StoryGodmother Newsletter #13
Hello!
Hello everyone! Hope you’re having a lovely summer. The newsletter this time is going to be really, really short as I know everyone is busy with summer-ness. I just wanted to flag up some opportunities.
SUMMER WRITING CHEER
This has launched for the summer. If you missed it, you should be able to find #SummerWritingCheer on various social media platforms:
Facebook: AmySparkesAuthor
Instagram: sparkes_amy
Twitter: AmySparkes
Mastodon: @storygodmother@wandering.shop
You can also find me on LinkedIn.
As a heads-up in case you missed it, this is week 1 offer:
Week 1:
With an absolute bonus price of £10 a ticket, you can come along and learn about troubleshooting character, including allocated time for Ask Me Anything about character creation or problems you’re having with your characters. All the money raised from ticket sales goes to Alzheimer’s Research UK, so it’s a great way to raise money for charity whilst improving your craft.
Character Troubleshooting - Wed, Aug 30th at 7:30pm BST
Week 2
Week 2 offer comes out tomorrow (Monday 14th), so please check it out on your platform of choice!
EVENTS & COURSES
Middle Grade Weekend
If you’re interested in honing your middle-grade writing (whether you’re a beginner or been writing MG for a while), keep a look out for this. I’m hoping to run the weekend in October.
Summer One-Weekers on Wednesdays
I'm running a few extra sessions over the summer, for anyone who would like to keep up momentum or missed them last time around! These micro-courses focus on the finer details of writing rather than the typical ‘character, plot, structure’ overview. They use a fine-toothed comb to help make stories stronger, and writers more confident.
Courses are usually a bit quieter as it’s summer, so they’re ideal for a bit more interaction and a chance to ask questions. We've had "Make 'em Laugh" and "How to Unquiet you Text" so far, and I've really enjoyed the atmosphere we've had. Still to come this summer are:
The power of why?
Wednesday 16th August, 7.30PM
The crucial questions writers often forget to ask.
Scene sense
Wednesday 23rd August, 7.30PM
Get the most out of every single scene you write.
Ticket sales are up and are £17 each. There will be more brand new courses coming in the autumn, so keep your eyes open, or follow me on Eventbrite.
Write Mentor WOWCON 2023
Friday 22nd September, 5pm-7pm 
I’m excited to be kicking off the Write Mentor WOWCON 2023 writing festival for the second year running. This year I’m running a 2-hour workshop to help you ‘Create A Chapter Book Series’.
For more information and to book a ticket, check out the link on write-mentor.com
WRITING CRITIQUE SERVICE
I’m now taking bookings for September feedback services. There are FOUR slots available this month for picture book, chapter book or middle grade books up to three chapters. Details of the pre-built packages I offer are on my website but you can also contact me with any bespoke requirements.
If you’d like to grab a slot or would like to find out more, please contact me at: sparkles@storygodmother.co.uk
UPCOMING EVENTS
WRITING MAGAZINE CHILDREN’S BOOK PRIZE
Just a reminder that the submission window for this great competition is 1st September – 31st October. So get working on your picture book and chapter book stories. There’s more info about the prize on my website.
END NOTES
I’ll leave you in peace now. Have a lovely rest of summer!
If there’s anything you’d like covered in the newsletter in the Resources section, please do let me know at sparkles@storygodmother.co.uk and I’ll see what I can do.
Thanks very much!
Story Godmother.