Jacinta Lou – Writer

Tag: short stories

  • 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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  • It’s been a while…

    Wow, I can’t believe how long it’s been since I posted. As an aspiring children’s book author, I spend a lot of time honing my craft and put updates on my facebook page. So just to catch up, since July 2021, I have completed a couple of courses with the Australian Writers’s Centre, Writing for Children and Young Adults and the Picture Book Master Class. During the first of these courses, with tutor and author Stephen Hart, I came up with an idea for a young adult novel so I spent November trying my hand, and mind, at Nanawrimo. Trying to write 50,000 words in one month! I didn’t quite get there but I have a good start on the novel so can return to that at a later date.

    I also continued my efforts with short stories through Globe Soup. My goal, as always , is to improve my writing skills and come up with great stories. So with Globe Soup’s seven day writing challenges, I have been long listed and have received two honorable mentions. But I’m trying to pull back and concentrate my efforts on Picture books. Perhaps writing short stories, flash fiction and poetry is my current form of procrastination to keep me from my goal.

    Soooo now I am halfway through a six-month course, with Zanni Louise and Anna Pignatoro, Writing and illustrating picture books. It’s a brilliant course though I have to say I will NEVER be an illustrator, but it’s fun to try.

    The path to becoming a published author can be long and the world of picture books is very competitive and difficult to get into. But what fun would it be if it was easy?

    I’m learning so much about facebook, Instagram and all other social media and in between I write, talk about writing, share stories with other aspiring authors in critique groups and try to stay focused on my goal; to publish a picture book. But I’m still going to write the odd short story or three.