Jacinta Lou – Writer

Category: Uncategorized

  • Getting on With Things

    Getting on With Things

    I don’t usually post twice in a day but I’m trying to learn how to use my website so here is another post!

    It’s been quite a year and I think I am closer to my publishing goal. I’ve been making slow and steady progress. In 2022, I joined groups and completed courses. In 2023, labelled by me as my ‘year of assessments’, I had lots of my stories assessed and ended the year with a successful pitch at the ASA literary speed dating event.

    In 2024, my year of mentoring, I was fortunate to be awarded a mentorship by the Australian Society of Authors/Copyright Agency for one of my picture books and I have been working with my mentor Kristina Shulz.

    At CYA my assessments went well and I’m seeing the improvement in my writing and in my confidence. My old friend, imposter syndrome, is still lurking in the wings, but having Kristina’s support has helped me believe in myself as a writer.

    One highlight this year was being long listed in the annual ‘Pitch It’ competition, so this morning I submitted that story to Affirm Press.

    I hate submitting, but it’s impossible to get published without going through the process, unless you publish the book yourself.

    I can barely get around social media and this webpage so I know I do not have the skill or patience to self publish, which leaves me throwing my hat in the ring for a shot at a traditional publishing contract.

    I’m enjoying rewriting and restructuring my stories, so the waiting and wondering isn’t too onerous, but like all aspiring writers, I can’t wait to get on with the job of publishing my stories.

    The kidlit community is a wonderful, supportive community. I have a fabulous critique group and other writer friends to chat to both online and locally. Everyone knows how hard it is to get a contract and we all cheer loudly when someone is successful. We are all a part of each other’s journeys even if it’s just to cheer!

    If I never get a contract, being a part of this community is worth it in itself, but I would really love to see one of many stories in print and see how an illustrator interprets my words.

    Fingers crossed 2025 is my year of contracts!

    You will be the first to know!

      • Adding to the Clan

        Adding to the Clan

        Our alpaca family reduced to two alpacas. Bella, a rescued alpaca from the equivalent of a ‘puppy farm’ for alpacas who is getting on in years, and Tilly, who we have had for the last two years from when he was a Cria. Sadly, they don’t get on, which is not ideal for herd animals, so we were on the lookout.

        Brightside Animal Sanctuary advertised they needed to re-home alpacas and invited applications and now we have five more alpacas chomping on grass and filling our hearts with love.

        Our new herd, a group of four with a similar background to Bella and a little surrendered alpaca, made themselves at home. Tilly was so excited. More alpacas to play with. Bella walked down from her hill and sniffed them and then retreated to the furthermost corner of the paddock. She was having none of it. Over the last couple of weeks she has softened her stance and now almost mixes with the new herd. Tilly gets confused as his loyalty was to Bella and he wasn’t sure who was boss. I think it’s Bella, but we let him think it’s him. The two herds are almost one. Almost.

        I just visited and they are now leaving Tilly out on his own. Or perhaps he is leaving himself out. He has always been a little on the skittish side, so perhaps too many confidant alpacas are more than he can cope with. I’m sure he will be back in the herd soon.

        It’s been interesting watching the politics play out. We think two of the newcomers are gelded males, but other than a bit of spitting from Bella and long stares with ears back and tails up from the other two geldings, they have been very gentle with each other. I’ve almost got one of the new ones to eat from a bucket I’m holding. Little steps.

        So the other news since the last post concerns the two new chickens. Turns out they were both roosters, so we had to get earmuffs to sleep while we sorted out their fate. Fortunately, we found someone who wanted a rooster to protect his chooks, and since ours was a bonded pair who had sorted out who was the alpha rooster, he was happy to take both. I didn’t want them to have to become anyone’s dinner.

        One of Rex’s chooks took herself into the bush to build a nest. Every day, she would come back for food and water and every day, while she was a way, a currawong raided her nest. Sadly, she didn’t protect any of her eggs, so she is back home alone. She has a very safe nesting box, so I’m not sure why she went bush. Hopefully she will stay home next year and protect her eggs.

        Throughout spring, the currawongs have been raiding the chook pens for scraps and the occasional egg. I watched one carry an egg in his beak for about twenty minutes, walking around the yard looking for a rock to open his prize. Eventually, he flew up to a post and then tossed it onto the ground. That’s one way to break an egg.

        Watching the birds and the animals is a great way to spend time and I have lots of ideas for picture books, but unless I sit down and write them, all they will be is ideas so it’s back to the computer for me after I just take one more walk to visit the alpacas!

          1. Jacinta Lou's avatar
          2. Julia Miller's avatar
          3. Jacinta Lou's avatar
          4. Julia Miller's avatar

            It’s great to here your news both good and difficult. Keep writing keep caring and look after that rooster!

          5. Treechange Life's avatar

          My Writing Journey: Successes and Future Goals for 2026

          2025 has been and continues to be quite a year. In so many ways. On a personal level – I have had success with my writing. The highlight of course my contract with Wombat Books for two early readers. In addition with my adult writing I had a tribute to my Dad published in the…

          Jacinta Lou's avatar by Jacinta Lou

          Getting on With Things

          I don’t usually post twice in a day but I’m trying to learn how to use my website so here is another post! It’s been quite a year and I think I am closer to my publishing goal. I’ve been making slow and steady progress. In 2022, I joined groups and completed courses. In 2023,…

          Jacinta Lou's avatar by Jacinta Lou

        • My Latest Poem

          published today on the Australian Children’s Poetry Website.

          The March by Jacinta Lou
            • Speed Dating – the literary kind!

              Speed Dating – the literary kind!

              This year I’ve devoted my energy to having my writing assessed and working on improving my craft. Writing is a craft. Writing picture books is a craft I am still working on. Those deceptively simple texts require so much work. Each word has to earn its place. Each story has to impress a publisher, get through their acquisitions process and ultimately be something people will buy.

              Even if you get the story right, it might not fit with what publishers are looking for. Maybe you sent it to the wrong publisher and it doesn’t fit their brand. Maybe it just doesn’t pop enough for a yes. So many reasons it might not be accepted that have nothing to do with how well you write. Things you can’t control. But writing is within your control and so this year I have had assessments with editors and at CYA. I’ve entered competitions. I’ve worked on writing short stories and poems for children. I’ve participated in critique groups. All with the goal of improving my writing.

              But have I done enough?

              Back to speed dating. No, not that kind. Who has the time? I honestly can’t remember the last time I went on a date, speedy or otherwise. But that is a story for another time…maybe 🙂

              Literary speed dating is run by the Australian Society of Authors, ASA, and they run several rounds each year. This round I was lucky enough to get two spots and now I’m preparing my three minute pitches to two publishing houses.

              I say lucky because the system crashed and I think I was so lucky to catch a window when the system was working. I don’t think I would get through otherwise. I’m slow on a keyboard!

              I’ll have three minutes to demonstrate to the publishers my story is worth a look! Three minutes to sell my story!

              I’m nervous but excited. I have done all I can to be ready and the rest is down to if they want to read my story. and that is down to how well I pitch!

              I’m still fiddling around with the pitch. That’s another skill I’ve been learning. I’ve organised some of my critique partners to listen so I can practice. It’s exciting.

              And absolutely terrifying!

              I’m pitching a story I haven’t released into the world yet so they will get first look if I pitch well enough.

              If they like my pitch, if it fits their brand and if they want to know more, they will ask for the manuscript. If not I will start sending it out to other publishers. It’s a story I’m quite passionate about so I will keep trying.

              You never know where a Yes will come from. It might come from a story found in the slush pile. It might come from a CYA assessment. Or it might come from three minutes spent pitching to publishers through ASA’s Literary Speed Dating.

              I’ll keep working and hoping one day it will be a YES.

              Watch this space!

              • Time to go on! – Submission ‘Stage Fright!’

                Time to go on! – Submission ‘Stage Fright!’

                Like most writers, I started writing books for children when my children were small. I’ve lost all trace of anything written back then, but I still have some scribblings I did for my eldest granddaughter, which I may resurrect at some stage.

                In 2021, I did a picture writing course with Zanni Louise through the Australian Writers Centre and I fell in love. I did another course in 2022 through The Sunshine House, and I sent out a couple of stories to the crashingly loud sound of silence!

                I have been active in critiques groups and the kidlit community, so I decided 2023 was the year of assessments. Time to get my existing stories into shape to send out into the world. Or to shelve them. I had assessments with editors and of course, CYA. It’s been hectic!

                So here I am in the closing scenes of 2023 getting ready to send my stories out into the world of publishers!

                I still don’t think they are ready and I’ve heard stories of writers who have taken decades to write the perfect story, but I’m not sure I have that amount of time, so ready or not, here they come!

                I have zero expectations, but it was my plan to have stories to send out, so I’m sticking to the plan!

                I belong to a couple of fabulous critique groups and one in particular has a very encouraging cheer leader who brings us along with her enthusiasm. Yes! We can do this! Eeek – I hope at least one of us has success. That’s the best thing about writing for children. Although we all strive for the same thing, there is no sense of competition and we genuinely celebrate other writer’s success. Well, maybe there is a little disappointment, but we are mostly very excited for every writer who succeeds!

                So, in the past week, I have entered two stories to ‘Pitch it’, run by Just Write for Kids Australia, yesterday I was successful in booking two spots in the Australian Society of Author’s Literary Speed dating, to be held later in October and I sent a story out to a publisher! Tomorrow I’ll be sending out more stories and then I will start work on my next batch, patiently waiting in the wings, to get them ready to go out into the world!

                I’m not great at sending things out. I seem to get ‘stage fright’ once I know I am writing a submission and I stutter and stammer and write ridiculous things in my cover letters. Well I did last year. I cringe thinking about it. But in my defence, I did have pneumonia, so everything made perfect sense at the time. And why is it, typos and repeated words etc ONLY become visible AFTER you hit send?

                It’s been a year, so hopefully there have been so many submissions, commissioning editors will have forgotten me. Please let them forget!

                So, I’m on track. My babies are going out into the big wide world of publishing and I wish them every success in finding a home. I will welcome them back at any time, but I may push them out somewhere else and give them the best chance. I really don’t want them to be homeless.

                Now to work out how to conquer ‘submission stage fright’ and write great covering letters! Ironically, I have never experienced actual stage fright. Perhaps writing means more to me 🙂

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              • Am I a Poet?

                Am I a Poet?

                I have always written poems. On scraps of paper, serviettes and sometimes even on something I can’t lose! But I have never called myself a poet. I wonder what it would take?

                My poems were selected for the inspiration for international Mural Fest in 2009 and 2010. I completed a work of poems and stories to accompany photos of old huts and cottages after that, but still I didn’t call myself a poet.

                I’ve written poems for friends in grief, for weddings, funerals, and just when words call me.

                When a friend was diagnosed with cancer, when I’ve tried to make sense of a world that often seems senseless. But still I didn’t call myself a poet.

                So today when a poem I wrote for children was published on the Australian Children’s Poetry Blog, I wondered if it might be time to consider calling myself a poet.

                Outside My Window by Jacinta Lou
                I’ll share it anyway as a poem I wrote.

                ©Jacinta Lou – Poet?

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              • Leaving the comfort zone: Websites, Instagram, Facebook and more!

                Leaving the comfort zone: Websites, Instagram, Facebook and more!

                Deciding to become a full-time writer means I have also had to learn to use social media and more! What happened to the image of the writer tapping away day and night, producing reams of typed or handwritten pages? There may be some who can still do that, but for most of us trying to establish ourselves in the children’s book industry, we need to have a social media presence before we have a book published!

                The first course I did with the Australian Writers Centre led us through the maze, which is the industry, and gave us guidance on how to navigate it. That’s on top of writing amazing stories!

                Websites, Facebook pages, Instagram accounts. All things publishers are looking for. Can you promote your book? Have you a presence out there in the world? Have you followers?

                I knew how to use Facebook so, tick! But I had to learn Instagram and I’m still learning but I have over 400 followers, so tick.

                Websites. Well, this is it so far and I’ll admit it’s not great. I’m trying to learn more, but it has got me beat.

                Soooooo the first thing I will do when I get a book contract is pay someone to build me a super dooper website. In the meantime, please be kind to my attempts. I am way out of my comfort zone.

                Oh, and did I mention, I’m sure I did. The most important part of becoming an author is writing an amazing story!

                Is there an app for that? Stay tuned. Next time, we will talk about AI (artificial intelligence) from the perspective of someone who cannot build a website!

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              • So Much has Happened!

                So Much has Happened!

                As I sit here tonight, I’m reflecting on the last six months. Has it only been six months? So much has happened!

                I made a decision. This year is the year of assessments and honing my craft! So I began the year with two manuscript assessments with a publishing house. Several manuscripts found their way to Sally Odgers at Affordable Manuscripts and I entered a few in the CYA aspiring competition. More feedback!

                I booked assessments with several editors and publishers at CYA and they will take place in July. I’m so nervous but there is no backing out now. The manuscripts are in their hands! Well probably in their email inbox waiting till closer to the date!

                I’ve completed courses and workshops with the ASA, Jen Storer, Zanni Louise’s Sunshine house and Larrikin House. Learning about this industry gives me insight into how to navigate it as well as tools to support other creatives as we journey together.

                I’ve been active in my SCBWI critique group and two private groups of fantastic aspiring writers from around Australia.

                I became the New Books and Awards coordinator for the SCBWI Australia East blog which gives me the chance to see how many amazing books are being created and published by members, and I have been active as the social media person for SCBWI Tasmania as well as a committee member.

                We recently partnered with TasWriters to put on StoryGig in the last weekend in May. I was very fortunate to be asked to present one of my unpublished works to children in the Square. Posy the Pink Witch certainly made an impression! I also had the opportunity to read one of my works in progress to a room full of established creators at a SCBWI networking event! Yes I was terrified but what I have discovered about those who create for children, is everyone is incredibly supportive.

                Getting to know Tasmanian creatives has been a highlight of this year! Oh, did I mention, SCBWI Tasmania also held two Sketch and Scribble events so far this year? We did! Both at the beautiful Botanical gardens!

                So where I am at now is finishing off courses. Creating new work while many of my stories are waiting to be assessed and doing lots of walking on the beach to nurture my soul.

                I can’t believe half the year is almost over!

                I’ve submitted two stories to publishers. Both to more than one publisher. So far I have been met with silence except for one email letting me know it wasn’t what they were looking for at this time. I was excited someone had taken the time to read it and respond!

                I hope, after my assessments, I will have the courage to submit more!.

                This week I’ll be working on my latest manuscript and weighing up the critiques I have received from my wonderful critique partners.

                Talk again soon!

              • My Writing Companion

                This is my writing companion, Bella. When I say writing companion, what I mean is my partner in crime. The crime of procrastination!

                Bella is a lap dog and she takes her job very seriously. I adopted her when she was almost three and since then it is impossible to sit without her trying to get on my lap.

                Using a laptop with a lapdog is fraught with danger. I don’t recommend it. Occasionally she will allow me to rest a book on her but NEVER the laptop. She refuses to give up her prime realestate and in her determination has walked across the laptop on more than one occasion managing to delete my work. Just lucky she is cute.

                I had to obtain a desktop computer to enable me to work without the fear of losing my efforts, or, more importantly, upsetting the pug. It’s taken a few months but she has come to terms with losing my lap to the desktop – as long as I don’t write for too long.

                When I sit back on the couch, she pounces and takes up her spot. I can’t move then, can I? Like I said, she is my partner in procrastination. She sometimes walks on the remote and turns on NETFLIX. Then I’m really stuck.

                Stuck is the wrong word. I could get up and write if I wanted to… I really could, but being the lap for a lapdog is a very important job and I, like my pug, take my job seriously.

                Apparently my lap is required on the couch. Till next time.

              • Update

                Apologies for being away for so long. I temporarily lost access to my page, but it’s all fixed, so back and raring to go. Ive been busy writing and I’ve submitted some manuscripts. Starting to feel like a real author 🙂

                I’m realising it’s best to submit and forget to enable me to continue working. The first time I submitted a manuscript, I felt like I had sent a piece of my soul out into the great unknown. Would it be read? Would it be appreciated for the blood, sweat and tears it took to write it? Would I ever hear? Well, I can only answer the third question. I didn’t hear back. And that seems to be the norm with so many talented writers sending in so many manuscripts to publishers hoping to secure a contract. But I will not be discouraged. It is early in my journey and I have to earn my stripes, so to speak, so I have joined several critique groups, listen to podcasts constantly, engage in conversations with other kidlit authors and read kidlit and work on improving my writing.

                As we speak, I am waiting to hear from several submissions. And when I say waiting, what I mean is I hit send and then moved onto something else. I may never know if my stories, my babies, were even read. I’m slowly learning to move on after submission. It is a matter of survival; survival of my creativity.

                And you would think with so much competition it would be a cutthroat world, but the world of children’s literature is full of wonderful people who dedicate themselves to their craft and to encouraging each other. It’s an amazing community. So even if I never get published, my stories are read by other authors and I have found myself in one of the most amazing, supportive, and fun communities I have ever encountered. That alone is success, and I am proud to be a member of the kidlit community.