Today is a very exciting day! It’s my stop on the Morgana Mage blog tour and you very excitingly don’t have to listen to me because author Amy Bond is here with 5 tips for new writers!

Morgana loves robots and longs to attend robotics school in the city. But she’s a witch, living in a magical woodland community: the closest she comes to technology is petting her ancient mechanical familiar, Kitty. She simply doesn’t belong. But when she finally finds a way to the City, she learns of a troubling secret hiding beneath its gleaming surface: a secret that threatens the balance of civilization. Caught between two worlds, only Morgana has the power to find a solution …

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Five Tips for New Writers

I feel a bit of a fraud giving writing advice. The main thing I am learning constantly is how much there still for me to understand about this industry. Also seeing how much my own writing has developed over the past years shows me there is still plenty room for my work to grow, but here are some tips that have helped me get to this stage.

1. Find a story you truly love. You are going to be stuck in this world, and with these characters for a very long time before your book hits the shelves. Make sure it is somewhere you want to be, and they are people you care about.
2. Set small manageable goals. I find giving myself targets and deadlines of my own helps keep me on track. I use wordcounts, but this might not work for everyone. Whatever targets you do set for yourself, be realistic with them, and flexible too.
3. Celebrate. When you do reach your goals, acknowledge them. There are going to be a lot of setbacks along the way, but many small victories too. Sometimes we give our focus to the challenges we face rather than how we overcome them.
4. Read. This is the easiest advice to follow for myself. There are so many incredible books for children out there, full of joy and inspiration. Use them to feed your craft.
5. Be kind to yourself. Rejection is inevitable in this business and comes at every stage. Let yourself feel the disappointment but remember that that every rejection is proof you are following your dream.

MORGANA MAGE IN THE ROBOTIC AGE by Amy Bond is out now, priced £6.99. Follow Amy on Twitter: @amylouisebond

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A massive thank you to Amy for taking the time to write this post! I think it’s full of brilliant advice. A massive thank you to Chicken House too for inviting me!

Go get yourself a copy of Morgana Mage now!

S x