Manifesting with... Lili Wilkinson
Going behind the scenes with a much loved Australian YA author
Welcome to the first in a new series in this newsletter, Manifesting with…! I’m so excited to be chatting to some amazing authors and artists about their processes and how they manifested their creative dreams.
I was so excited to hear from #LoveOzYA author
about how she got her start and what it took to write the novel she always wanted to write, just in time for the release of her latest fantasy novel, DEEP IS THE FEN: A bewitching journey behind the closed doors of a secret society, featuring sinister toadmen, resistance witches and a steamy enemies-to-lovers romance.How did you get your start in the writing/publishing world? Did you submit to competitions and opportunities, or write novels until one was picked up?
A combination of youthful overconfidence, good luck, and rampant nepotism! As a teen I wrote poems and short stories that were published in Voiceworks, and around the same time my mother started writing as well. Her Dragonkeeper series took off in a massive way, so I knew her publisher (Black Dog Books) and did high school work experience there. In my early 20s I applied for an admin job at the Centre for Youth Literature, because I saw they were running a conference with one of my favourite authors, David Almond. I got the job and started writing book reviews and articles for their newsletter. Eventually Andrew from Black Dog Books called and asked if I’d like to try and write a book for them, a nonfiction book for kids about Joan of Arc. I wrote several books for them on commission before moving to Allen & Unwin, where I’ve been ever since.
You’ve always wanted to write fantasy - how did you finally make it happen?
I wanted to be good enough. I’m very picky about fantasy. It has to be excellent. And I somehow thought it would be easy because I like reading fantasy so much. But I got genuinely lost in the woods with A Hunger of Thorns - I kept wandering down different pathways and finding different ways to tell what turned out to be an unexpectedly personal story. Thankfully Deep is the Fen was a lot more straightforward, especially as I’d already done most of the worldbuilding!
What’s your writing routine, how do you fit it in around work and other commitments?
On an average day, I get up and deal with any emails that have come in overnight (my agent is in the US, so this is common), and make a plan for the day. I then help my kid get ready for school, and walk him there with the dog. When I get back, I make a pot of tea and settle down to it. I’m usually pretty zonked by 3:30 when it’s time to head back to school. I travel a fair bit for work, visiting schools and festivals all over the country. I find it incredibly difficult to switch from public-speaking-Lili to writing-gremlin-Lili, but I’m working on it?
Which authors in your community inspire you?
I’m lucky to be a part of an incredible writing group of amazing women, including YA superstars Amie Kaufman, Ellie Marney, Kate J Armstrong and Nicole Hayes (among others). I’m endlessly impressed by the thoughtfulness and courage of Will Kostakis, Rebecca Lim, Alison Evans, Gary Lonesborough and Lisa Fuller.
How do you approach your creative projects? Do you plot? Is it different each time?
I love to plot. Right now I’m deep in the process of dreaming up a new book. Two days ago I just had a vague premise, and now I’m transforming it into an actual book structure. It’s my absolute favourite part of the process!
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to those trying to manifest their writing dreams?
Learn to receive critical feedback. It’s a muscle that needs to be developed. When I got my first editorial letter, I cried. But now I love getting that letter, because I know I can’t write a book on my own. I need those fresh eyes, those new perspectives.