exercises and all sorts of other writing stuff, I've included Morgen for her sheer energy and writing resilience.

So, we have free resources, humour, books, positivity, perfectionism, writing exercises - all the things we need to write!

All that's left for me to do is wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a wonderfully creative new year.