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Are you a multi-published author of either children's novels or picture books?
Are you confident in your ability to teach various craft aspects of writing in your medium?
Are you keen to work closely with the incredible writers who make up our Community Learning Hub?
If so, read on, or pass onto an author you know or think would be a great fit:
Picture Book Writer-in-Residence (2022)
Writer in Residence (for novelists) 2022
Both roles include teaching workshops, recording webinars and writing blog posts, and have a salary of £4000 (incl VAT) for the 12 months work in 2022.
Deadline is next Monday 11th October at 11.59pm BST.
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So, you’ve written a book? You are an absolute hero! But now you need to do some editing to get it to the standard where someone else can read it…and possibly even love it…
In this brand new, online 8-week FirstEdit course, author Lindsay Galvin will take you on a comprehensive journey through tried and tested methods that will help you get the story on the page to sound like the one in your head.
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Author Alexandra Sheppard‘s 6-week WriteMaster course take you through the main elements to make your Middle Grade or Young Adult novel stand out.
Learn craft aspects that will help not only this novel, but every one you write.
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Thinking of writing a book for children or teens?
Join WriteMentor’s online WriteStart course, for anyone starting a new story. Over five weeks, author Jenny Pearson, Costa Children’s Book Award shortlistee, will guide you away from a blank page towards the first spark of an idea. With her support, build up your confidence to enter the wonderful world of writing.
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Group Mentoring - sign up
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All our groups are now full for January - March 2022. The next opportunity to sign up will be for the Apr-Jun groups.
You can sign up to the waiting list and first to be emailed with details of these before they go live to everyone, by popping in your email here.
I will warn you, the waiting list is now VERY long, so do pop your name on there, as these are unlikely to make available to anyone not on the wait list.
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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 most common piece of feedback we get from our short courses is that they're not long enough.
So we've come up with WriteCraft - a 12 week, university style course for those already competent in the basics of writing craft, but looking to elevate their knowledge and craft.
It will feature the following:
- 3 core modules (choose one)
- 2 optional modules (choose one)
- 3 guest masterclasses/writing life chats
- book analysis club
- 4 x group tutorials with your assigned tutor
- critique groups
- optional add-ons - such as 5/10k critiques from your tutor, 1-2-1 tutorials, extra modules
At the moment our thinking for this first iteration is that we could offer it for £299 (20% off for Hub members). As this is a bigger payment, we'd be happy to do payment options (ie £100, £100, £99 etc) over the 3 months. Basically whatever you need, we can probably accommodate. AND we'd be giving 5 spaces to writers unable to afford the fee, which would be award on a scholarship basis on the strength of writing submitted in an application.
We are looking at 24 places - 19 paid places plus 5 scholarships - and we already have more than that on the early interest list (link also below), so I'd suggest popping your name down so you get first refusal before we post about it more publicly.
(Apologies that the form wasn't open last week when the newsletter arrived, but it's all good now!)
https://forms.gle/YSJbAEBQ7VGLfvWJ9
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WriteCast: Episode 10: Perdita and Honor Cargill
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We're now at the end of both of the first seasons of WriteCast (chatting to published authors) and Rejections Diaries, and are now planning for season 2 of both.
If you're interested in being involved in either, pop your details into either form below. We can't guarantee we can feature everyone, but it's good to know who would be interested and we'll be in touch if we can get you on for season 2 of either.
WriteCast: https://forms.gle/m5jMtmMk3CuGnzmHA
Rejection Diaries: https://forms.gle/J14SVuAcPP3cqzWc8
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The Power of Positive Imaging
I've recently signed up with a personal trainer.
I know that I am motivated by external accountability and so I'm spending the money on a PT, as an investment into future proofing my health and physical fitness, so that my body is still able to do the things I want it to do, into my 50s, 60s and 70s.
I want to be a dad who is fit and strong enough to run around with his teenage kids. And this is my solution - it's a big spend for us, when money is tight right now, but it's definitely worth the investment - you only have one body after all.
So, how does this relate to writing - well, my friends, one of the first things we established, when I signed up with the PT, was about my goals and motivation.
We did the usual SMART target thing and went through all I want to achieve. Then he added this little nugget, which I think is applicable across anything:
"Attach an emotional feeling to achieving the goal."
And he explained this more. It's where you imagine how you'll feel once you've done that thing - ie the euphoria of finishing a draft, or the satisfied sigh of a writer who just met their daily word count.
But we also discussed how I'd feel if I didn't make the goal. And the negative feelings and emotions that come with that - when you fail to write for 2 weeks, even though you set yourself a target of 1000 words a day, or you want to have your draft done by June, and it's already October!!!
The latter feelings are not ones I enjoy. And so I should hold those emotions in my mind when I'm thinking about dodging what I have to do that day. Then think about how you'll feel once you achieve it. Imagine finishing and capture that moment in your mind for a few seconds.
Then get to work. Our biggest obstacle to achieving a lot of things in life is ourself (definitely true for me!) and so this is just one more way we can help overcome ourselves.
So when you sit down to write this week, ask yourself the following:
How will you feel when you achieve it?
How will you feel if you don't?
Bottle it and use that to drive you onwards.
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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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