Jacinta Lou – Writer

Tag: children's books

  • My Writing Journey: Successes and Future Goals for 2026

    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 latest Grieve Anthology. And one of my poems will be published in an upcoming anthology, Her Beauty and Her Terror.

    And, drum roll please, Jacinta Lou has appeared in print for the first time in a wonderful fundraising anthology of whimsy put together by Tasmanian author, Ann Martin.

    The Ballad of Jubal Jacques includes some of Tasmania’s best authors and illustrators. I might have to believe I’m a writer 🙂

    My stories, Aisha and the Olive Tree, and The Book are both in the style of fables and I really enjoyed writing them. The book is available on amazon and all proceeds are for refugees.

    So what is happening now? Well it’s been non stop writing and submitting. The submitting has been picture books. I live in hope I will publish one at some stage. But I’ve expanded my writing to include longer fiction for children.

    I entered a junior fiction short story into an anthology competition and I’m currently working on a young adult short story for another anthology competion.

    So next year I will continue to work on early readers and junior fiction generally and of course, picture books. But my major focus will be a young adult novel I shelved in 2021.

    I found the novel recently and I really enjoyed reading it so I think it’s worth finishing. I’m working with other kidlit novelists to hold each other accountable by setting targets. According to the schedule I have until March to complete the first draft. I’m thirty thousand words in so it feels achievable? What’s it about? Well all I will say for now is that it’s a thriller; full of mystery and intrigue!

    My goals for 2026? It will be the year I learn to build a new webpage. The year my first novel will be sent for appraisal and the year I learn all I can about marketing and school visits in preparation for my 2027 book launch.

    And like every writer, I’m also hoping for more contracts.

    2025 has been a challenging year for children around the world being subjected to hardships and danger no child should endure and if I could give those children one gift, it would be hope.

    Hope for humanity and hope for a peaceful and just future.

    I’m deciding to go forward into 2026 with hope!

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  • Celebrating My First Book Contract: A Writer’s Journey & Imposter Syndrome.

    Celebrating My First Book Contract: A Writer’s Journey & Imposter Syndrome.

    This week I was thrilled to announce I have a two book contract with Wombat books. Two early readers and I am absolutely thrilled. So thrilled and excited I have plastered the internet with the news. I may have gone a bit over board ?

    As writers we work alone. Writing, editing and thinking. Most of the work we create never sees the light of day. Dealing with rejection becomes a way of life. It can feel like a waste of time. I’m sure from the outside it looks like it. But writing is not just a calling. It’s a craft. A skill. And like any skill it requires practice.

    For the last few years I have been writing picture books. I have had success by being awarded an ASA/CA mentorship in 2024. I was also matched in the ASA’s Picture Book Matchmaker. My pitch resulted in a request from the publisher to see the manuscript. To date, there have been no contracts. Yet.

    So when I decided to enter my first attempt at an early reader into Wombat Books open submission in February this year, I did so with zero expectations.

    You can imagine my shock when they asked to see the manuscript!

    Months of rewrites followed and creating another book for the series, and I was offered a contract.

    Throughout the process I felt like the success of this story was unearned. It was my first attempt at an early reader. I had completed several junior fiction courses but hadn’t made it happen. I felt like an imposter.

    Imposter syndrome strikes again. And this is why we have writing groups. ( imposter or impostor? Both are correct so for consistancy on my blog I choose imposter! Despite AI underlining it. I choose to ignore AI)

    Without my kidlit community I wouldn’t have submitted this story. Without my fabulous critique buddies I would have given up on the edits and rewrites. Without their support and encouragement I would have failed to see that all my work on picture books had been the rehearsal for this moment. And without the perseverance of Wombat Books to get me over the line, I wouldn’t have made it.

    So even though we create in solitude – we succeed as a community!

    That’s why I have plastered the internet with my success. Not just for me, but for all the kidlit community.

    I promised myself a new website with my first contract so stay tuned while I try to make that a reality.

    I can’t wait to hold my books in my hands!

    Stand by for even MORE plastering of the internet!

    Thank you

    Jacinta Lou

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  • 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
        • It’s Been a Minute

          It’s Been a Minute

          It’s been quite a while since I have posted. I have written a few entries but I didn’t post them. So here is a short recap of the last few months.

          There have been a couple of huge highlights. The first was matching with Scholastic in my ASA Literary Speed Dating round. It meant I was invited to send the manuscript I pitched to them. It was so exciting and I can tell you; I had everything crossed.

          The second big thing was being awarded an Australian Society of Authors/Copyright Agency mentorship for 2024. This is a very big deal, and I have been dancing ever since.

          Both things involved the same manuscript. Scholastic decided not to offer me a contract but now I have twenty hours of mentoring to get it to a standard. Someone will say ‘yes’ to publishing it one day. That’s the dream.

          In the meantime, I’ve booked assessments at CYA with this and other manuscripts so still moving forward.

          Now for the low points. The lowest point was finding Rex, our rooster, quite lame. Everyone was away, and I had no idea how to help him. He is huge and has massive spurs. I rounded him up into a small enclosure so he couldn’t move around and set him up with his favourite seeds and some water.

          Neighbours suggested I have him prepared for the pot, but I could never do that to a pet, so I googled his likelihood of recovery and decided my course of action was the best way forward. It lasted a day or so until Rex was so stressed worrying about his hens, he broke out and dragged himself to where he could see them. So we had to lock them all up to stop him from moving.

          You don’t realise how noisy roosters are until they stop chatting and crowing. And I didn’t realise how attached I was to this gorgeous bird until I contemplated life without him.

          And that brings me to the other low point. What is happening in Palestine. My author Instagram was the first to alert me to what was happening to the children of Gaza and I agreed with the thoughts of other kidlit creators; If you write for kids, fight for kids. And I have put most of my energy into keeping informed, researching the history, writing to politicians and advocating for the children caught up in this horrendous situation. I have also written stories inspired by my thoughts and one will be published in a fundraising anthology later this year.

          It is all-consuming, but unlike the people in Palestine, we can take a break. We can look at the beauty in our world with new gratitude and use that energy to fight harder.

          I have thought a lot about why some of us are born to relative freedom and others to ongoing hardship. It isn’t fair. But what I have noticed is the resilience and resourcefulness of the Palestinians. If bombs were dropping on me, I’d be hiding in a corner quivering. But the people of Gaza get on with life as best they can. They value life and each other. Perhaps knowing it might be a short life does that?

          And back to Rex. Every afternoon I walk up to his enclosure and when he sees me, he gathers his chickens and they run up to meet me, knowing they are going to get some supper while I secure their gate.

          I don’t know if you have seen a rooster run, or had a chat while you get his food, but it is impossible to be sad when you see a rooster run.

          So Rex became my way to keep balance; to keep grounded; to keep sane. So the thought of losing him was almost more than I could cope with.

          The tears I cried for almost a day were not about him. They were the locked up emotions I hadn’t allowed myself to express. But they needed to be expressed.

          Advocating for children has inspired me to keep writing. My stories have always centred on breaking down barriers. The story I will be working on in my mentorship is about starting conversations about othering. Breaking down barriers before they occur. Questioning the status quo. The importance of finding things in common.

          I hope one of my stories gets noticed soon. I have promised myself I will pay to have my website upgraded from my feeble attempts. But in the meantime. Here is my blog 🙂

          Oh, and great news. Rex started to walk again and is crowing and chatting and he has even started running. And he is a dad to two enormous chickens.

          • 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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          • The Matildas

            The Matildas

            Tonight the Matildas will play the game of their lives on their road to the world cup. I’m excited and nervous, even though I am a very new fan.

            And I have a confession to make. I have never been into sport. Shock, horror, gasp! How can an Aussie NOT be into sport? I played sport in primary school. Netball and softball. But I was the player who tripped over and skun her knee on the cold asphalt surface. Netball in winter in Tasmania. I have scars.

            My softball position was left outfield but the number of balls I didn’t catch still gives me nightmares so I think my teammates would have preferred I was Left Right Out. So in high school I found myself enjoying the life of the nerdy kid who read books, spent lunch hours in the music room playing my trumpet and dancing!

            I never saw sport as something I would ever be good at and even if I was, I did kick a football further than my brother in primary school, there were limited opportunities for females to plan a career around sport.

            My love of dancing was inspired by a girl in my neighbourhood who would organise neighbourhood kids to meet every night to rehearse for a concert. We danced and played cut out cardboard instruments to her record collection, dressed in amazing outfits she made for us. On trend for the seventies. When I think about it now, this was the best after school care before that term was even a term! We lived in a pretty rough neighbourhood, so this teenager’s ingenuity probably kept a lot of us out of trouble. There weren’t many opportunities. Especially for families with only one car. (Tasmania has never had great public transport.) It certainly made some wonderful memories and inspired a love for dancing and the music of the seventies! So at high school my friends and I would create routines and strutt our stuff in the privacy of the music department.

            A couple of us eventually found dance classes, and it was dancing that lead me back to sport. Not as a player, but as a cheerleader for what was then, the state football league. The only role women had in football at that time.

            It was during this time and later, as a police officer, I saw behind the scenes of sport, male sport, and what I saw and experienced made me very determined not to reward these men by watching them play. I know, irrational, perhaps. Sport was now something I didn’t play or watch. Well, I did play badminton, and I took up running, but other than that, sport was not part of my life. Well unless I was in Melbourne and going to the MCG to watch cricket and yes, even a football match to honour my parents who had recently passed. They did love their sport! ( I often wonder if I was adopted.)

            So it wasn’t until my eldest granddaughter started talking about Sam Kerr, I took an interest.

            My granddaughter took up soccer, she started wearing clothes with Sam Kerr’s name or picture on them and a soccer goal appeared in the yard. Her family even organised their holidays around games this Sam Kerr was playing in! There was even a selfie!

            Time to investigate.

            I quickly educated myself and discovered the Matildas. That’s what you get for banning sport from your screens and not having free to air television. I’d missed out on seeing the rise of this amazing group of women who not only play great soccer (football) they devote their time to being the role models they themselves didn’t have. Hence Sam Kerr and the Matildas are household names and even I will watch tonight as they play England in the World Cup Semi final.

            I love how my granddaughters now have real role models in the world of sport. They certainly get a better opinion of sport than I did and the message, anything is possible with hard work.

            But why are they so inspirational? And what’s that got to do with writing? They are inspirational because they truly care about the sport. Not from a position of ego, but from a position of inspiring others. They work hard and are at the top of their sport because they have grit. They want to win, but they want the team to live on when they retire. They work hard to be professional athletes and they demonstrate that girls from all backgrounds can aspire to be a part of a sports team. Some are mums who want to show professional sport doesn’t have to stop when you have children.

            They have inspired many people, who, like me, have never taken an interest in sport. At the shop today a lively conversation was happening amongst a group of customers who were so pleased women’s sport was being played at this level and how much their children were enjoying it. The Matildas have created a buzz and they are showing us that hard work, determination and following your dreams may help you achieve them. Just having talent is not enough. You have to work on your craft, constantly improving and if you fall down, learn from it and move on.

            So back to writing. Hard work, determination and following your dreams may work there too. Talent is not enough. You have to work on your craft, constantly improving. And if you fall down, learn from it and continue on.

            Good luck Matildas! You truly are an inspiration, and not just to young girls. I saw an advert for walking soccer played locally. Am I game? Stay tuned!

            Matildas, you rock!

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          • Car Trouble and Comfort Zones

            Car Trouble and Comfort Zones

            Is there anything worse than car trouble? I’m sure there are a million things worse, but when you live in the bush with no public transport, car trouble can feel like the end of the world.

            But I’m a hermit, I hear you say, and that is true, but I still need to get to the shops, take my grandson to school and, most importantly, pick up books from the post office or the library. It’s a 30 km round trip, so too far to walk. Car trouble is serious!

            I’ve known my car was dying for a while, so only drove it when I had to while I saved for a replacement. But my anxiety driving it increased to the extent I had to take action.

            Facebook market place. I’ve always bought from car dealers, but as this last one came from a dealer with preexisting problems they wouldn’t cover, I saw no advantage going back, so I searched for vehicles, and more importantly, reputable sellers. It’s a minefield out there.

            My rusty investigative skills came in handy. If a deal looked too good to be true, I looked up the seller to see if they were even in Tasmania. Quite a few weren’t. If I answered an add and the seller was pushy or wanted a deposit before I’d even seen the car, block and move on. Eventually, I found a car advertised by someone with a mutual friend. Now that in no way guarantees the car, but I did trust the seller was a real person and I answered straight away. I now own that car and the mechanic said it was safe to drive and in good condition for its age. One problem solved.

            Now I had to sell my dying car. Still going but not healthy. Aha – this is the reason I buy from car yards. I can get rid of my other car with no hassles.

            I advertised on FB, making sure I worded the advert to specify the car was dying and only suitable for a mechanic or someone who wanted it for parts. I had zero expectations.

            Within minutes, my phone was blowing up with responses. Over thirty before I switched it off. The person I sold it to was initially very pushy, so I wouldn’t deal with him, but had I understood the industry, I would have sold my car for the asking price in five minutes. As it was, I sold it for the price I wanted within twenty minutes and organised to meet the next day to complete the transaction.

            I WAS NOT going to meet an unknown person with a tow truck in the bush at night! Some comfort zones are safety zones. No need to stretch those!

            It seems there is a whole word of people who buy cars like mine and rebuild, resell or scrap and getting in first is quite competitive, hence the pushiness. You learn something new with each new experience.

            So what has any of this got to do with writing picture books? I’m glad you asked. This year has been a year of stretching myself and gaining confidence in my writing and myself as a writer in a very competitive (but very kind and not pushy) industry. I’ve conquered some fears with CYA and I’m working up to submissions.

            Once upon a time I would never have e dreamt of selling a car on my own. Even buying filled me with dread. I tend to drive within the car’s capacity until I’m forced to take action.

            Parents are good sounding boards, even if they don’t know about the subject. Dad always knew the questions to ask and what to look for, but I’ve lost mine so this one, I had to do alone. And I think facing my fears with CYA made me strong enough to face my fears about buying and selling my car.

            I think if you aren’t putting yourself out of your comfort zone, just a bit, that zone shrinks and your world gets smaller. I’ve seen it in myself and others, especially after lockdowns and retirement.

            It’s easy to live a small life. But, as Malcolm Fraser once said, ‘life wasn’t meant to be easy!’

            What if you faced a fear or three and stretched what is comfortable? What would happen then? What if you made your life, ‘not easy’ a little bit at a time?

            For me – I now have a car I feel safe in and can leave the property more often. I also know I will never put up with a broken car because the process of changing it is hard.

            Stretching the comfort zone becomes an ever-increasing circle.

            I stretched by having assessments at CYA. That gave me the confidence to do something about my car and now I’ve done that and sorted out all the insurance, registrations, etc. I will use that sense of accomplishment to submit some stories.

            Coffee first!

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          • The Morning After CYA

            The Morning After CYA

            The CYA conference 2023 is over, oh and before I forget, CYA stands for Children, Young Adult, and Adult Writers’ and Illustrators’ Conference. Well worth a look for writers and illustrators of all genres. Any way, back to what I was saying. The conference is over so for me, getting manuscripts ready for the competitions, booking assessments and preparing submissions, attending assessments and the conference over four weekends on zoom has kept me busy from January till yesterday and I am exhausted.

            Was it worth it? Yes, I think so. Too tired to tell right now. But I’m going to say YES! I received some great feedback both positive and constructive and listened to some great presentations along the way. In the breaks we were put into breakout rooms on zoom and so it was also a great opportunity to meet other writers. I have a better idea of where my writing sits and even though no contracts were offered to a chorus of dancing unicorns, the dream is still alive. Well at least it will be once I’ve had some sleep.

            Assessments can be confusing and I’m sure I looked like a stunned mullet half the time as I worked my mind around the differing views of editors on the same manuscript. But that’s part of it. Finding a home for your writing is about finding the person who sees it the same way you do, or who can give you feedback to get it where you want it to go.

            It’s challenging sitting and listening to words that don’t support your vision of your amazing, perfectly crafted manuscript. And I’m sure it’s challenging for editors to give constructive feedback. It’s a lot easier to receive these words in written form via manuscript assessments, but I decided to do it via CYA this year and I’m glad I did. I think. I got to meet some amazing editors and there aren’t many opportunities to meet face to face, especially in Tasmania.

            My approach to assessments was just to listen and take notes as you only have 15 minutes to look at two picture books. So I probably bumbled through responses when asked questions. I wanted to know what they thought. But they wanted to know about me as well. I’ll be better prepared next time – and yes, there will be a next time.

            My only question was, do my stories have potential? And it seems the ones I had assessed do so now I have to do the ‘Verk’, as Jen Storer would say, and edit, rewrite, restructure until I feel they are ready for another assessment or I submit them to publishers. And that’s a whole other journey!

            Stay tuned as I work to keep the negative Nellie and imposter syndrome at bay!

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          • CYA – First Assessments – Self Belief Growing!

            CYA – First Assessments – Self Belief Growing!

            Is it too early to ask for CYA gift cards for Christmas?

            I had two assessments this weekend and I’m so relieved I didn’t shred my stories and run away and hide. Turns out both editors are of the opinion I can write which filled my heart with joy!

            Both of these editors had different stories so I got feedback on four stories which will help me decide whether to keep working on them now, or in the future.

            No offers of contracts with unicorns cheering in the background but a real feeling I am heading in the right direction!

            I have more assessments to come. Hoping for more useful feedback! Wishing for unicorns 🙂

            Imposter syndrome, feeling like nothing you do is good enough etc is incredibly annoying and can be debilitating. It is for me.

            I’ve struggled with self belief for ever, so when someone thinks something I did was good, it feels like, wow – happy dance, huge smile, want to hug the world! And its a genuine surprise.

            I will take this external validation and tuck it into my growing self belief in myself as a writer. I must have a little bit of belief, right? Or why am I doing it?

            The most important message I gained from these assessments is to trust myself.

            I am a writer and I will publish books for children!

            I really want to succeed so I don’t want this pesky Negative Nellie who lives in my head to muck things up for me. Might be a story in that.

            How have you silenced your negative self talk? Perhaps you have never had any? Love to hear your stratagies!

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            © Jacinta Lou 2023