Children's Author, Jo Linsdell visits Write What Inspires You!

I'm delighted to host Jo Linsdell as she tours the atmosphere promoting her latest book, Fairy May. I always find it interesting where fellow writer's find their inspiration. I invite you to sit back and enjoy getting to know Jo through her guest post. 

We invite you to share with us where you find your inspiration too! We look forward to hearing from you. 

A Constant Font of Inspiration

By Jo Linsdell

When writing for young children a writer needs to go back mentally to their childhood to remember what it was like at that age but they also need to get in touch with today's generation of young children.

Times have changed and kids today see the world differently to the way we used to. Even the youngest of kids would look at you strange if you told them that mobile phones didn't exist when you were their age. How about explaining about computers like the Commodore 64 that would take hours to load so you could play "high tech" games like Tetris... in black and white no less, were considered advanced technology? Most kids would just laugh at you in disbelief.

You need to think about these kinds of things when writing for children. You need to get inside their heads and see the world the way they do. As a mum of two young children (one is 5 years old, the other 17 months) I'm lucky to have a constant font of inspiration for my children's books. My 5 year old is also particularly good at sharing his opinion about things and is about as honest as they come and doesn't hold back on criticism.

Ways I find inspiration for my books include;

Playing together. Spending time with my kids and getting involved in games with them is great for seeing how they react to different ideas. If I suggest something that isn't "right" in their book you can be sure I'll get a "silly mummy" and a shake of the head in reply.

Watching them play. Observing how they play, the language they use and the games they create is very inspiring. Seeing how they interact with each 

other and others of different ages is also useful.

Watching cartoons with them. Kids love cartoons but not all cartoons. My 5 year old is quite the channel hopper already. Just watching TV with him gives a huge amount of insight into what kind of cartoons catch his interest and what doesn't. 

Reading together. I should probably have put this at the top of this list. I read a lot with my kids in both print and ebook format. I try to make sure they get to experience a wide variety of books. Whenever a book lights a spark with them I mentally note what they liked about it.

Listening to music. I usually have some music on in the background and I sometimes find that a phrase from a song with spark my imagination.

Art. A visit to a gallery can really kick my creativeness into top gear. I love art and the right picture can take me mentally into a whole different world.

Inspiration is all around us. It's just a case of being aware of it. Where do you get your inspiration from?

About the author: Jo Linsdell is an award winning blogger and freelance writer living in Rome , Italy . She is also the author of several books including the popular Italian for Tourists, A Guide to Weddings in Italy  and the best selling children's picture book Out and About at the Zoo. Her latest book Fairy May was released on 1st February 2013. You can find out more about her at www.JoLinsdell.com

Jo, thank you for joining me today, it's always a pleasure to have you visit. Wishing you all the very best as you travel through cyberspace and beyond! 


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Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
Connect with Donna McDine on Google+

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist