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We're delighted to announce that Melissa will be taking on additional duties as our new Community Manager. These will include:-
- 3 x hosted weekly writing sprints
- 1 x weekly social/writing catch-up on Zoom
- welcoming new members and answering questions
- organise and allocate critique groups
- cheering fellow writers on when they hit milestones, and encouraging them to keep going when they hit challenges
- and anything else Hub related, Melissa will be your first port of call.
And while I'm here, coming up for Hub members:
- Clare Helen Welsh Picture Book workshop: Wednesday 25th August 6.30pm-7.30pm | TOPIC: PB Endings
- Vashti Hardy Novel workshop: Thursday 26th August 8pm-9pm | TOPIC: Character description
- Webinars for August are on Editing (Vashti) and Non-Fic PBs (Clare).
- September's Beyond the Agent guest is Sim Kaur Sandhu, Editor for Fiction, Non-Fiction and Picture Books at Macmillan Children's Books on Monday 13th September at 8pm!
- Our book club read for this month is young adult novel HEART-SHAPED BRUISE by Tanya Byrne.
We are offering so, so much and are very proud of our Hub and the people in it, but we always welcome new writers to sign-up at any time! Details on how are below:
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Come join us; writing can be lonely, but it doesn't need to be.
More information on the hub here.
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WriteCharacter - 9th September
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£95.00
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WriteMaster MG/YA - 1st November
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£120.00
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Preparing for Submission - 13th September
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£144.00
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WriteWords - Wednesday 8th Sept
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£95.00
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FirstEdit - Tuesday 19th October
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£288.00
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Scholarship places are available on both the course below, for Maz and Lauren's, due to the higher price, comparable with our other opportunities.
These places are for authors who are from underrepresented backgrounds. As always, we do not need evidence but trust that no-one would take the place of someone else who truly needs the opportunity.
Apply here and do feel free to share.
DEADLINE: 22nd August
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12 week MG course with Maz Evans - Deposit
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£100.00
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12 week YA course with Lauren James - Deposit
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£100.00
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What? What is this? 😂
One of the many things we've been working on these last few months is a way for everyone to access our courses, especially our over-subscribed ones, at any time. We know it's frustrating to miss out on Clare's PB courses, for example, time and time again, and so we've come up with an intermediate solution - we think!
Complete at your own pace, and with an optional critique on your PB at the end, our new untutored courses provide you with videos, notes, advice, examples and homework exercises that are similar to the tutored courses, but can be assessed whenever and wherever you like.
Both courses have an optional critique option at the end, which can be booked any time, and Clare will give you a report on your text.
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Untutored Picture Book course with Clare Helen Welsh
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£60.00
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Untutored (Non-Fiction) Picture Book course with Clare
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£48.00
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You can view the conference line-up here.
You can book your tickets, workshops, talks and panels here.
1-2-1s are now on sale, although as always they've been quick to be booked up. Check out those that are still available on the tickets page, and keep an eye out for more being added later.
Also note that the 3 keynotes and 3 panels included this year are fixed and listed on the ticket description.
First Spreads and First Pages panels are not included, but can be booked separately.
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General Ticket for WOW-CON 2021
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£12.00
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Alice Sutherland-Hawes - WOWCON 1-2-1 - CB/MG
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£50.00
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Talk: Writing a series with Serena Patel
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£12.00
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Talk: Genre-Bending with Ross Montgomery
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£12.00
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Spark Mentoring
WriteMentor Spark is a monthly, online one-to-one mentoring service. Working with a children’s author, you will receive ongoing developmental editing, writing advice, publishing insights, and direct feedback on your manuscript to help you elevate your writing craft to the next level.
Spark Mentoring is always available if you need extra help or support each month.
CHECK OUT our new page, which we hope is clearer for all those who want to know more.
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The Jericho Prize for children’s writing, open to Black-British writers with great stories to inspire children aged 4 years plus and 7–9.
Open for submissions 2 August 2021.
Submissions
We're looking for manuscripts aimed at young readers and your work must fit into one of these two categories:
1. A picture book for 4 years plus. No more than 800 words OR
2. A short chapter book for the 7–9 age range between 10,000–15,000 words
All manuscripts must feature a Black or mixed-Black main character. (Read our FAQs for more guidance.)
The prize
The winner of each category will receive:
After that, if you manage to publish your book you'll also receive:
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THE BATH CHILDREN’S NOVEL AWARD 2021
Closing date: 30th November 2021 | Prize: £3,000 |
Judge: a children’s literary agent will judge the winning manuscript from a shortlist chosen by Junior Judges aged seven to seventeen
Submissions: First 5,000 words plus one page synopsis of novels for children or teens
Shortlist prize: Manuscript feedback from the Junior Judges plus literary agent introductions
Longlist prize: Edit Your Novel the Professional Way course with Cornerstones Literary Consultancy
Eligibility: Open worldwide to unpublished, self-published and independently published writers. Full terms here
Entry fee: £28 with sponsored places available for writers on low income
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We also have a whole page on our website with links to competitions and mentorship programmes. Click here.
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Well, hello there!
This is nice. Typing a newsletter piece for the first time in several months.
While it's been great to try a new medium and podcast/vlog the Rejection Diaries series, it also nice to punch the keys and feel the rhythm of writing again.
Firstly, an update on all we're doing just now. Rather than just take the summer off, or easier than usual, we've been busy with LOTS of things, a few which have been announced and few more to come.
You know this anyway, but we always want to bring writing opportunities to you for either free or as little as possible, but some things do cost more than others. That's the nature of it, and I've been applying for funding this year in order to bring you more for less, but unfortunately all our applications have been rejected.
Not one to be deterred, we've simply chosen to invest more money ourselves in free/low-costs opportunities and you're seeing some of those just now with our free craft workshops (sign up at the top of the newsletter), our new untutored courses (see above), and with one significant other project which we may be able to announce soon.
ALSO, do apply for our scholarships for WOWCON and our 12 week courses - deadline 22nd August! - which we are funding ourselves. We won't be able to help everyone, but always budget to help some people, and we want those opportunities to be taken, so do apply (see details above).
We have also absolutely packed our Hub with as many opportunities as we can - if you've not checked that out, please do. The thing is, we LOVE giving you these opportunities and we want them to be taken advantage of.
In other news, our Summer Programme writers are gearing up for the Showcase (first week in Sept) and we're very excited about presenting their brilliant work. They have been amazing - aren't they always! - this year and worked so, so hard on their manuscripts, so wishing them all the very best of luck when it comes!
Anyway, enough of an update. Let's finish on something super positive and inspiring.
I received an email on Thursday from a writer who has just received an offer of representation with a brilliant agent and who has been WM through and through for a couple of years now - Spark Mentee, Shortlisted for our Novel Award, taken part in many of our courses/events - and who is also lovely.
This is why I do it.
This is why I set up WM back in the darkness of November 2017, to bring some more light into the world of writers who were wandering in the dark. And you know what - that light doesn't exist in a vacuum.
When writers we know succeed, that light also shines upon us, and all around. It inspires, motivates and uplifts us. It rekindles hope and it reminds us that with perseverance and a dollop of good luck, taste and timing, we can all get there.
We must keep going, we must keep writing. Your own light may be closer than you think.
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Writing can be lonely, but it doesn't need to be.
May the Force be with you!
Stuart, Florianne and Melissa
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