Lily Tibbitts’ Student Life #151
I recently found out that I won a writing competition with Penguin publishing, which is quite possibly the most exciting thing to ever happen to me. I get to work with one of their editors for a year to develop my novel and hopefully get it to the point where it can be published. I definitely jumped up and down a lot when I got the email, and I might’ve cried a little too.
I got to go down to visit their London office at the start of February (very fancy), and heading down there on the train, walking past all the scarily tall buildings, it made me think about how far big old London feels from little Amble. It would’ve been easy for me to grow up feeling like there was nothing for me in Amble, but instead I got everything an aspiring young writer could possibly need.
What were the chances of having New Writing North run a young people’s writing group in Amble library from when I was 11 to 16? Of having the Ambler where I could have the joy of seeing my writing in print? Of having incredible teachers who ran writing groups in their lunch breaks? Of having parents who supported every word along the way?
One thing is for sure: I’m never moving to London. They might think they have the monopoly on creativity, but I know better. I became a writer right here in Amble.
Lily
