SCBWI New Zealand

One of the hardest things about writing is maintaining focus. It seems the writers who have no trouble with this also often have no other job. Or they are so committed to their novel that they get up an hour earlier to write – every day. The rest of us continue to struggle. We have to work at jobs we usually don’t enjoy much for 7-10 hours every day, we have family to spend quality time with, chores, bills to pay… The time for working on our novels gets squeezed from every direction and it’s hard to find the time and energy to write. That’s why writing retreats are so beneficial - and often downright amazing. Not just because you have a week or a month (or perhaps three months if you are lucky) to do nothing but focus on your novel and write. But because of what it creates for you in other ways. A writing retreat is the perfect opportunity to grow your writing, and to grow as a writer and learn what that means for you. Time There are 24 hours in a day. You might spend 8 of those sleepi...

Samantha is a children’s author and poet from Ōtepoti, and is the 2025 Otago University College of Education Children’s Writer in Residence. She has written numerous titles for Wendy Pye Publishing NZ, Harper Collins UK, Hodder & Stoughton UK, Red Rocket Readers and the Ministry of Education. Her poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals and publications.  What is your writing day like? When and how do you create? It always starts with words on the page. Sometimes that’s meeting a target for a work in progress, other times it might be writing fragments of an idea for a project to come. I am most happy in my office, at home with my coffee pot, cat and favourite books around me. But I can write from anywhere - like most writers, another job and family life often means a notebook on the run works just as well.  At the moment, I am living the dream! The writing fellowship allows me to immerse myself into my writing project in a way that feels deliciously extravaga...

  The Publishing Landscape Is Always Changing An opinion piece For those of you keeping a finger on the pulse of publishing, you may have heard the most recent news about Text Publishing being bought by Penguin RandomHouse in Australia. Although the news was released officially, most authors would have found out via social media, but I imagine those published by Text would have been told earlier in an email (that’s what usually happens). As several people commented, this possibly explains why the Text Prize for YA and MG books was cancelled. For NZ authors, you may think this news isn’t really relevant, but it’s the kind of thing that does reverberate across the ‘ditch’, not least because Text had a specifically NZ prize, too. But it doesn’t stop there. In the past six months, two other significant independent publishers have also been sold. Affirm Press (who are highly regarded for their picture book publishing, among other things) were bought by Simon & Schuster, and Pantera ...

I’m Elena — I live in Tāmaki Makaurau, have three grown up children and began writing when they were at school. I’ve written readers, short stories, plays, junior fiction, stories in verse and poetic picture books but I always come back to poetry as my happy place.    What is your writing day like? When and how do you create? I’m a life-long procrastinator and bit of a night ruru – I always get a second wind around 4-5pm and find I’m at my most creative from then until around midnight. Often that schedule’s not really practical, so mostly I’ll settle down after lunch to write.  I’m making it sound like I actually have a routine but really every writing day is different for me and, especially with poems, most of the early creation happens in my head when I’m walking or in the shower (not good for the water bill).  And if there’s an idea I’m really excited about or a deadline to meet then I suddenly find I can write at any time of the day – funny that!  Here’s a p...

César Lador is an illustrator and says “I am a dad, engineer by trade and a dreamer by night, like many of you! I have a passion for illustration, children's books and comic books. So when I am not having good times with my family, in the ocean or at work, I really enjoy grabbing a pen and exploring my imagination! I have been drawing as long as I can remember and I have decided to finally share my creations.” You can see more of  César's work HERE What is your writing or illustrating day like? When and how do you create? At the moment I have weekly deadlines for my publisher so I basically draw or paint every day of the week, 8.30am till 4pm, less over the weekend but still I usually do some work. It is a challenge day in and day out but I am trying not to let questions and self doubts slow me down. I am keeping the most creative tasks for the morning when I have more creative energy. I am mostly working traditionally with ink and watercolours but I am using Photosh...

Each year, for National Poetry Day in August, The Poets XYZ (look them up on facebook) run a poetry competition for those who write poetry for children. A different word is used as a theme prompt each year. This year’s word was ‘Leap’. I took a while to come up with an idea with the ‘Leap’ theme. I wrote two poems, one to do with that famous quote, ‘One small leap for man . . .’, and another about the cow who jumped over the moon.  You can enter up to three poems in The Poets XYZ competition, so I wanted to come up with one more.  I love libraries and I love what librarians do in our schools and communities. When I read a book I often feel like I’ve leapt into another world. So I decided to write a poem inviting children to leap into the library to see what they could discover there. It took some effort to narrow down the stories I would highlight in the text (there were so many jostling for position!), and a few didn’t make it (I’m going to save them for another time). Crafti...