Enjoying The (Writing) Journey!

January 18, 2022August 23, 2022 ~ Angela Jelf ~ 5 Comments

As an Early Years Practitioner, there are a few classic Picture Books that never fail to enthrall and delight the children I look after.

These stories are often about very ordinary things, (a little girl and her mummy having tea at the dinner table) coupled with an added twist, such as a tiger knocking on the door and inviting himself in…

One such story is Michael Rosen and Helen Obxenbury’s ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ – the story of a simple family stroll, on a beautiful day.

The twist is, that as the children are walking along, they pretend that they are off to find a Bear! They’re going on a Bear Hunt. They’re going to catch a BIG one!

As their walk continues, they meet LOTS of different obstacles along the way, such as:

A deep, cold river
Thick, oozy mud
and a swirling, whirling snowstorm

Because everybody knows, that every good story must contain OBSTACLES!

And anyone that has read the story will remember the repeated refrain:

We can't go over it. 
We can't go under it. 
Oh no! We've got to go through it!

It struck me this morning, as I was reading the story for the gazillionth time, that a writer’s journey is very much like this…

As we attempt to write our stories, to dream up vivid characters, to create a solid story arc, to nail the perfect ending, to hook our reader from the very beginning – we come against MANY obstacles along the way.

It can be so hard to keep going when we feel stuck in the thick oozy mud, lost in a whirling snowstorm and totally unable to cross the deep cold river (or face editing that manuscript!)

We journey on, through the ups and downs. We finish our stories. We do our best to query agents, to enter competitions, to send our stories out there.. only to be faced with knock-backs, closed doors and rejection letters. It can feel like an endless journey fraught with obstacle after obstacle, set-back after set-back.

But something within us keeps us going… The sense of adventure keeps calling us onward. The beauty of the journey – the high-point of connecting with one reader – helps us get back up again. The thought that the journey is leading us ‘to catch a big one’ – keeps us pressing on…

The thought that we are doing all we can to use our gift for the glory of God, makes it all worthwhile.

And we know instinctively that there are absolutely no shortcuts. There are no easy routes through. We know, along with all other writers, that:

We can’t go over it. We can’t go under it. Oh no! We’ve got to go through it!

So, at the start of 2022, let’s keep pressing forward. Let’s seize the day. Let’s pull our coats ever tighter around us and brace the wind, the rain, the snow! Let’s say together: “We’re not scared!” and enjoy this beautiful day, this beautiful opportunity that we’ve been given! Let’s enjoy the journey! You never know, we might even discover a bear at the end of it!

All Kinds of Antics

November 9, 2021April 6, 2024 ~ Angela Jelf ~ 1 Comment

Hi friends, it’s me again, Amber!

This is a picture of me pulling my ‘butter wouldn’t melt in my mouth’ face. I’ve been practicing this face a lot lately. Why?

Because this face gets me out of whole heaps of trouble. Yep. I might be little, but I am BIG trouble! Trouble with a capital ‘T’!

Take the other day for instance. Mum was minding her own business, doing some gardening. I really wanted to help. So I decided to dead-head a few of her favourite flowers. I snapped off a whole head of Hydrangea, and shredded up her prize Sedums.

Next I tried to help with the washing….Mum put the washing in the machine – and I dragged it out again and just sat on it.

What a good and helpful little doggie I am!

And of course, when Emily plays with the sand, I have to play too! Only I like to get right inside the sand-pit. Oooh, that sandy stuff really tickles my snozzle and makes me sneeze! Mum just loves my paw-prints all over her clean floor!

And I just can’t help it – I really love to chew things. Toys, shoes – anything I can get my teeth on. What’s so wrong with that?

It’s a good job I’m such a cutie pie, don’t you think? But just to be on the safe side, I think I’d better keep practicing that face!

Stay tuned for more of my pawsome adventures. x

The Pup With The Yellow Collar

November 3, 2021November 3, 2021 ~ Angela Jelf ~ 2 Comments

Here’s a little snippet from a Picture Book series I’m currently working on. Can you tell who inspired it?

Once, there were ten tumbling, bumbling, honey-coloured puppies, who needed a forever home. None of the puppies yet had names. Instead, they each wore a different coloured collar, so that people could tell which one of them was which.

At first they were small and snuggly and cosy and dozy. But every day, they grew!

They wobbled and wiggled.

They toppled and tumbled.

They nuzzled and nibbled.

Until soon, they were big enough to chase and race around the garden.

One day, a nice family came to adopt a puppy of their very own. All of the puppies were unique and special so it was very difficult to choose.

Some were big.

Some were small.

Some were sleepy.

One was sassy!

But the pup with yellow collar was funny, licky, snuggly and sweet….

Pebble on the Beach

October 30, 2021October 30, 2021 ~ Angela Jelf ~ 4 Comments

Last summer, as I was walking around Seagrove Bay on the Isle of Wight, I happened upon the brightly painted pebble that you can see pictured above. It had been left on the beach – quite deliberately – to bring a smile to whoever was fortunate enough to find it. Wasn’t I the lucky one? And what a sweet, sweet idea! An idea worth sharing, I thought, hence the poem below. And when I return to Seagrove Bay, I shall paint a pebble and leave it for someone else to find!

I found this pebble on the beach,
Quite by chance, the other day,
Painted brightly,
Just for fun,
And hidden there along the way.

I saw this pebble lying there,
Whilst walking round the shingly bay,
Coincidence?
A random chance?
A gift to make another's day.

I'll keep this pebble from the beach,
Because it always makes me smile,
Reminding me
That joy is free,
And kindness always so worthwhile.

A Spider’s Skill

October 9, 2021September 14, 2024 ~ Angela Jelf ~ 8 Comments


How doth the little spider be,
A Master of Geometry?
Oh tell me, tell me, if you know,
Where did she learn to weave quite so?

Please tell me little Spider friend,
How many hours did you spend
Creating such a sight to see,
Such skillful lines of symmetry?

Concentric frame,
Installed at night -
A work of art,
By morning light!



This poem (and lots more) has been kindly published by: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/a-spiders-skill

Amber’s Adventures – Settling In

September 13, 2021August 5, 2025 ~ Angela Jelf ~ 2 Comments

Hellooooo!

It’s so good to meet you!

I’m Amber, an eight-week-old Fox Red Labrador Retriever. I thought you might like to read about some of my adventures from time to time.

Yesterday, the most paw-some thing happened…

I got adopted by my new family!

This is me with my new mum and dad. Just look at their happy faces! I like happy faces. I especially like to lick them. Mum has almost the same colour hair as me – what a great way to accessorize!

Anyhow, suddenly I got strapped into my very own car seat. At first I was all squirmy and wormy, and wriggly and giggly – but as soon as the engine started and we pulled away, I was lulled off to sleep. Good job, because it was a LONG way from Leicestershire to London. I slept the entire way, apart from when we stopped at Motorway services for a coffee break.

When we finally got to my new home, it was dark. Everything smelt strange and different. But I soon found my way around – I was beside myself at all the new things to explore.

But the very best thing of all was that there were more people with happy faces waiting to greet me! They all made such a big fuss of me. And everybody wanted to play! It was one big play fest!

Oh and by the way…I noticed there were also these two funny fur-balls, of the feline kind. But they gave me a wide berth….well, for the time being, anyway.

When it was bedtime, I settled down in my crate. I woke my mum and big sisters up a few times in the night. 1am, 3am and finally at 5:30. I just needed to know that my new family were still there.

Then….from 5:30 – 7:30am, I enjoyed a really long play with my special new friend Emily. She’s little, just like me. I like her a lot.

And then we both kind of collapsed for a little snooooozle.

I was a bit sad when some of my family members had to leave for work and school. No fair!

I can’t wait for them all to come home this evening.

I really hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about how I settled in. I will post some more ‘pup-dates’ from time to time, plus some of my very best Labrador Life Lessons – so make sure you stay tuned by subscribing!

But for now, here are some pictures…

Until next time….goodbye!

The Story So Far

June 15, 2021January 12, 2022 ~ Angela Jelf ~ 5 Comments

Hi! My name is Angela. I write stories and poems for both children and adults.

Around fifteen years ago, I began to take my life-long love of creative writing to a new level and started writing Picture Books.

Like in every good story, there have been plenty of obstacles along the way! It’s been fifteen years of stops and starts, highs and lows, plus a few depressing rejections in between! But, thankfully, the story isn’t over just yet.

Some of my Picture Book stories feature:

a noisy, guitar-playing goose
a squirrel who loses a treasure
and a loveable tortoise called Hugo.

Hopefully, one day, you’ll get to read them.

Kids, Kids, Kids!

Besides writing, I’m a busy mum to four growing kids, including a set of twins! I also work as a Child-Minder, specialising in Early Years, which gives me plenty of scope for the imagination! Our house is constantly full of children (of all ages) and there is never a dull moment!

Breaking into Print!

Back in 2015, I wondered what would happen if I combined my passion for writing with my faith. Soon after, I received my first ever YES from a publisher, when two of my short stories, ‘Pitch-Black Patch’ and ‘Hidden Blooms’ were published by Keys For Kids Ministries in their quarterly devotional.

It was so much fun, that I went on to write a few more stories, some of which include:

Don’t Forget the Toothpaste
Teacups and Trainsets
One Hundred Percent
Only God Can Do That!
That’s Not My Job!
and The Doll’s House

I’ve also contributed articles and devotionals for Unlocked, Devozine and Creation Illustrated.

To order your copy, read or listen online, visit https://www.keysforkids.org/

Learning

I love to learn all I can about the craft of writing, and have recently completed courses in Picture Book writing, plus chapter books for older readers.

I have recently discovered and joined an amazing Writer’s Group, called ‘Write For A Reason’ and I am currently working on my first kid’s Novel.

Connecting

I’m a member of the SCBWI and enjoy being involved in the writing community on Social Media. I am a firm believer in learning from and helping to encourage others along the way and love to connect with other writers and creatives.

Relaxing

When I’m not writing, chances are I’m either curled up in my favourite arm-chair, (book in one hand, cup of tea in the other), cooking up a storm for the family, or pretending to be a country singer. I’m also a bit of a novice gardener, and keen wild-life lover.