Anna Hoghton, Children's Author, Filmmaker, Poet, Senior Creative Copywriter
I am an award-winning author, poet and filmmaker, represented by Caroline Walsh at David Higham. My debut novel The Mask of Aribella was included in best book roundups in The Guardian and The New Statesman. It won the 2020 North Somerset Teachers' Book Award and the 2021 Weald Book Award and has been published in the UK and Germany.
My second children's novel Orla and the Wild Hunt came out this summer. Both books are published by Chicken House Books.
I have a background in filmmaking and visual storytelling, both within a creative agency setting and as a freelancer. Brands I've worked with include: Sawday's, The Soil Association, Coca-Cola, Disney, Oral-B, Graham and Green and others.
My environmental-action short film Never Land, which I wrote and directed, starred Keeley Hawes, John Nettles, Brain Bovell and Marcus Brigstocke. It was made in partnership with the BFI and Cape Farewell. It won the Ideastap Short Film Fund and 'best narrative' in the shorts category at the Women In Film & TV official showcase 2018.
I am a published poet who was one of 15 'leading U.K. poets' asked to read at the 2016 Bristol Festival of Ideas. I have also been shortlisted for the Lancelot Andrewes Award by the then poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy.
In addition, I co-founded the international lifestyle blog Make a Place, a series about makers and the places they make in. In my full-time role, I've worked as a Senior Creative Copywriter across a range of different sectors including homeware, FMCG and tech.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Twitter. It's such a great place to connect with passionate readers, book bloggers, booksellers and teachers, as well as fellow authors.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I am currently focused on my work as a children's author and my role as a Senior Creative Copywriter.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
Writing for children is magic. There have been multiple times when I've heard from the parent of a young reader who usually doesn't read who has told me that their child's love of reading has been sparked by my book. That kind of feedback means the world to me as I value reading highly. The books I read as a young person were an important part of my childhood and are still connected to my identity as an adult now. So it's a very special thing to be part of that for today's young readers.
In my Senior Creative Copywriter role, I enjoy working with talented, creative and intelligent people and the challenge of each new brief. While this work is different from the imaginative fantasies I create in my children's books, I still spend my days immersed in different worlds - whether that's the world of interior design or the world of technology.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
If you're a writer, then it's easier to write than not to write. Believe in yourself. Be brave and be bold.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
My young readers, as well as wish to be part of a wider mission to encourage a love of reading. Creativity is a compulsion for me. I write because I couldn't not write. It is my happy place and I love having the ability to conjure up completely new landscapes and stories. Passionate people always inspire me too, whatever their area of interest.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
I am proud of many of my professional achievements:
Publishing two children's novels have been a dream come true. Getting a fantastic agent. Winning multiple awards for my writing. Directing Keeley Hawes and John Nettles. Having my poetry published. I am proud of everything I've managed to achieve through determination, creativity and grit.
However, the things I am most proud of have nothing to do with achievement or public recognition. I am proud of my relationships. Of my marriage. Of all the amazing people I have in my life. Of the community, I have built around me. Of my resilience in life’s more challenging times. Of the feedback, I've received from young readers. These are the things that matter most to me.
Focussing on what truly matters means my creative work gets to be what it's meant to be - fun, exciting, enjoyable and rewarding. If you win awards, that's fantastic, but it's not what’s most important in life.
I always said when I was writing my first book: if one young reader enjoys it, then that will make it a success for me. The first reader letter I received was from a girl called Ruby who adored the book. She sent photos of herself holding it on her trip to Venice - where The Mask of Aribella is set. At that moment, I felt like I had won every award out there. So, when the awards did come I was of course delighted, but I didn’t need them to feel proud of myself. I already felt like a winner.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
I'm not much of a 'networker' in a traditional sense, but I love the organic connections that come from authentic meetings and shared passions.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
I have a steely determination and when I put my mind to something I will make sure I do everything I can to make it happen. I am willing to put the work in. I am intelligent and empathic and I approach things with kindness, sensitivity and heart. I think it is these factors combined that make me a good writer.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
It's OK to take your time.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
I admire female directors like Greta Gerwig. I think it's especially difficult to be a female director, thanks to our conditioning to be amenable and deferential. On set, you're making a thousand decisions a day and you have to trust your gut and accept upsetting people for the good of the creative project. I'm not good at the latter, but it's something I'm working on.
I also admire authors like Kiran Millwood Hargrave who refuse to be pigeonholed into a specific genre or age group with their beautiful, lyrical writing. I commend Kiran's bravery in sharing difficult things from her personal life. I feel the same way about Maggie O'Farrell and Amy Liptrot after reading their memoirs.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
Yoga, reading, walking and travelling. Also my cat Dharma.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
The pandemic made me switch from freelancing to working full time. In general, this has been a positive experience and offered me more security. However, it does mean my personal creative work has to be squeezed in at 6 am on weekday mornings!
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
I have done some informal mentoring for a girl in Bristol who wants to become an author. This involved meeting up for tea and discussing the author's journey.
I volunteered for a period with 826LA in Los Angeles, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting students ages six to eighteen with their creative and expository writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. In addition, I continue to try to inspire and encourage all the children I meet on my author visits to schools.
I have had one official mentor in my life, the film director John Dower. I won a mentorship with John as part of winning the Ideastap Short Film Fund. He let me shadow him while he was working on the CBBC show Wolfblood and came along for one of the shooting days of my film Never Land. I am so grateful to John for giving his time to the scheme and to me. I learned a lot from him and his support was invaluable.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
It depends on which area they are interested in but, in general, my advice would be that if you truly believe you can do it then you can, so don't give up.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Self-doubt and procrastination.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" - Mary Oliver.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
Patagonia. Every time.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
Success is in your mind and you get to define it, so think carefully about what you want it to mean. Choose a marker that is genuinely meaningful for you personally e.g. the reaction from a young reader rather than the shiny award. Focus on that.
Let yourself notice when you've achieved this kind of success and never forget to celebrate it! It can be so easy to hurry on to the next thing, to always look ahead without reflecting on where you’ve got to. Enjoy the current moment and trust the process. Don't be in such a rush to get where you're going because one day you might miss the time when you were figuring it all out.