StoryGodmother Newsletter #23
Hello!
Hello! Hope you’re doing well. How in the name of strawberry tea are we nearly at the end of July? It’s round about now that I start to feel the year galloping away from me – so I’m making the most of the time available. Over the next couple of months, I’ll be getting my head down and editing a novel for children, editing a novel for adults (no... not that kind) and writing draft 1 of a feature film script.
There are many exciting things I’m bursting to share with you, but it’s one of the frustrations of the industry that sometimes we have to just shut up and keep secrets. There is, however, something finger-wigglingly fun I can share.
Introducing the...
STORY GODMOTHER WRITING COMMUNITY
I’ve been asked to set up a writing community on Facebook for a while and I’m happy to say it’s finally done! I was aware that I have a lot of readers following me on my Amy Sparkes Author page who might not necessarily be interested in writing so it wasn’t really the place to delve into writing craft on a regular basis, and I’m not active on Twitter/X any more, where I used to share weekly writing tips.
So, for those of you are who interested in connecting, networking and receiving additional tips and advice, here’s the link to join:
Story Godmother Writing Community
It’s a private group and a safe space to share and grow as a writer. And it’s absolutely free. Please do feel free to share the link with other writers who you think would benefit from the group. Looking forward to connecting with you there.
FREE WEBINAR
As I also write scripts and recently released my writer-director debut micro-short film (thank you to everyone who has watched it already – you can view for free here: Things We Do For Love on Vimeo), I’ve also had a lot of people asking me to run a screenwriting session. So... I’m delighted to offer a FREE Story Godmother subscriber-only webinar on moving from children’s books into screenwriting, how the industry works, and the similarities and differences between writing books and scripts.
It's on Tuesday 6th August from 7pm until I'm done (8ish probably).
There are limited spaces available and because of the way Eventbrite charges I've had to divide the tickets up into three groups. They're all for the same event though, so if one group is sold out, please try the others.
RESOURCES
5 (five) steps to being a happier writer
1) Say yes
Be positive and push yourself out of your comfort zone. You’ll discover new things about yourself, boost your commercial marketability and learn new skills. Take opportunities, take risks, take steps towards achieving your dreams. Don’t let fears hold you back. Find ways to make things happen, after all, you don’t know if you don’t try. But also...
2) Say no
It’s absolutely alright to say NO. If something really doesn’t feel comfortable to you, or you tried it and you didn’t like it, then maybe it just isn’t for you. Not everyone has to speak at big events or dance around on Instagram. Be authentic – who you are is important.
And if people ask you to do something which is going to take up too much of your time, money or resources, then you are absolutely allowed to say no. You need to understand what the right life-work balance for you is, and this may change with your circumstances.
At the start of a writing career, or as you are trying to break through, it can be tempting to do everything out of enthusiasm, desperation or fear that you’re not pleasing agents or publishers enough, and this can lead to resentment or mental or physical burnout. It also leaves you less time to actually write, which is what you signed up for in the first place!
Check in with yourself and see what you’re enthusiastic about and what (if you’re honest) just makes your heart sink. Look after yourself. You have limited time and energy so use them wisely.
3) Be you
Being authentic is important right across the board. There’s no point in pretending to be someone you’re not (unless you are deliberately creating a writer persona for performance purposes). Being you –and understanding who that is – helps you direct your energy in the best possible way. Find and connect with the people who ‘get’ you because those relationships are likely to last. Invest in the projects and stories you really care about because those stories are likely to be your best. You will feel happier, more comfortable and more creatively satisfied – and these things mean you’re more likely to keep going for longer!
4) Be your best boss
The best bosses look after their workers. Be a kind, compassionate, encouraging and motivating boss to yourself. Give yourself time off and holidays – these are good for your productivity as well as your physical, mental and emotional health.
Allow yourself to spend time and money on personal and professional development. Also allow yourself to spend time and money to celebrate achievements. Don’t beat yourself up if you have to miss a deadline (whether that’s self-imposed or external) – life happens to us all, and we are all human.
Take yourself out at least once or twice a year and do an appraisal. Focus specifically on how you’re progressing with your work, and what you need to take things to the next level, how happy you’re feeling, where you’re feeling frustrated, where you want to head next... as well as reflecting on and celebrating what you’ve achieved since the last appraisal.
5) Have fun
I cannot emphasise this enough. Writing is hard – so hard. Learning the craft is challenging enough, but mustering the energy to keep going when doors remain firmly closed is incredibly difficult. BUT the more fun you have with your writing, the more you will want to delve into the craft, and the more you will want to continue. Keep it as fun as you can. Write the stories you enjoy. Join a writing community. Be honest about your frustrations but channel that frustration into positive action. Take the pressure off now and then (especially during challenging times) and write something simply for pleasure – reconnect with the wonder of writing for writing’s sake. And you’ll fall in love with it all over again.
CHARACTER CORNER
You learn as much from your character’s whispers as you do from their shouts.
It’s helpful to listen to what your character says, but also tune in to the things that they struggle to say. Where are their silences? What are the words they find difficult to say out loud to other characters? How does this reflect their internal conflict? Are they shouting something, but really whispering something completely different? It can take time to get to the heart of a character, just like it can take time to really get to know another person. Be patient with your characters and listen carefully and gently for the whispers.
(For more on this, check out my ‘Dealing with Dialogue’ course this autumn).
TEACHING
Thank you to everyone who came on my Emotional Connection and Rhyming Masterclass sessions earlier this month. I’ve got an exciting autumn programme running with insightful, fun and affordable teaching. Tickets will be available within the next few weeks, but in the meantime, here are some dates for your diary:
Writing Chapter Books (6 weeks) – Tues 3rd September – Tues 15th October (Tues 17th September week off)
NEW! Top 10 Brilliant Character Hacks (2 weeks) – Thurs 5th & Thurs 12th September
Dealing with Dialogue (2 weeks) – Weds 25th September & Weds 2nd October
What’s the Story? Everything You Need To Know To Nail Your Story (2 weeks) – Weds 9th & 16th October
There will also be some extra sessions announced later, including my sell-out ‘Level Up’- a game-changing, three-week course about getting the most out of yourself as a writer; and my 6-week ‘Writing Middle Grade Books’ course. I will also be re-running the 'Emotional Connection course', so keep an eye open.
As always, please do get in touch if there’s an area of writing craft, you’re keen to explore and if I don’t already have a course on it, I’ll put one together!
COMPETITIONS
FREE COACHING COMPETITION
For those of you who are new to this, as a thank you for subscribing to the newsletter and to help coaching become accessible to all, I offer a FREE 30-minute coaching session over Zoom (worth £30 – no strings attached) via a lucky draw every newsletter, for anyone who would like to take part.
For more on the coaching sessions, please see my Coaching page.
If you would like to enter, please email comps@storygodmother.co.uk with COACHING 22.7.24 in the subject line and you will be entered into the draw. All entries must be received by the Wednesday after the newsletter is sent out. So, in this case, please get your entries in by Wednesday 24th July 23:59BST.
I will contact the lucky winner directly, so if you haven’t heard anything, please assume you’ve not won this time, but please do try again next time! If you’ve already won a free coaching competition, please can you refrain from entering again this year to give other people a chance to win. Thank you.
Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize
The submission window for this opens in just SIX WEEKS' time. The competition will be open for submissions from 1st September 2024 to 31st October 2024 and has a picture book and chapter book category. This year we will be asking for the WHOLE chapter book manuscript to be submitted at the beginning, with no opportunity for editing as this helps the competition run smoothly and without unnecessary delays - please make sure your submissions are completed and as polished as they can be!
Submission details will be available nearer the time, but in the meantime, get writing those books!
END NOTES
If you’ve found this newsletter helpful, please do spread the word to other writers you know – the more, the merrier!
Thanks for reading. Happy writing.
Story Godmother.
