Louisa MacDougall - Children's Author
- litkidsmagazine
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Louisa lives in the Outer Hebrides with her husband, three daughters and several sheep. She is the author of the Rory and the Snack Dragons series (for age 6+), the Highland Cowgirl series and The Great Auk's Great Escape. Louisa loves to write stories inspired by the landscapes and creatures that she encounters with her family.
1. If you could travel anywhere in the world to do your work, where would you go?
I'm lucky that I love where I live, in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. It is atmospheric, dramatic and different every day... but if I could go somewhere else, it would probably be Namibia. I spent a year there as a teenager and every day was an adventure; we hung out with diamond divers, found skulls in the desert and rescued a stray puppy. It would be amazing to be back there soaking up the inspiration as a children's writer.
2. Out of all your projects, what was the hardest piece to create?
Rory and the Balloon Bicycles, the second book in my Rory and the Snack Dragons series wasn't easy to finish (I've heard a lot of writers say this about second books) and there were days when my word count didn't go up much - but I got there in the end and had fun experimenting along the way. The Great Auk's Great Escape, about a rare (now extinct) seabird, is fiction based on a factual story and I wanted to get that balance right, so spent a lot of time checking details for that. I hope that it worked out OK.
3. What inspires you the most?
My kids. Hanging out with them and hearing them talk and share their experiences is the source of many of my ideas. I'm incredibly lucky to live on an island that is rich with wildlife where we can see otters, eagles (and sometimes even dolphins) from the window, so our local landscape and wildlife play a big part too. That said, it's very easy to just stare out at the sea when I should be writing!
4. What did you like to write and read as a kid?
I loved the Children of Green Knowe series, by Lucy M Boston, and the Worst Witch books (I loved the way the first letter of each chapter was decorated to give a clue about what was coming up). I used to write and illustrate dinosaur stories for my little brother, and I always enjoyed (and still do) writing an acrostic poem.
5. Where do you like to write?
I mostly write at the kitchen table, sometimes squeezing my laptop in between socks and dirty dishes, because there's not a lot of work space at home. Sometimes I take a notebook out for a walk or to a coffee shop or the library - I often find it easier to get started brainstorming a new project when I'm away from the distractions at home. One day I'd like to have a writer's shed... but that's for the future.
6. Who is your favorite author?
Recently, we've been enjoying reading LD Lapinski's Step-father Christmas books and Barbara Henderson's new story, I Don't Do Mountains. Our forever favourite picture books are Blue Penguin, by Petr Horacek, and The Day Louis Got Eaten, by John Fardell. That's four authors - sorry, it's really hard to pick one!
7. How do you get over “writer’s block”?
I do get stuck sometimes. I think the answer is not to try too hard. I tend to park my fiction project and work on something factual for a while - like writing a news article or press release (my other work is in community journalism). That can help to get the ideas going again.
8. How do you come up with titles for your books?
Sometimes they just arrive fully formed, but usually it is a bit of brainstorming with rhymes and patterns until something clicks. Sometimes the book comes first, sometimes a title is the starting point for a new story.
9. Would you and your main character get along?
I think I would enjoy hanging out with Rory the dragon, but Princess Flora would probably annoy me because she's as bossy as I am. Hannah the Highland Cowgirl is someone who is as happy knee-deep in mud as she is leaping about in a spotless Highland Dancer's costume - she would fit right in, in our house.
10. Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?
Yes! We share our croft with several sheep and have two pet lambs in the garden at the moment. Checking they are OK and dealing with problems (like them getting stuck in bogs/fences/heather) is more urgent than any writing deadline and even on a good day, I still need to stop work to do the bottle feeds. I grumble about the interruptions, but it's my favourite time of year really and it is never a bad thing to step away and have a brain break occasionally!
Louisa, thank you for the glimpse into your writing inspiration and journey! Please follow Louisa on social media and check out her fun novel, Rory and the Snack Dragons, in our Bookshop! Keep shining!
Website: www.louisamacdougall.co.uk
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