Feel Good Friday – Finding picture book inspiration
17 October @ 11:00 - 11:45 BST
Join children’s author Alice Hemming for an interactive workshop on finding inspiration for your next picture book idea.
None of us need more problems in our lives, but Alice uses a ‘little bag of problems’ as a tool to generate simple story ideas, particularly for picture books. She has run this activity with children, teenagers and adults and find it ever useful!
Pick an animal, pick a problem and, using simple questions, create a story.
#SoAatHome Feel Good Friday events – free for SoA Members
As of Feb 2025, all #SoAatHome Feel Good Friday sessions will continue to be free for members. However, for non-members, the price is £5 including VAT.
Not a member? Sign up here with our special #SoAatHome offer and get 20% off for the first year – use code SOAATHOME20.
Accordion Content
Access 20% off your first year of membership of the SoA with discount code SOAATHOME20
The Society of Authors is the UK’s biggest trade union for authors – representing more than 12,000 writers, illustrators, translators and other creative practitioners.
Our standard subscription rate is just £32.50 per quarter (£22.75 for students).
As an SoA member, you’ll get:
- Access to all our #SoAatHome events for free including the Professional Development sessions usually charged at £35 from Feb 2025
- Access to all our Feel Good Friday and Industry Insider events which are usually charged £5 from Feb 2025
- Access all #SoAatHome Vimeo professional development recordings so you can catch up in your own time
- Access Unlimited one-to-one professional advice
- Membership of our online and real-world professional networks and special interest groups
- A range of member-only discounts, including books, insurance and travel
- And much more
‘It was a surprisingly lovely way to meet fellow writers in a friendly, warm surrounding perfectly hosted by the SoA staff. Thank you for all the introductions, the welcome and the nourishment!’ – attendee from SoA in Person: Autumn New Members’ Party 2024
JOIN NOW | PRICING
Programme
- Welcome, introductions and housekeeping from Lilly Brend-Fish – Events Manager, SoA (3 mins)
- Workshop led by Alice Hemming (30 mins)
- Q&A with audience (10 mins)
- Summary and closing comments (2 mins)
Who is this session for?
The session is for picture book writers, the picture book curious, and those who have no interest whatsoever in writing picture books but just want to have a fun, active, and creative break on a Friday morning.
What will this session cover?
- Brief introduction to Alice and her work—She has to come up with lots of ideas!
- Introduction to Alice’s ‘little bag of problems’ and demonstration of how it can be used to create a story.
- A chance for everyone to try it out for themselves and to start putting story ideas into a simple storyboard.
- Time to share some ideas. Only if people would like to, of course!
- Q&A
- This session will not cover picture book structure, or any particular detail on how to write them.
Send us your questions
If you would like to send questions in advance, email LBrendfish@societyofauthors.org with ‘Picture book inspiration’ in the subject header. We will prioritise questions sent in advance and answer as many as we can from the audience on the day.
#SoAatHome Fundraising Bookshop
Browse our virtual Bookshop.org store featuring books by authors and speakers taking part in the #SoAatHome. When you make a purchase using our affiliate links, a percentage will go to the Society of Authors’ Access Fund, giving authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats.
The Line-up
Alice Hemming
Alice Hemming has written over sixty books for children from tots to teens. Her award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Leaf Thief (illustrated by Nicola Slater) has been translated into twenty-four languages. Alice works in a writing shed at the top of her garden in Hertford.
Website: www.alicehemming.co.uk | Instagram: @alicehemmingauthor
Need to know
Accessibility
- Attendees will have the option to turn on the live captions with this event.
- If you require BSL interpretation for this event, please email events@societyofauthors.org
Before the event
- Once registered, you will be sent a confirmation email with the Zoom link
- If the confirmation email doesn’t arrive in your inbox, please check your junk/spam email folder
- Please add events@societyofauthors.org to your Safe Senders list so you receive our confirmation and reminder emails
During the event
- This online event will take place on Zoom Meetings; you will be visible on screen if you have your camera on.
- Attendees will be able to ask questions either via the chat box or by unmuting themselves.
- This event is 45 minutes
After the event
- Hashtag for this event: #SoAatHome
- SoA Members and paid attendees of this event will be able to catch the recording on our Vimeo channel (password protected) or members can access via the SoA website.
Booking
SoA Members: Please use the ‘Register – SoA Members’ form below and provide your details, including your membership number. If you’re unsure of your SoA ID, please email info@societyofauthors.org.
Non-members: Choose one of the two ticket options below, complete the registration form, then fill out the billing info to finalise your payment.
For event or registration questions, email events@societyofauthors.org.
SoA Members – Free
Non-Members – £5
Accordion Content
Access 20% off your first year of membership of the SoA with discount code SOAATHOME20
The Society of Authors is the UK’s biggest trade union for authors – representing more than 12,000 writers, illustrators, translators and other creative practitioners.
Our standard subscription rate is just £32.50 per quarter (£22.75 for students).
As an SoA member, you’ll get:
- Access to all our #SoAatHome events for free including the Professional Development sessions usually charged at £35 from Feb 2025
- Access to all our Feel Good Friday and Industry Insider events which are usually charged £5 from Feb 2025
- Access all #SoAatHome Vimeo professional development recordings so you can catch up in your own time
- Access Unlimited one-to-one professional advice
- Membership of our online and real-world professional networks and special interest groups
- A range of member-only discounts, including books, insurance and travel
- And much more
‘It was a surprisingly lovely way to meet fellow writers in a friendly, warm surrounding perfectly hosted by the SoA staff. Thank you for all the introductions, the welcome and the nourishment!’ – attendee from SoA in Person: Autumn New Members’ Party 2024
JOIN NOW | PRICING
Accordion Content
Giving authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats
Every contribution helps us ensure that these needs and costs aren’t barriers to authors wishing to access events.
If you are in a position to help, please donate via the link below. If you are an author facing access issues, please click here to see if we can help.
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Register - SoA Member
Please use the booking form to register for this event.
Please email
events@societyofauthors.org if you have any questions.
