Latest news with #writing
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'My award-winning book was ignored by 60 agents'
Margaret McDonald says being raised working-class in Glasgow meant she was often self-deprecating and doubtful of her writing abilities. At school, she said it was embarrassing to try and succeed at creative subjects - but she knew she was onto a winner with her debut novel Glasgow Boys. More than 60 agents ignored her attempts to pitch the book before she finally secured representation. And now the 27-year-old has been named the youngest ever winner of the Carnegie Medal for Writing in its almost 90-year history. "It's just been a complete whirlwind," she said. "It was beyond my wildest imagination of what we would achieve for Glasgow Boys when we published it." The Carnegies are the UK's longest-running book awards for children and young people and are judged by a panel of children's and youth librarians. The awards were established in 1936 in memory of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Glasgow Boys follows two teenagers navigating the care system and the invisible barriers that come with that in adulthood. McDonald wrote large parts of the novel while she recovered from an operation related to her Crohn's disease. She said: "As someone who is invisibly disabled, working class and a first-generation university student, it was important to me to showcase the difficulties of making your way through a world that is essentially not built for you. "We don't often speak of these invisible barriers but navigate them regardless. "It was something that was deeply important for me to showcase the strength, the community, the humour and the love of the people within Glasgow Boys." The author said she decided to donate her £5,000 prize money to Action for Children, a charity which helps vulnerable children in and out of care. "I'm hoping it can make a difference," McDonald said. "The care system is probably the biggest theme in Glasgow Boys and it's not something that I have lived through. "So it felt really important to me that Glasgow Boys made an actual real world impact on the lives of people in care and people coming out of care. "I couldn't think of a better use for the money than making sure Glasgow Boys was an actual force for good." The eponymous Glasgow Boys are Finlay and Banjo, two teenagers who McDonald says are "like chalk and cheese". Finlay is studying nursing at the University of Glasgow, while Banjo is trying to settle into a new foster family and finish high school. "I wanted to write about two characters who would have no reason to know one another and they would be forced into this close-proximity situation," she said. "To me, Glasgow Boys is about unconventional forms of love, platonic and romantic. "Banjo and Finlay have a real kinship, like platonic soulmates, and it felt very important that they were really different and came from different backgrounds." McDonald said she hoped the book would provide a platform for dialogue around the care system even if people disagreed with its portrayal in the novel. More stories from Glasgow & West Scotland More stories from Scotland She said she also hired a sensitivity reader who had first-hand experience of the care system to ensure the book was authentic. McDonald added: "If people are interested in writing about lived experiences that aren't your own like marginalised identities, there are ways to go about it sensitively. "You don't have to write an autobiography or keep to your own experiences, you can definitely venture out. "But if you're touching upon a community you're not a part of, I would encourage people to get in touch with that community and make sure you have their best interests in mind." McDonald started writing the novel at 19 while she took time out from her creative writing studies at Strathclyde University to recover from a bowel operation related to her Crohn's disease. She was forced to shield during the pandemic due to being immunosuppressed and high risk, and the novel began to take shape during that time. By the middle of 2022, McDonald had finished the book and it was ready to be pitched to agents. She said Glasgow Boys was just one of ten books she had written since she was a teenager, but she was convinced it was her best. "I was a dog with a bone and cold-queried agents and pitched myself," she said. "It's a really mortifying ordeal and you have to really sell yourself and why your book is brilliant and unlike any book published. "Especially with being brought up Scottish and working class, you're just taught to be very self-deprecating - but having confidence in yourself is how you'll succeed." She said she cold-called about 60 agents over eight months, before she finally got an offer of representation. "I started in January and gave myself until August to find an agent," she said. "And finally an offer came in at the end of July." The panel of judges at the Carnegies praised the book for it's "honest" and "hopeful" tale. Ros Harding, chair of the judges, said: "Glasgow Boys is an immersive and visceral read that completely draws the reader into the present and past lives of Finlay and Banjo. "It is a book that will stay in the mind of the reader long after finishing it." Call to reinstate illustrator's name on award McCaughrean wins second Carnegie medal
BBC News
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'My award-winning book was ignored by 60 agents'
Margaret McDonald says being raised working-class in Glasgow meant she was often self-deprecating and doubtful of her writing school, she said it was embarrassing to try and succeed at creative subjects - but she knew she was onto a winner with her debut novel Glasgow than 60 agents ignored her attempts to pitch the book before she finally secured now the 27-year-old has been named the youngest ever winner of the Carnegie Medal for Writing in its almost 90-year history. "It's just been a complete whirlwind," she said. "It was beyond my wildest imagination of what we would achieve for Glasgow Boys when we published it."The Carnegies are the UK's longest-running book awards for children and young people and are judged by a panel of children's and youth awards were established in 1936 in memory of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 'Invisible barriers' Glasgow Boys follows two teenagers navigating the care system and the invisible barriers that come with that in wrote large parts of the novel while she recovered from an operation related to her Crohn's said: "As someone who is invisibly disabled, working class and a first-generation university student, it was important to me to showcase the difficulties of making your way through a world that is essentially not built for you."We don't often speak of these invisible barriers but navigate them regardless. "It was something that was deeply important for me to showcase the strength, the community, the humour and the love of the people within Glasgow Boys." The author said she decided to donate her £5,000 prize money to Action for Children, a charity which helps vulnerable children in and out of care."I'm hoping it can make a difference," McDonald said. "The care system is probably the biggest theme in Glasgow Boys and it's not something that I have lived through. "So it felt really important to me that Glasgow Boys made an actual real world impact on the lives of people in care and people coming out of care. "I couldn't think of a better use for the money than making sure Glasgow Boys was an actual force for good." Different backgrounds The eponymous Glasgow Boys are Finlay and Banjo, two teenagers who McDonald says are "like chalk and cheese".Finlay is studying nursing at the University of Glasgow, while Banjo is trying to settle into a new foster family and finish high school. "I wanted to write about two characters who would have no reason to know one another and they would be forced into this close-proximity situation," she said."To me, Glasgow Boys is about unconventional forms of love, platonic and romantic."Banjo and Finlay have a real kinship, like platonic soulmates, and it felt very important that they were really different and came from different backgrounds."McDonald said she hoped the book would provide a platform for dialogue around the care system even if people disagreed with its portrayal in the novel. She said she also hired a sensitivity reader who had first-hand experience of the care system to ensure the book was added: "If people are interested in writing about lived experiences that aren't your own like marginalised identities, there are ways to go about it sensitively. "You don't have to write an autobiography or keep to your own experiences, you can definitely venture out. "But if you're touching upon a community you're not a part of, I would encourage people to get in touch with that community and make sure you have their best interests in mind."McDonald started writing the novel at 19 while she took time out from her creative writing studies at Strathclyde University to recover from a bowel operation related to her Crohn's disease. She was forced to shield during the pandemic due to being immunosuppressed and high risk, and the novel began to take shape during that time. 'Honest and hopeful' By the middle of 2022, McDonald had finished the book and it was ready to be pitched to said Glasgow Boys was just one of ten books she had written since she was a teenager, but she was convinced it was her best."I was a dog with a bone and cold-queried agents and pitched myself," she said. "It's a really mortifying ordeal and you have to really sell yourself and why your book is brilliant and unlike any book published. "Especially with being brought up Scottish and working class, you're just taught to be very self-deprecating - but having confidence in yourself is how you'll succeed."She said she cold-called about 60 agents over eight months, before she finally got an offer of representation."I started in January and gave myself until August to find an agent," she said. "And finally an offer came in at the end of July."The panel of judges at the Carnegies praised the book for it's "honest" and "hopeful" Harding, chair of the judges, said: "Glasgow Boys is an immersive and visceral read that completely draws the reader into the present and past lives of Finlay and Banjo. "It is a book that will stay in the mind of the reader long after finishing it."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
ChatGPT could affect your critical thinking skills, study finds
MIT researchersconducted a study analyzing the impact using ChatGPT in writing tasks can have on brain activity. The study is part ofMIT's Media Lab project called"Your Brain on ChatGPT," which is designed to assess the cognitive effect of relying on large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT when authoring essays. Dig deeper Approximately 54 people between the ages of 18 and 39 participated in the study. The individuals were divided into three groups to compose several essays. RELATED: ChatGPT may be smart enough to graduate law school One group was allowed to use ChatGPT; the second, Google search; and the third, no AI tools at all. An electroencephalography (EEG) headset was used by the participants while writing to measure the participants' brain activity across 32 regions of the brain. Each patient drafted essays in three sessions and in a fourth session, some participants were reassigned. The individuals who used ChatGPT transitioned to writing unaided (called "LLM-to-Brain") while some who started the brain-only exercise used the LLM ("Brain-to-LLM") RELATED: ChatGPT outperformed doctors in diagnostic accuracy, study reveals The participants' essays were scored by both human teachers and an AI judge, and at the conclusion of the assignment, each person was interviewed following the sessions with researchers asking them about how much they felt they owned their writing. Researchers determined that of the three groups in the study, the ChatGPT users experienced the lowest brain engagement. The team concluded that their study has limitations that they document in their report and website and that more research is needed to better understand the use of ChatGPT in various parts of daily life. The Source Information for this story was provided by an MIT study, which is part of the MIT Media project "Your Brain on ChatGPT." This story was reported from Washington, D.C.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
The 4 P's Of Personal Motivation
Antonia Bowring ABstrategies LLC, MBA. Top Ranked Executive Coach, Speaker, and Author of ''Coach Yourself.'' Lately, I've found myself in a funk. The state of the world and a handful of transitions in my own life have left me distracted and unfocused. I wouldn't describe it as clinical depression—I'm lucky in that regard—but I have been feeling low. But crucially, I also feel like I have the agency to do something about it. The challenge has been figuring out how to tap into that agency. What's helped me the most is focusing on what I can control. Out of that came a simple but powerful self-check I now rely on: the 4 P's of personal motivation—purpose, passion, practice and proficiency. This framework gives me a grounded place to return to when I feel stuck. I've been applying it to my latest project: writing my third book, Leading with ADHD: The Profound, Practical, and Physical Journey. And getting started on the writing has been a challenge. I've got loads of raw material—40 interviews and over 190 completed surveys—but I keep toggling between feeling overwhelmed by how much I have and worried that I'm still missing something. Structuring the book is also tricky. It's important to preserve my voice, but equally important that this book becomes a platform for the voices of the leaders who generously shared their experiences with ADHD. Oh, and then there's AI. It's both my closest ally and my biggest headache right now. (Honestly, I could write an entire piece just on this tension.) Most days, I run through these 4 P's like a checklist. Here's how they help. Purpose • Why did I start this project? • How does it address a problem I care about? • What value could it add for the greater good? When I reconnect with purpose, I remember that my adult diagnosis of ADHD fuels this work. I want to spotlight the lived experiences of leaders with ADHD—not only because they're inspiring, but because they offer real, practical strategies for navigating leadership with this different brain wiring. I want younger leaders with ADHD to see what's possible. Passion • What excites me about this work? • What short-term goals can I celebrate to keep up my dopamine levels? • Am I noticing and honoring the small wins? Reading through the interview transcripts reignites my passion. These stories are raw, emotional, funny and full of wisdom. I can't wait to share them. This isn't abstract theory—it's real leadership in motion. Practice • Have I created a routine I can stick with? • Does my environment support my focus and creativity? • Am I giving myself compassion when things go off-plan? For me, practice equals habit. When motivation is low, structure helps. I schedule writing blocks and always note what I plan to tackle next. That gives me something solid to return to, especially on days lacking focus. Proficiency • Do I have the skills and tools to do this well? • Where are my gaps—and how can I close them? • Who can I turn to for guidance or support? Right now, proficiency means learning to use AI to wrangle my data. I'm working with an AI consultant who's guiding me through organizing notes and shaping the book's structure. It's a roller coaster—equal parts frustrating and exhilarating—but I'm learning, and that sense of progress matters. Ideally, I'd hit the sweet spot in the center of the Venn diagram where all four P's overlap. When that happens, motivation flows effortlessly. But most days aren't like that. Some days I lean heavily on one 'P'—like habit, or practice—and let that be enough. And that's okay. I'm beginning to find my rhythm in short, productive sprints. On those days, I know I'm tapping into all four P's in some way—and that's where the magic starts to happen. Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
ABC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Encore: Ann Patchett's three fathers, her writing and her secret power
Ann Patchett is an acclaimed American novelist and the owner of an independent bookstore in Nashville. Ann has had three fathers — Frank, Mike and Darrell, who have each provided her with material or motivation for her writing. In 1974 Frank signed up for a subscription to the '100 Greatest Books of All Time' from the Franklin Library, every page complete with gilded edges, and a sewn-in satin-ribbon bookmark. Once all three fathers had died, Ann could finally see what they had given her throughout her life — strength, adoration and acceptance. In her new book, Ann weaves the stories of her fathers into a book of essays about going a year without shopping and becoming dear friends with Tom Hanks' assistant. Further information Originally broadcast in December 2021. These Precious Days is published by Bloomsbury. Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website.
