Here are the latest newsletters for my followers to peruse:
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The path to publication…
Plus
all our usual bits of news and opportunities to support writers!
News, events, resources and opportunities
Sponsor
As you
all know, we keep this newsletter free to everyone, despite its enormous
value and popularity amongst writers, and publishing professionals. So to
help with costs of producing it, and for the time spent on creating and
editing the content, we’re opening up a slot on the weekly newsletter for
creatives or people in our industry to SPONSOR the newsletter (you can email Florianne@write-mentor.com for
more information on how to sponsor the newsletter in the future, including
costs etc). Writers-in-Residence
We sadly
said goodbye to Karl Newson and Eloise Williams as our WIR last week, and
wanted to state publicly how great a job they that done in their roles. You’ve
brought so much insight, and honesty, to your workshops and your blog posts
in this newsletter, and I know our writer’s have ALL benefitted from your
wisdom and your courage. Mentoring Opportunity
Our
Founder, Stuart White, is offering to mentor up to 3 writers to self-publish
their book (within the next 12 months). If you’re interested in some help and
guidance in bringing your book to life and into the hands of readers, then do
apply. Closes 31st July, 2023. Find out
more here. Novel-in-Development Award update
Well,
there’s been some progress this week - the kid’s have finished their round 1
reading, so we’re currently going through a second round of adult reads to
narrow down to a longlist, which we should be able to announce next week. We’ll
let you know in this newsletter next Monday how that will go down and what to
expect. WOWCON
Includes
3 keynotes (technically 6!), 6 panels (excluding the first pages/spreads
panels), and our pitch party competition and much more! *With
the basic ticket, you can purchase any additional workshops/panels not
included for an extra £12/£25. THESE
ARE NOW AVAILABLE TO BOOK. Concession prices are available at £12 if
the normal cost is beyond your means. No questions asked. We also
have a limited number of free tickets for those who are unable to pay the £12
concession price. Please email Emily at emily@write-mentor.com if you wish
to apply for one of these. Includes
EVERYTHING at WOWCON - that’s 3 keynotes (technically 6!), 8 panels, 6 x 2
hour workshops, our pitch party competition and much more!
Hub Calendar (all times GMT/BST)
"Florianne will be discussing key takeaways from The
Bookseller's recent Marketing & Publicity day, from author media training
to creating and maintaining a brand." This is
is just a few of the many sessions/opportunities that happen every month in
the Hub and are all available
on catch-up if you join now. Also on offer
WriteMentor Spark is a monthly, online 1-2-1
mentoring service. We also have group mentoring available. WriteMentor
Magazine
Issue 12 out now! Buy
your copy here! Podcast Episodes: Watch here. Listen here. Find our
archive of blog posts
on writing advice and craft tips, plus author/agent/ industry professionals
interviews and much more here. The Final Word
The path to publication… By Aerin Apeltun For me,
publication has been a very long road. I started writing stories for my
little sister when we were young, but never seriously considered having a
book published. Proper writers did that. The problem was, my drive to create
stories never went away. I
decided that if I wanted to do this properly, I needed to learn about the
craft, so I took a writing course specifically targeted at writing for
children. It was a revelation. I began to understand the need for proper
characterisation, story arcs, voice, how a story should flow, as well as what
things to avoid. I spent a couple of years writing my first Middle Grade
novel (which still languishes on my computer somewhere). I studied the
market, purchased the trusty ‘Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook’, and set about
identifying agents that might be interested in my work. This was
all in the days of snail mail, before you could just fire off an email in
seconds. Then there was ‘The Wait’. Much of querying is still waiting, but
back then standard practice was to send out one query at a time. It might
take anywhere from three to six months to get a reply before you could send
out another query. At least now you can query more than three or four agents
a year. This
first novel was listed in a novel competition as ‘Notable for Potential’, so
I took that as a win. When I started again in earnest on a new novel, this
time YA, I received a ‘Revise and Resubmit’ request from a big London agency
(now in the world of emails and multiple submissions). Then they requested
the full manuscript. I couldn’t believe what was happening and couldn’t help
imagining the publishing deal, the book launch, the writing career… But it
wasn’t to be, they passed, and the book gathered virtual dust on my computer.
I started another, plotted, wrote, edited, queried - and another and another.
I had a couple of children’s short stories published in The People’s Friend
magazine, listings in a few competitions, and a few other full manuscript
requests from agents and publishers. I also started taking more courses,
discovered WriteMentor, and continued to hone my craft. Then I
found SmashBear Publishing. They’re a UK-based, award-winning publisher of
fantasy, urban fantasy, horror, and paranormal romance. I sent off my YA
fantasy romance to them, and waited. It took a while, but when I heard
from them again, they offered me a publishing contract for the full trilogy. I was
thrilled. I still can’t quite believe it. Since
then, there have been rounds of editing, decisions on the book cover, so many
things that I had read about that would come after a publishing contract was
signed, but have only now experienced first-hand. Querying is hard – very
hard. What comes next, if you’re lucky enough for someone to fall in love
with your book, is also hard, and at times exhausting, but to know the end
product, a copy of your book, will soon be in your hands - and more
importantly, in the hands of your readers - makes it all worthwhile. I’ve
learnt a lot about writing over the years, and I know I still have a lot to
learn. There are many routes to a published book. No one path suits everyone.
You don’t have to have an agent to get published. You can go direct to the
publisher or self-publish. They’re all valid ways to get your book out there
for others to read and hopefully enjoy. I want
writing to be my career. I hope one day I’ll find an agent who will fall in
love with my writing, just as SmashBear has, but for now things are going
great. Whatever
path to publication you choose it’ll be hard work. The waiting, the late
nights, have all been worth it for me, but there have been times when I’ve
doubted and even wondered why I’m writing at all – and that’s okay. Sometimes
the brave thing to do is step away, maybe just write for yourself or close
family. But the stories just keep coming, and I wanted to get my books out to
readers. My characters have given me no choice in that. THE
AMETHYST TALISMAN, the first book in ‘The Cursed Weapons’ trilogy, came out
on the 7th July. As I write, it’s just become a top 3 Amazon Best Seller in
‘Coming of Age Fantasy for Young Adults’, and number 3 in ‘Sword and Sorcery
Fantasy for Young Adults’. I’m stunned. I never even dreamt something like
this could happen to my book, and I couldn’t be more excited. The second book
will be out next year, and I have so many more stories, written and
unwritten, that I’d love to get out to readers one day too. The path
to publishing can be a long and very windy road, but ultimately can reap
great rewards. Aerin Apeltun is a Young Adult Fantasy
author, who grew up in the East of England. Aerin started writing stories as
a child, and always loved reading about fantasy worlds, and now loves to
develop and write about her own worlds and mythologies. Writing is her passion, along with
archery (she is a Second Class Archer). When not writing, Aerin loves to
draw, especially if it involves conjuring up a map of a new world. She enjoys travelling, taking inspiration
from nature and landscapes for settings and characters in her books. She has
been listed in a number of writing competitions. Website www.aerinapeltun.com |
Twitter @Aerin_Apeltun | Instagram @aerinapeltun Writing
can be lonely, but it doesn’t need to be. May the
Force be with you! Stuart, Florianne, Melissa and Emily
© 2023 Stuart White
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Holding up a torch for future generations
Plus
all our usual bits of news and opportunities to support writers!
News, events, resources and opportunities
In person event
We
haven’t held any in-person events since before the pandemic. As we are
primarily an online organisation, that’s fine, and we will always make sure
we’re online for the majority who can’t attend in-person for
financial/geographical/health reasons. But
theoretically, if we were to run an event next year, maybe a mini-con for
about 50 people, with speakers, panels, workshops, socialising - would you be
interested in attending? And if so, where would most people be able to
attend? I’m
conscious you’ll maybe look at the list of locations and think none of them
are suitable, but past experience shows us that anywhere not near a large
city is unlikely to get the numbers needed to run an in-person event for that
number of people. But do
not fret - if none of those suit you, we’d always stream/record anything we
did in person and sell digital tickets, too.
Sponsor
As you
all know, we keep this newsletter free to everyone, despite its enormous
value and popularity amongst writers, and publishing professionals. So to
help with costs of producing it, and for the time spent on creating and
editing the content, we’re opening up a slot on the weekly newsletter for
creatives or people in our industry to SPONSOR the newsletter (you can email Florianne@write-mentor.com for
more information on how to sponsor the newsletter in the future, including
costs etc). Novel-in-Development Award update
We’re
afraid there’s no progress to update you with this week - we’re still waiting
on about 20 reads from the kids, Florianne has been nudging and chasing and
we hope to make some more progress this week. So, for
now, switch off. More next Monday. WOWCON
Includes
3 keynotes (technically 6!), 6 panels (excluding the first pages/spreads
panels), and our pitch party competition and much more! *With
the basic ticket, you can purchase any additional workshops/panels not
included for an extra £12/£25. THESE
ARE NOW AVAILABLE TO BOOK. Concession prices are available at £12 if
the normal cost is beyond your means. No questions asked. We also
have a limited number of free tickets for those who are unable to pay the £12
concession price. Please email Emily at emily@write-mentor.com if you wish
to apply for one of these. Includes
EVERYTHING at WOWCON - that’s 3 keynotes (technically 6!), 8 panels, 6 x 2
hour workshops, our pitch party competition and much more!
Hub Calendar (all times GMT/BST)
"Florianne will be discussing key takeaways from The
Bookseller's recent Marketing & Publicity day, from author media training
to creating and maintaining a brand." This is
is just a few of the many sessions/opportunities that happen every month in
the Hub and are all available
on catch-up if you join now. Also on offer
WriteMentor Spark is a monthly, online 1-2-1
mentoring service. We also have group mentoring available. WriteMentor
Magazine
Issue 12 out now! Buy
your copy here! Podcast Episodes: Watch here. Listen here. Find our
archive of blog posts
on writing advice and craft tips, plus author/agent/ industry professionals
interviews and much more here. The Final Word
Holding up a torch for future generations By Eloise Williams My time
as Writementor’s Writer in Residence has come to an end. What a joy it has
been. To think of all those people busy creating stories for the most
demanding and curious of readers. The craft and skill at work is thrilling to
see, and the joy writing for young people has brought them is so evident.
I’ll think of it and be inspired by the writers I’ve met for a long time to
come. It has
been a hot June. I’ve spent lots of time writing in my tiny shed. Watching
the flowers growing and dreaming on good days. Wondering whether the words
I’ve put out there have any meaning or importance in this world on more
doubtful days. Sometimes
stories don’t strike the right note, hit the right bookshelf, find their
publishers and readers. It can be difficult to measure success unless you define
it for yourself. I suggest you do and make it something you can control.
I suppose, the real success for me is in writing something I think is
truthful, and hopeful, and beautiful, so those are the things I cling to when
the writing road gets bumpy. If it’s truthful to me then it might ring true
for others. If it’s hopeful it might make others feel hope. If it’s beautiful
it might make someone able to see beauty anew, or it might just make them
smile. I’ll
never make even a tea-towel with my quotes of wisdom, so I wanted to leave
you with some thoughts from humans far more quotable than I could ever hope
to be. Their words have all eased my writing journey and I hope they’ll lift
you up too. Firstly,
Virginia Woolf: ‘So long
as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it
matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say.’ This
seems to me a marvellous way to measure success. I’m going to get it printed
out and stuck up on my wall as a reminder. Secondly,
Theodore Roosevelt’s words: ‘It is
not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man
stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit
belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust
and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again
and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who
knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a
worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high
achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while
daring greatly...’ Granted,
I came to these words via the TED talks of Brené Brown. Be careful whose
criticism you take to heart. It’s very true that for every fifty good
reviews, it’s the one that criticises your work which will be the one that
sticks with you. Remember that people are allowed to not like your work. That
doesn’t mean it’s wrong, or that you have failed in any way. It doesn’t mean
they are right. Everyone has an opinion. I don’t like cake much. It doesn’t
mean that no-one else is allowed to. Thirdly,
some words from George Bernard Shaw: “I want
to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live.
I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is
sort of a splendid torch which I have a hold of for the moment, and I want to
make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to future
generations.” It feels
to me that this is what you are doing when you write for young people.
Holding up a torch for future generations. Letting it illuminate the world as
you see it. Passing that beauty on. And
lastly, one which is pertinent to me at the moment, with a story I’m trying
and failing to tell as well as it should be told, the words of Maya Angelou: “There
is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Tell
your story. Tell it in your own way and in the best way you can. Tell it.
Good
luck! Writing
can be lonely, but it doesn’t need to be. May the
Force be with you! Stuart, Florianne, Melissa and Emily
© 2023 Stuart White
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What agents and publishers want
Plus
all our usual bits of news and opportunities to support writers!
News, events, resources and opportunities
Sponsor
As you
all know, we keep this newsletter free to everyone, despite its enormous
value and popularity amongst writers, and publishing professionals. So to
help with costs of producing it, and for the time spent on creating and
editing the content, we’re opening up a slot on the weekly newsletter for
creatives or people in our industry to SPONSOR the newsletter (you can email Florianne@write-mentor.com for
more information on how to sponsor the newsletter in the future, including
costs etc). Novel-in-Development Award update
We’re
afraid there’s no progress to update you with this week - we’re still waiting
on about 40 reads from the kids, Florianne has been nudging and chasing and
we hope to make some more progress this week. So, for
now, switch off. More next Monday. WOWCON
Includes
3 keynotes (technically 6!), 6 panels (excluding the first pages/spreads
panels), and our pitch party competition and much more! *With
the basic ticket, you can purchase any additional workshops/panels not
included for an extra £12/£25. These will be released at a later date. Concession prices are available at £12 if
the normal cost is beyond your means. No questions asked. We also
have a limited number of free tickets for those who are unable to pay the £12
concession price. Please email Emily at emily@write-mentor.com if you wish
to apply for one of these. Includes
EVERYTHING at WOWCON - that’s 3 keynotes (technically 6!), 8 panels, 6 x 2
hour workshops, our pitch party competition and much more!
Hub Calendar (all times GMT/BST)
This is
is just a few of the many sessions/opportunities that happen every month in
the Hub and are all available
on catch-up if you join now. Also on offer
WriteMentor Spark is a monthly, online 1-2-1
mentoring service. We also have group mentoring available. WriteMentor
Magazine
Issue 12 out now! Buy
your copy here! Podcast Episodes: Watch here. Listen here. Find our
archive of blog posts
on writing advice and craft tips, plus author/agent/ industry professionals
interviews and much more here. The Final Word
What agents and publishers want By Stuart White The
biggest questions in the heads of unpublished writers - what do they want?
What is selling right now? What shall I write next and is there any point if
it’s not what agents and publishers are looking for? This tweet by Kesia Lupo has a good, general
round up of what a small
selection of editors were looking for. Like
anything like this, PLEASE do not just write what people say they are looking
for. For sure, look at it and see if what you’re currently writing can fit,
or if you had a great idea that chimes with a wishlist, then for sure, go
forth and give it a go. But do
not chase trends. Our
sphere is AWFUL for taking what one industry person says and amplifying it to
everyone and suddenly it becomes inscribed in stone as a ‘rule’ that everyone
must follow.
Every
one of these MUST be caveated with a thousand exceptions because there is no
absolutes in this thing. You need to addendum everything in that list with a
proper explanation and context of what the person meant when they said it,
but that part is never passed on, and so the RULES are often misinterpreted. If I’m
honest, and most people in the industry admit this, NOBODY has a clue what
they are looking for (how many times have you heard: ‘I don’t
always know what I want, I just know it when I read it’ And they
certainly don’t know what will sell and do well. It’s
throw lots of stuff at the wall and see what sticks at times. One
thing I’ve learned through chatting to friends is that if you do write
something that you think they want, you often hate it, or at best are just
not passionate enough to actually make it work and inject it with the
strengths of your own unique and wonderful voice. The best
advice is always to write what you’re most passionate about - what you’d love
to read yourself. It will be clear in the resulting book if that is the case.
Nothing worse than a soulless book that’s trying too hard to be something
that the author is not 100% invested in, simply to improve odds of
publication. And
there’s also the fact that while publishing moves slow, trends can move fast.
And what is wanted now, will be less in demand in 12-18 months, or whenever.
And there’s literally a finite number of agents and publishing houses, and
none of them want 2 authors in the same space. So I
guess my advice to you is this:
Ultimately,
when we all depart this mortal coil, we want to do it knowing we’ve been true
to ourselves and are proud of the work we’ve created and left behind. I think
about this lots, but our writing will from a massive part of our legacy - how
people beyond our family and friends will remember us - how the words we
wrote and the stories we told leave a memorable mark upon the development of
a child on their reading journey (or even an adult or two!) or could possibly
(and maybe this is a tad optimistic and egotistical) change the life of a
young person forever. Epic
stuff. Huge responsibility. Which is
why it’s so important we stay true to ourselves and the stories we want to
tell. In
short, be the most uniquely you that you can be - that’s how you stand out. “Today
you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than
You.” Dr Seuss Writing
can be lonely, but it doesn’t need to be. May the
Force be with you! Stuart, Florianne, Melissa and Emily
© 2023 Stuart White
|
|
Is this s*** any good?
Plus
all our usual bits of news and opportunities to support writers!
News, events, resources and opportunities
Sponsor
As you
all know, we keep this newsletter free to everyone, despite its enormous
value and popularity amongst writers, and publishing professionals. So to
help with costs of producing it, and for the time spent on creating and
editing the content, we’re opening up a slot on the weekly newsletter for
creatives or people in our industry to SPONSOR the newsletter (you can email Florianne@write-mentor.com for
more information on how to sponsor the newsletter in the future, including
costs etc). The Novel Factory – the Ultimate Novel
software for novel writers
The
Novel Factory is designed for new and established novel writers alike. New
writers can benefit from the guidance on plot structure, character creation
world building and more. Not to mention the Roadmap a step by step guide that
walks you through the theory and skills of novel writing – while you complete
your first novel. Established
writers can use the plot template tools to highlight problem areas in your
manuscript and point towards solutions, and the statistics pages to keep
yourself accountable and on track towards your goals. Writing
coaches regularly contact us to gush about how fantastic the guidance and
tools contained within the program are, and how the app has helped them fix
problems in their own novels and how they are going to be recommending it to
all their clients. So
what’s all the fuss about? Can the software really be as good as that? You’ll
never know if you don’t see for youself. Claim your free trial today – no payment details
required. “I absolutely adore the Novel Factory software and so do all
my writer buddies 🙂 It's
helped me publish 3 books as of this date and I'm working on my 4th!” Rhiannon
D. Elton, Author of the Wolflock Cases series Novel-in-Development Award update
We’re
closing in on finishing the 1st round of reading (adults finished, just
chasing up a few kid readers) so we would hope to have a longlist before the
end of the month, but we’ll keep updating you here so you know to switch off. So, for
this week, switch off. More next Monday. WOWCON
Our line up is complete! And we’ll have more
info soon on the big PITCH PARTY we’re hosting within the conference, as well
as opening up individual sessions to add to your basic ticket, and the chance
to have your work analysed on our first pages and spreads panel! Look out in
this space next Monday. Includes
3 keynotes (technically 6!), 6 panels (excluding the first pages/spreads
panels), and our pitch party competition and much more! *With
the basic ticket, you can purchase any additional workshops/panels not
included for an extra £12/£25. These will be released at a later date Concession prices are available at £12 if
the normal cost is beyond your means. No questions asked. We also
have a limited number of free tickets for those who are unable to pay the £12
concession price. Please email Emily at emily@write-mentor.com if you wish
to apply for one of these. Includes
EVERYTHING at WOWCON - that’s 3 keynotes (technically 6!), 8 panels, 6 x 2
hour workshops, our pitch party competition and much more!
Hub Calendar (all times GMT/BST)
This is
is just a few of the many sessions/opportunities that happen every month in the Hub and are all available
on catch-up if you join now. Also on offer
WriteMentor Spark is a monthly, online 1-2-1
mentoring service. We also have group mentoring available. WriteMentor
Magazine
Issue 12 out now! Buy
your copy here! Podcast Episodes: Watch here. Listen here. Find our
archive of blog posts
on writing advice and craft tips, plus author/agent/ industry professionals
interviews and much more here. The Final Word
Is this s*** any good? by Stuart White Probably
one of the thoughts that cause the biggest doubts in the minds of most
writers, is this one: ‘Is this
any good? Have I written a complete pile of s*** or is there something in
there, if I'm willing to dig around in it and pull it out?’ Most of
the time, writers will look at the s***, curl or hold your nose and turn the
other way. Pretend it doesn’t exist, and certainly pretend that it didn’t
come from you. After
all, who wants to be associated with s***. You move onto a new shiny idea and
hope that somehow you can produce something excellent on the first draft this
time around. But some
writers accept that it is their s***. They own it, and they simply put on a
nosepeg and pair of gloves and burrow around in there, searching for the
little kernels that might be salvageable used again. I salute each and every
one of you. I have to admit to shirking this particular thing at times, and
it’s something I need to get better at, because there’s usually something in
there if you’re willing to get a bit dirty and smelly, and put in the work. Hemingway
said that all first drafts are s****. I think that’s mostly true - but some
writers are less so than others. For
example, my pal Melissa writes VERY GOOD first drafts. She rarely needs many
edits on her books (certainly nowhere near as much as I, or many others, do).
And her secret, though she hardly keeps it quiet, is that she does a TON of
PLANNING. Sorry, I
know you pantsers will HATE this, but Melissa’s method really does help to
avoid as much s**** in your drafts. Now, I’m not going to spend the
newsletter going on about how great planning is over pantsing - it’s not
about that - but it’s certainly easier to clean up the s*** on a 20 page
outline than it is on a 300 page draft. And more people will be willing to
read 20 pages to tell you if it’s s*** than 300. Something
to think about. But the
main point today is how to overcome that feeling that what you write is
rubbish. That every word is terrible. That your work will never rival the
lyrical prose of Kiran Millwood Hargarve, or be as funny as Jenny Pearson or
Maz Evans, or as heartfelt as Az Dassu! Here’s
something to save you some time. It won’t!
It will never be as great as those who you admire. And I’m
not throwing shade here - the vibes are positive. It’s simply that we will
never recognise our own work as anything outstanding or great, at least not
while we’re writing it. It’s always in-progress, and that’s how we have to
view it. This
work is not lyrical - yet. This story is not funny - yet. This tale is not
heartfelt - yet! And even
when published and people tell you that your story IS all these things, you
still won’t believe them. (IMAGINE the ego to think your work IS!) So is
the key to just accept your work is s***. I think so, or at least accept
that’s how you’ll feel about it. Perhaps someone else will feel differently -
you’ll have noticed how much more positive and complimentary you are about
other people’s stories when you critique them. So
perhaps when you’re looking at your work next time, and thinking is this s***
any good, instead just accept that it isn’t good, get the gloves and nosepeg
out and get to work. After
all, everything that we ever read that was good, had to be finished by their
author first, and it was probably terrible on the first draft. Do the
work, finish the book, make it as good as you can, then send it away. That’s
all we can control as a writer, all that other subjective stuff about it
being good, lyrical, funny or heartfelt - that’s for others to decide. So why
burden ourselves with it? All we
can do is our very best, without comparing to others, and certainly not
comparing the publishing versions of multi-edited, super polished
best-selling authors books to our own first drafts (that way insanity lies!),
and simply get the book finished. Do the work, finish the book, make it as
good as you can, then send it away. Writing
can be lonely, but it doesn’t need to be. May the
Force be with you! Stuart, Florianne, Melissa and Emily
© 2023 Stuart White
|
|
Drive it like you stole it
Plus
all our usual bits of news and opportunities to support writers!
News, events, resources and opportunities
Sponsor
As you
all know, we keep this newsletter free to everyone, despite its enormous
value and popularity amongst writers, and publishing professionals. So to
help with costs of producing it, and for the time spent on creating and
editing the content, we’re opening up a slot on the weekly newsletter for
creatives or people in our industry to SPONSOR the newsletter (you can email Florianne@write-mentor.com for
more information on how to sponsor the newsletter in the future, including
costs etc). How the Roadmap can help you finish your
novel
The
Roadmap is a 15 step guide to writing a novel, created by Katja Kaine who was
runner up in the WriteMentor Novel-in-Development Award 2022 and shortlisted
for the Bath Children’s Novel Award 2022. Katja created the Roadmap to help
her find her own writing process, and the ‘short course’ has helped thousands
of writers make leaps and bounds with their novels. Starting
with an idea and taking you through developing that idea into a splot, and
adding characters that complement and enhance the story through establishing
locations, themes, pacing and more – the Roadmap is like having a personal
writing coach talking you through the creation of your first novel. So if
you have trouble getting started on (or finishing) a novel, or if you have
written novels, but feel there are gaps in your knowledge and areas for
improvement, then check out the Roadmap for expert advice and guidance. The
Roadmap is fully integrated into the Novel Factory software app, and you can
check out out completely free for thiry days – no strings attached. Click here to find out more and claim your free 30 day
trial “I love
the level of details I can jam into the character sheets.” – a Novel Factory
user Success Stories
Author Clare Thompson shares her
experience of WriteMentor’s summer mentoring programme What made you apply for the WriteMentor
programme?
I
discovered the WriteMentor summer mentoring programme
at exactly the right time. Like a lot of people, lockdown made me assess my
life and priorities, and I decided that writing was something that I wanted
to really focus on and take seriously. I did a couple of online courses and
workshops, but just felt like I needed a little more guidance, which I hoped
the programme would offer, and it certainly did. Enjoying the collaborative process
The
experience was fantastic! Not only did I meet a wonderful mentor, Louise Gooding, but I also
met lots of other brilliant writers in my fellow mentees. We exchanged words
of wisdom, highs and lows, and general encouragement. One of the mentees, Nadine Holland, also went on
to become my invaluable critique partner. Finding the writing community has
been so helpful to me. Everyone is so supportive and it is a great network to
be part of. Tell us about your writing journey from
start until now.
I have
always written stories and poems, right from when I was a child. I fell in
love with writing picture books, so I sent off some terrible drafts to a
couple of publishers and agents, not really knowing what I was doing and then
life got in the way and it fizzled out. When I had my own children the spark
reignited, I loved reading to them, so I dusted off some old manuscripts, and
tweaked and polished them to try again. Patience was not one of my qualities
at this point, something you definitely need to learn as a writer, so I set
off on a self-publishing journey and published two picture books. I
absolutely loved the collaborative process but it made me realise just how
much was involved in publishing, and that I didn’t have the expertise, the
time or the money to do it well enough. However, it also made me more
determined to pursue my dream. So, one mentorship, being part of the Penguin
WriteNow programme as a shortlistee, a GEA course and countless workshops
later, I was absolutely thrilled to sign with Katie Blagden at the Bright Agency, and am so
excited for the next steps in my writing journey. Read
more here. WOWCON
EARLY
BIRD TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE! Our line up is almost complete (just waiting
on a few to confirm!) so we thought we’d give you a chance to snap up an
early, and cheaper ticket! Basic Ticket £20 (down from £25) Includes
3 keynotes (technically 6!), 6 panels (excluding the first pages/spreads
panels), and our pitch party competition and much more! *With
the basic ticket, you can purchase any additional workshops/panels not
included for an extra £12/£25. These will be released at a later date after
the early bird tickets finish. Concession prices are available at £12 if
£20 is beyond your means. No questions asked. We also
have a limited number of free tickets for those who are unable to pay the £12
concession price. Please email Emily at emily@write-mentor.com if you wish
to apply for one of these. All-inclusive ticket £129 (down from £149) Includes
EVERYTHING at WOWCON - that’s 3 keynotes (technically 6!), 8 panels, 6 x 2
hour workshops, our pitch party competition and much more! *Early bird closes 14th June.
Hub Calendar (all times GMT/BST)
This is
is just a few of the many sessions/opportunities that happen every month in
the Hub and are all available
on catch-up if you join now. Also on offer
WriteMentor Spark is a monthly, online 1-2-1
mentoring service. We also have group mentoring available. WriteMentor
Magazine
Issue 12 out now! Buy
your copy here! Podcast Episodes: Watch here. Listen here. Find our
archive of blog posts
on writing advice and craft tips, plus author/agent/ industry professionals
interviews and much more here. The Final Word
Drive it
like you stole it By Sarah Dollar I am a
member of that overpopulated group of people who write for children and chase
agents and publishers for a glimmer of recognition. A pursuit which often
goes unrewarded. Even unnoticed. Last
year I felt the time had come for me to step out of my comfort zone. To try
something new. Something that would either get me noticed, or give me the
confidence to carry on despite the lack of acknowledgment from literary
gatekeepers. I knew
that agents often liked their clients to be willing and able to put
themselves out there. To market themselves and their books. So to be able to
add ‘school visits’ to my writing CV seemed like a no-brainer. If it
didn’t go well, I needn’t do it again. ‘Mildred
- The Dragon Who Breathes Fire From Her Bottom’ is a picture book text I
wrote with my son, Hugo, in mind. Hugo is severely allergic to wheat, and
anaphylaxis is a scary topic to cover with 4 year olds. Mildred suffers from
hayfever. My thinking was that it would open the door to meaningful
conversations about allergies that might lead to more understanding amongst
his peers. While
still percolating this idea, Allergy Awareness Week came round. ‘If I was
asked to do a school visit now - I could base the whole thing around
Mildred.’ I thought. But no one was asking. I am not
an overly confident person, but I do have flashes of over-the-top enthusiasm!
Around this time, while collecting Hugo from school, I had one of these
flashes. I
collared his teacher and told her firstly, that I was a writer and that,
secondly, I had a text about a character with allergies. “I don’t know if you
have anything planned for Allergy Awareness Week yet, but I’d be happy to
come in and read the story to the kids in Hugo’s class? It could be a lovely
way of approaching the subject with them?” To my
surprise, and vague horror, the teacher jumped on it! Before I’d left the
playground she had given me a day, a time and four classes to present to!
Gulp! I spent
the next few days in a bit of a panic. I watched many youtube videos, such as
Joseph Coelho’s Poetry Prompts. The advice I got from fellow writers, who’d
done school visits, was to wear something bright, take props, be prepared to
be silly. I wrote an outline of how the sessions might go, I read the
story out loud - a LOT! I practised taking questions (from anyone who was
willing to play along), I screwed up the outline of how the sessions might
go. I tried to keep it low key. I made a few props and I read the story out
loud a lot more. On the
day, I was quite nervous. The pages of the text quivered in my hand - so I
put it on the table instead. I was met with a whispered chorus of ‘It’s
Hugo’s mum!’ but the teacher introduced me anyway. I told the class I was
there to chat to them about allergies. I asked if any of them knew someone
with an allergy and was met with a sea of hands - they’d engaged! So, after
hearing about an aunt who came out in a rash around cats and a nan who had
hayfever, I read them my story. My
nerves settled quickly. I got a few children to help make Mildred’s soup
concoction in a giant pan with pots of chilli powder and other imaginary
ingredients. They
laughed in all the right places. My confidence, shaky from lack of
acknowledgement from industry gatekeepers, was blooming due to acknowledgment
from my audience - my intended audience! When the
story was finished I chatted with the kids about what an allergy was, how to
support a friend who may have an allergy and when to get help from a grown
up. I then
repeated the session with another three class groups. By the time I left the
school I was brimming. I floated out to the car park and stashed my props. I went
on to do the same session (with a couple of tweaks) for the nursery down the
road. And when poetry day rolled around I was approached by another local
school. I shared some of my poetry and did some writing with the class. I may
only have three school visits under my belt, but I mention it on every query
I send and agent 1-2-1 I have. It is undoubtedly something that makes
agents’, and publishers’, ears prick up. To be able to demonstrate that there
is an audience for your writing is powerful. I have had two of my pieces
published this year in magazines. I am yet
to have an agent offer, so it doesn’t all hang on whether you are doing
school visits, but it is a definite boon. And, more importantly, for me at
least, it has further convinced me that writing for children is where my
future lies. The
acknowledgment from the children I have had the pleasure to do these sessions
with has been hugely affirming. Hopefully, one day, an agent or publisher
will notice me. In the meantime, I’ll keep doing what I do and sharing that
with the intended audience. Sarah was born in London and grew up in Devon, where she lives
now with her partner and their three (very) energetic children. She writes
short stories, picture books, chapter books, poems and even cryptic crossword
clues! She was longlisted for the 2021 Stratford Salariya Picture Book Prize
and was included in the finalists' showcase for Mindy Weiss’s Picture Book
Party. Both pieces have since been published. You will find her writing in
places such as The Dirigible Balloon and Parakeet and Paperbound Magazine.
She has also contributed to the spoken word event Book Jive Live. Find her on
Twitter @SarahLCDollar. Writing
can be lonely, but it doesn’t need to be. May the
Force be with you! Stuart, Florianne, Melissa and Emily
© 2023 Stuart White
|
|
Open Doors / Beating the block
Plus
all our usual bits of news and opportunities to support writers!
News, events, resources and opportunities
Sponsor
As you
all know, we keep this newsletter free to everyone, despite its enormous
value and popularity amongst writers, and publishing professionals. So to
help with costs of producing it, and for the time spent on creating and
editing the content, we’re opening up a slot on the weekly newsletter for
creatives or people in our industry to SPONSOR the newsletter (you can email Florianne@write-mentor.com for
more information on how to sponsor the newsletter in the future, including
costs etc). Try the Novel Factory Free for 30 Days –
no string attached Having
the right tools for the job can make the difference between efficiency and
precious time wasted. We
believe that novel writing software should be intuitive and easy to use from
the word ‘go’ and not require a steep learning curve. That’s
why the Novel Factory is so simple ‘even your 8 year old could use it’ as one
of users said. But
while it is easy to get going quickly, there are a lot fo powerful tools
under the bonnet for when you really need software that’s going to meet the
complex needs of the novel writer. The
software allows you to get a high level overview of your novel, and also to
drill down into the tiny details. It lets you brainstorm with drag and drop
index cards and subplot grids. It lets you link your ideas, by connecting
characters with scenes or locations and even favourite items. It
contains an in-depth world building section in the Locations section, with
heaps of prompts to help to develop fantasy worlds, including society,
culture and magic systems. The best
way to find out all the software has to offer is to try it out – and we’re so
confident that writers will love it, we offer a fully featured 30 day trial
with no strings attached. You can try out all the features, use the plot
templates, character questionnaires and more and it at the end you decide not
to continue, you can export all your work. We take
no payment details for the free trial, so you don’t have to worry about
forgetting to cancel a subscription or anything like that, you can simply
walk away. So, why
not give it a try? Click here to claim your free 30 day trial “The
software so far has helped my idea grow, and has inspired me and opened up
new paths with the guide it has provided.” – a Novel Factory user
Success Story
Dee
Benson, who found her agent through WriteMentor’s summer mentoring programme
and whose novel, ‘Glow Up, Lara Bloom’, is out now, shares how the experience
developed her writing and gave her insights into the publishing world
What made you apply for the
WriteMentor mentoring programme?
I’d
heard that some of the books I loved had been through mentoring programmes
such as Pitch Wars, so I applied to
a US-based mentorship programme and didn’t get in. Around that time, I
happened to see people talking about WriteMentor on Twitter. I Googled it right
away and couldn’t believe a programme like this was running in the UK and I
didn’t know. I read the mentor profiles and was impressed at how accomplished
they were and I knew that if I could get in, I would be in good hands. My
book was far too long and I had a lot of insecurities about it since it had
just been rejected by another programme but I decided I had nothing to lose
and just applied. What was your experience of mentoring like?
It was
wonderful. My mentor was Holly Race and she had
really good ideas that helped me improve my novel. We had Zoom chats, and I
really liked that she also had another mentee as the three of us sometimes
all ‘met’ on Zoom together. Apart from the improvements made to my novel, one
of the major values of the programme was the opportunity to speak to and get
to know Holly, who was a published author and had her second book coming out.
I had never met a published author before and Holly demystified so many
things for me, telling me about how she got her agent and book deal, and
making these things feel like they were within reach for me too. Tell us about your writing journey from
start until now.
I’ve
always loved books and remember, as a child, feeling green with envy whenever
I read a really good description in a book and wondering how the author came
up with it. I tried to write many times growing up but wasn’t very good at it
and never wrote more than a few chapters of anything. I finally managed to
write my first full-length novel when I was 19, and it wasn’t great, but I’d
proved to myself that I could complete a book, plus my best friend was
obsessed with it, demanding more chapters as I wrote, so that was a huge
boost. I’ve written many novels since then and have also done ghostwriting. Can you tell us about the book you worked on
and signed with?
The book
my mentor and I worked on during the WriteMentor Programme is called The Switchers, and is a
YA, near-future dystopian novel set in my home city of Liverpool. It’s the
book that got me my agent, who signed me as a
result of the agent showcase that was held at the end of the WriteMentor
programme. My agent and I are still working on The Switchers. In the
meantime, I wrote another novel, Glow Up, Lara Bloom, and
managed to get a 2-book publishing deal for it. It’s out now, and that
wouldn’t have happened without WriteMentor connecting me with my agent. Read the
rest of the interview here. WOWCON
EARLY
BIRD TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE! Our line up is almost complete (just waiting
on a few to confirm!) so we thought we’d give you a chance to snap up an
early, and cheaper ticket! Basic Ticket £20 (down from £25) Includes
3 keynotes (technically 6!), 6 panels (excluding the first pages/spreads
panels), and our pitch party competition and much more! *With
the basic ticket, you can purchase any additional workshops/panels not
included for an extra £12/£25. These will be released at a later date after
the early bird tickets finish. Concession prices are available at £12 if
£20 is beyond your means. No questions asked. We also
have a limited number of free tickets for those who are unable to pay the £12
concession price. Please email Emily at emily@write-mentor.com if you wish
to apply for one of these. All-inclusive ticket £129 (down from £149) Includes
EVERYTHING at WOWCON - that’s 3 keynotes (technically 6!), 8 panels, 6 x 2
hour workshops, our pitch party competition and much more! *Early bird closes 14th June.
Hub Calendar (all times GMT/BST)
This is
is just a few of the many sessions/opportunities that happen every month in
the Hub and are all available
on catch-up if you join now. Also on offer
WriteMentor Spark is a monthly, online 1-2-1
mentoring service. We also have group mentoring available. WriteMentor
Magazine
Issue 12 out now! Buy
your copy here! Podcast Episodes: Watch here. Listen here. Find our
archive of blog posts
on writing advice and craft tips, plus author/agent/ industry professionals
interviews and much more here. The Final Word
By Karl Newson Open Doors / Beating the block Do you
suffer from ‘writer’s block’? I do. And I don’t. The
block of an idea or the complete block of the flow of any ideas can be a
really big blow to your confidence, patience and positivity. It’s a nasty day
when it happens, and for a few moments afterwards I can always feel the urge
to melt into the floor and woe myself into oblivion, but I’ve tried to work
out exactly what ‘writer’s block’ is to me, or what it’s doing to me in that
moment, and I’ve come up with a way of saying ‘nope’ and ploughing a new idea
or direction instead. For me, it’s about realising that I’ve been walking
down an ever-shrinking corridor with a door at the end, and when writer’s
block gets me, it’s because that corridor has been shrunk so much by the
rules I’ve put into place (and these could be anything, from rhyme to prose,
page turns to word count, whimsy to moral, or even by exhausting the list of
words I’ve decided to include in my story about the different shapes of a
wizard’s hat… you get the picture) and I can go no further. I’m stuck. The
door at the end of the corridor is out of reach, or even out of sight, and it
feels as if the walls are shouting “fail!” at me. But I’m in charge of this
imaginary block, so I make the rules, and that means I can bring in a new
door, right there where I am, open it and enter a new space. Here, the rules
of my previous corridor don’t apply in the same ways, if at all. It’s an open
door to wherever. And often, just the idea of the escape creates a new view of
the story I was so stuck on before. I talk a
lot about rules and about the trap they set for us, but I fully appreciate we
need certain rules by which to create our stories, I just try my best to
ignore as many of them as possible. Be rebellious, within a rule. Make it
your own and make it work for you. And if it’s not working, take the nearest
exit and see what new possibilities present themselves. Writer’s
block, once it’s in deep, can be a challenge to get out of. If yours is a
hole, bring a ladder. If it’s the dark, bring a torch. Always be prepared to
be your own rescuer. And remember that this block only exists because of the
rules you have put in place. A slight shift in your approach could be all it
takes to get your writing flowing again. It doesn’t mean you have to give up
on the idea. Sometimes I’ll take a side door out of my imagined corridor and
find a way to make it work by changing a rule I didn’t realise I’d set - eg.
a story takes place during daytime, but switching it to night-time allows a
whole new set of ideas to present themselves - and then I’ll bring myself
back into my initial corridor a little further along and ride that idea all
the way to The End. Just
remember your words are your words. Your block is your block. It exists only
in the place you have made for yourself to imagine it. So imagine it away
however best suits your mood. If it’s a total bonfire, light it up! If it’s
time to let it grow, give it that time. If it’s a new door around your obstacle,
take that door. Take someone else’s door if it’s going to save the day… What
would Julia Donaldson do? What would Maurice Sendak do? I’m not suggesting
you take a leaf from their book, but you can certainly take a leap on their
stepping stone. Or just walk back, forget about it, and find another idea to
work on. There is
always something else waiting for you. Don’t overthink it. Don’t force it.
Just shake off the rules and see what there is to see. Happy
writing! Writing
can be lonely, but it doesn’t need to be. May the
Force be with you! Stuart, Florianne, Melissa and Emily
© 2023 Stuart White
|
|
Writer. Wanderer. Wonderer.
Plus
all our usual bits of news and opportunities to support writers!
News, events, resources and opportunities
Sponsor
As you
all know, we keep this newsletter free to everyone, despite its enormous
value and popularity amongst writers, and publishing professionals. So to
help with costs of producing it, and for the time spent on creating and
editing the content, we’re opening up a slot on the weekly newsletter for
creatives or people in our industry to SPONSOR the newsletter (you can email Florianne@write-mentor.com for
more information on how to sponsor the newsletter in the future, including
costs etc). Have you tried the Novel Factory app for
novel writers? The
Novel Factory is an app for novel writers, designed by Katja Kaine, runner up
in the WriteMentor Novel-in-Development Award 2022 and shortlisted for the
Bath Children’s Novel Award 2022. The Novel Factory brings together Katja’s
Novel Writing Roadmap – a step-by-step guide to writing a novel which has
been favourably compared to an MA in Novel Writing, along with heaps of
useful tools for creating charismatic characters, building rich locations and
forming a solid plot. The
software includes plot templates, character questionnaires, noteboards, a
digital index card corkboard and so much more. We offer
a completely free, 30 day free trial, no credit card details required. So why
not check it out? At worst, you’ve wasted half an hour when you could’ve been
writing. At best? It could be a game-changer for your novel writing career. "I
have achieved more in the past two months than in the previous two years
using your program, and would recommend it to anyone." – a Novel Factory
user Click here to find out more and claim your free 30 day
trial
WOWCON
EARLY
BIRD TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE! Our line up is almost complete (just waiting
on a few to confirm!) so we thought we’d give you a chance to snap up an
early, and cheaper ticket! Basic Ticket £20 (down from £25) Includes
3 keynotes (technically 6!), 6 panels (excluding the first pages/spreads
panels), and our pitch party competition and much more! *With
the basic ticket, you can purchase any additional workshops/panels not
included for an extra £12/£25. These will be released at a later date after
the early bird tickets finish. Concession prices are available at £12 if
£20 is beyond your means. No questions asked. We also
have a limited number of free tickets for those who are unable to pay the £12
concession price. Please email Emily at emily@write-mentor.com if you wish
to apply for one of these. All-inclusive ticket £129 (down from £149) Includes
EVERYTHING at WOWCON - that’s 3 keynotes (technically 6!), 8 panels, 6 x 2
hour workshops, our pitch party competition and much more! *Early bird closes 14th June.
Hub Calendar (all times GMT/BST)
This is
is just a few of the many sessions/opportunities that happen every month in
the Hub and are all available
on catch-up if you join now. Also on offer
WriteMentor Spark is a monthly, online 1-2-1
mentoring service. We also have group mentoring available. WriteMentor
Magazine
Issue 12 out now! Buy
your copy here! Podcast Episodes: Watch here. Listen here. Find our
archive of blog posts
on writing advice and craft tips, plus author/agent/ industry professionals
interviews and much more here. The Final Word
Writer.
Wanderer. Wonderer. By Eloise Williams I’ve
been gardening a lot recently. When I say ‘gardening’ I mostly mean that I’ve
been wandering around amongst weeds. Thankfully, the Chelsea Flower Show are
embracing weeds this year – a positive step in saving the planet – and so I
am on trend for the first time in my life. I’ve taken photos of damselflies
and dragonflies. Yesterday, a tiny bird came for a wash in my birdbath. My
husband tells me it’s a goldcrest. ‘King of the birds’ in European folklore
according to Wikipedia. The size of a cotton ball, with wings. I’ve used
mint, clove, vinegar, cinnamon, to try to discourage a hornet who was keen on
nesting inside the writing desk in my shed. It finally shoved off when I hit
the back of the shed with a large stick but before that I watched it for ages.
They are quite beautiful really though I’m still not convinced I want us to
be close friends or writing partners. Weeds spill onto the paths I wander.
Spring up in unexpected places and flourish. They are unstoppable and more
often than not, exquisite. When I
began writing books, I was told that I should decide what kind of author I
was. I didn’t really understand the advice at the time, but I do now, and I
often wish that my writing had a clearer path. That I knew where my stories
lay and that I had a clearly labelled boxed-up package to offer with my
fiction. That I only wrote spooky yarns, or stories set in Wales, or jolly
adventure tales, or theatrical histories. The truth is, I write all sorts of
things. I follow my curiosity wherever it takes me. If I look for a link (and
with some of my books I need to look really hard) it’s nature. Flowers,
birds, water, beauty in the tiniest things, celebrating the landscape and the
power of the natural world. Gaslight
and Honesty and Lies are
both historical and more theatrical and dramatic than wild and flower filled.
Yet, the idea for both came from the river which runs through the cities of
Cardiff and London respectively and I’ve added nature in wherever I found the
chance. I’m fascinated by the idea that water remembers everything. It’s
something I return to again and again. I spend a lot of time staring at
rivers and streams, gazing into lakes, swimming in the sea, imagining the
possibilities of those underwater worlds, those liminal spaces. Wondering
what memories the water holds, if only we could read them. Living
close to the sea has given me a strong sense of being part of something
bigger. You see life and death in abundance here. The sea spits up all sorts
of creatures and the rockpools are little worlds of their own. Wandering
through a local graveyard the other day I observed a cat guarding a grave, a
woodpecker hopping a wall, wildflowers which obscured headstones so fully
that it was hardly possible to read the inscriptions. In The Tide Singer the main
character Morwenna tends an island graveyard. The story revolves around a
strange girl who washes in from the sea. In The Curio Collectors, the characters travel
around in a caravan, climbing trees, solving a story in a cemetery,
discovering a botanical mystery. In Seaglass,
the main character has a caravan holiday in an October Pembrokeshire and
after an incoming sea fog, is haunted by a ghost. For Wilde, I walked behind a
waterfall and that began my story. The main character is followed by birds
wherever she goes. My
writing comes from my wandering and is a wending path. It’s speculative and
sometimes downright weird, it has no boundaries and it’s always a discovery.
It often comes back to its centre in nature. It isn’t easy to box or label.
It’s always expanding, and it surprises me with the directions it takes. The time
in my garden has given me a chance to fall in love with that irrepressible
force again. The creativity of the wild and the wildness of creativity. It
has stirred a magic in my blood that I’d let be dormant for a while. I follow
the wild. The spirit inside me. The child adventurer which won’t be tamed. So, yes,
you can decide what label of writer you are, and I suspect it’s an easier
path, but you can also follow your curiosity wherever it takes you. Once
you’ve found the thing that makes your spirit sing you will write with
passion and verve. Wander the world and let your stories catch you by
surprise. My label
would read – Eloise Williams. Writer. Wanderer. Wonderer. Writing
can be lonely, but it doesn’t need to be. May the
Force be with you! Stuart, Florianne, Melissa and Emily
© 2023 Stuart White
|
|
Make obsession your identity
Plus
all our usual bits of news and opportunities to support writers!
News, events, resources and opportunities
Sponsor
As you
all know, we keep this newsletter free to everyone, despite its enormous
value and popularity amongst writers, and publishing professionals. So to
help with costs of producing it, and for the time spent on creating and
editing the content, we’re opening up a slot on the weekly newsletter for
creatives or people in our industry to SPONSOR the newsletter (you can email Florianne@write-mentor.com for
more information on how to sponsor the newsletter in the future, including
costs etc). This
week’s sponsor is one of our former mentors, Holly Race. 'If
you’re a novelist who’s always been interested in writing for screen, then
online course Screenwriting for Novelists is for you! Let author and script
editor Holly Race guide you through the differences between novel-writing and
scriptwriting in a mix of video and text lessons as well as exercises to help
you write your first script. 'I
can confirm it is AMAZING!’ - Lorraine Brown, author of Uncoupling, whose
script The Love Issue was
produced by Reel One after taking the course.
Hub Calendar (all times GMT/BST)
This is
is just a few of the many sessions/opportunities that happen every month in
the Hub and are all available
on catch-up if you join now. Also on offer
WriteMentor Spark is a monthly, online 1-2-1
mentoring service. We also have group mentoring available. WriteMentor
Magazine
Issue 12 out now! Buy
your copy here! Podcast Episodes: Watch here. Listen here. Find our
archive of blog posts
on writing advice and craft tips, plus author/agent/ industry professionals
interviews and much more here. The Final Word
Make obsession your identity By Stuart White I read a
bit of non-fiction, alongside children’s fiction, when I have time (usually
in bed, or on a train, or whatever - you know what it’s like, I’d love to
read more) and often those are self-help books, or at least books which will
give me a new perspective on my life, and attaining my goals as a writer. Recently
it’s been Atomic Habits by James Clear (he does a great newsletter FYI) and
he talks a LOT about identity and its role in helping you form solid habits
and achieve your goals. I’ve had
a strange relationship with my identity my whole life - others can easily identify
you if you allow them. If you don’t give them enough clues externally, it can
be hard for them to correctly identify you internally. But
ultimately we are in control of our identity. It’s an internal thing, it
comes from us. Whatever others say, you can ignore that, and become whoever
you wish to be. I’m not
sure most of my non-writing friends would have identified me as a writer, at
least not until this year when I started waving my book in their face and
telling them to buy a copy or 10! They would
have said, ‘Oh look it’s Stuart, he’s a rugby player, or a teacher, or a Dad,
or he’s a Star Wars nerd, or he recites long passages from Lord of the Rings
when he’s had a few too many whiskies.’ Something
along those lines. But for
the best part of 15 years, I have identified as a writer. I remember updating
my Twitter bio to reflect this when I joined it, a long time ago, in a galaxy
far, far away from the current Twitter galaxy! And
that’s okay that I only revealed this side of myself to those who I associated
with there - that’s the joy of being in control is being able to pick and
choose where you reveal it. In
Atomic Habits, James Clear is a fan of reminding us that identity forms
habits. And by
this he simply means, if we state, out loud, or to ourselves, that we’re a
writer, then we are far more likely to write regularly, to form that habit. And if
we don’t write regularly, we feel that part of our identity slipping away and
fading. All
seems logical enough. And I do believe in that - when I state publicly that I
am going to be into shape, I am far more likely to keep attending the gym,
for example. It improves my self-discipline, so that even when I’m not
motivated I do it. Self-discipline
is the key to maintaining a habit, because motivation will not always (or
never!) be there to help inspire you. For
writers, we must just simply show up every day, and hit the keys, because if
we only wait for our ‘muse’ or ‘inspiration’ or any of that other crap, we’ll
never get things done. Trust
me, I’m a wally who has wasted so much time waiting around for it to strike
me. So,
identifying as a writer is the first step to becoming a writer. To forming a
solid writing habit. To improving the self-discipline to sit down and write
rather than waiting for a space unicorn to fly down and help thrust you into
orbit and fly you to the moon. Now it’s
time to take things a step further, to really ramp up the ante. I am an
obsessive person - I do things on an all or nothing basis, which is why I
find regular habit forming really, really hard. I often have to be externally
accountable to someone (like the thousands who read this newsletter every
week!) in order to get something done. There’s
no shame in that - I know myself well enough to acknowledge that. But then
again, is this just an identity I’ve convinced myself that I have? Am I
innately all or nothing, or could I change my identity and become a habit
former? A regular, repeatable, small chunk task, kinda guy? If I’m
honest, I could. I really, really could. So maybe
this is me stating publicly, and making myself externally accountable to
people that I will try to (no! DO or DO NOT. There is no try!)…okay, fine. I
WILL change my identity. And in doing so, by the laws of causality and habit
forming, this will embed the self-discipline to sit down each day and make
small steps towards a large goal, rather than trying to achieve things in the
most intense burst possible, like the old way. Great. I
really think we’re getting somewhere, doctor. What’s your hourly rate again?
I might book in for another session next week. Seriously
though, this feels like therapy - are you feeling it? What are you changing
about your identity right now, that will help you form a new habit? And
lastly, because even if I do form a new, healthier approach to things and my
new habits make less of an all or nothing person, we need to talk about
obsession. I often
tell people ‘I am an obsessive person…’ And I am. But am I
because I identify that way, or because of my actions, which inform my identity? It’s one
of those infinite loops that cycle round, like the chicken and egg thing
(actually, there’s any easy answer to that, which is the egg. I’ll explain
the answer to that later, but think evolution from a common ancestor), and
sometimes I think, at forty years old, that I’m too set in my mindset to
change. But
that’s also not true. I could change. Sure, it would be hard, and I’d tearing
up the roots of my very deeply embedded and long attached identity, but I
could do it. So why
don’t you, Stu? Huh? Practice what you preach and all that, my son! I have
an alternative hypothesis on this specific thing. And
that’s to double down on my ‘flaw’ or my identity, or whatever you call it.
Obsession can be my new superpower. Instead of looking at it as something
bad, that means I can’t form new habits, and I can’t work regularly on
something in small chunks, I’m going to channel that obsessive nature into
being obsessed about my new habits. But I’ll
go further and say, why not use that same obsessive identity and simply say,
to myself and others, that I am obsessed with writing, and reading, and
anything that will help me become a better writer. Make
obsession my strength, not my weakness. Make it the embodiment of my whole
identity, so that people will say when they meet me or talk to me ‘Hey, that
guy is obsession with writing.’ Not a
bad goal, huh? I’m
going to try it this week - I’m not going to tweet about anything except
writing. I’m not going to spend my ‘free time’ on anything but writing. I’m
going to go to bed thinking about writing, waking up and standing in the
shower, standing in the playground on duty - whatever the situation, when I
have a spare second to think, I’m going to be obsessive about writing. I’ll let
you know how it goes. And if
you have anything you’d like to change about your writing identity to help
you form new habits, why not try the same? Writing
can be lonely, but it doesn’t need to be. May the
Force be with you! Stuart, Florianne, Melissa and Emily
© 2023 Stuart White
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