#1: The First Draft of Anything is Sh*t

This is my enduring daily maxim. 

(And it definitely applies to this blog too – it was more than a bit ropey before this edit.) 

I don't mean to open this blog with a gratuitous swear, but if there's one thing to remember in the fast-paced job that is being a children's book editor, it is this. OK, Ernest, sh*t may be an overstatement, but the first draft is 99 per cent of the time a long way off of the final item, whether that be a book idea, a manuscript, page or cover design. So you can't be too precious and it's part and parcel to be rejected and have to reject a lot at the beginning of a project. ('Rejection' here should not be thought of negatively by the way; the very opposite).

​You might say all this is obvious, but I've learnt it's a real skill to be in that mindset. Like anything created to be looked at or read, the maker has poured a little part of themselves into it to make the audience 'feel' something, so there is hope, belief and care woven into each thought, word and sketch. So, with care – critique, reason, hold on to the good and let the not-so-good things go quickly, so that the book can continue on its journey to flourish.

But lest we forget, the first draft is the most important draft of all – the first step, the foundation on which everything else rests. (Maybe that's because starting the thing in the first place is one of the hardest things of all! I won't tell you how long I've been thinking about writing a blog...)