StoryGodmother Newsletter #28 - How to make a stranger laugh...
Happy New Year to you all!
I hope you had a good Christmas / festive season and are looking forward to an exciting 2025. What are your writing goals for this year? Spending some time thinking about them NOW can really make a difference to your year. Some quick tips for goalsetting:
• Keep them realistic – don’t set yourself up to fail. But also, challenge yourself a little.
• Be guided by passion – what is your heart and soul up for this year?
• Set yourself deadlines – give yourself an ideal date to achieve something by and reward yourself if you make it.
• Keep your goals somewhere visible – above your writing desk, on your kitchen cupboard, tucked inside your wallet... whatever works for you. This will help keep them in your mind.
• Be flexible – if something just isn’t working, don’t keep slogging away just because you set a deadline. Adapting is hugely important in the creative process. Rethink a deadline or a project if something doesn’t feel quite right.
Good luck!
I’m looking forward to juggling various projects this year, including writing a feature film script, writing the second book in two different trilogies, launching my debut adult fiction series, finishing a short film (currently in post-production, so we’re nearly there!), and working on the brand new Story Godmother writing craft books! A lovely variety of projects, all approaching storytelling in different ways.
It’s a Shake-Up Year for me, and I’m looking forward to trying new things, writing some non-fiction titles, creating new opportunities for writers (some still in development) and doing things a little differently. Keep your eyes open throughout the year as these changes roll out.
RESOURCES
How To Make A Stranger Laugh
So, how DO you make a stranger laugh? A million different ways, of course, but ultimately, it all comes down to one thing: connection. Driving with a carful of my kids across the country during the Christmas break, we came across a car desperately trying to turn right onto a slow but busy road. He must have been stuck there for ages and judging by the stream of traffic behind me and coming in the opposite direction, it was going to be a while longer. So, we slowed down to let the driver out... he waved thanks, pushed his nose across my lane, and waited desperately for some kind soul on the other lane to let him in. We waited... and waited... he gave me a wave to thank me for my patience... we waited, then, YES! Someone flashed their lights. He turned to me to wave thanks and saw me with both my arms waving in the air in a celebratory cheer and bopping about joyfully in the seat (remember, my car is stationary!). The man burst into laughter and then was on his way, with a big grin on his face.
Why was that so special? Yes, I was being silly, but why did that man laugh at me grinning and cheering? Why did I cheer in the first place? It all comes down to one of the most important elements of writing, which is also one of the most – if not THE – most important element of being human: CONNECTION.
We didn’t exchange a word. We had never met before. We will likely never meet again. But, for that moment, that stranger and I were batting on the same team against insurmountable odds. And we worked together, and we did it. We were connected in a powerful and unique way. And this is exactly how you want your reader to feel. It’s all storytelling – whether it’s these beautiful, random exchanges with a stranger, or winning the heart of a reader with a work of fiction about people who do not exist. Connection is at the heart of it all. Without it, we just exist, and experience in isolation.
There is so much to unpack about connection, and it’s so crucial, that I think I’m going to run a short course on it so I can really do the topic justice. But what I will do here is get you thinking, by offering you the questions below to ponder upon. Make yourself a cuppa and write your answers down; give them some time and thought. See what you come up with.
- Think about a book that you read (or started to read) and didn’t click with. How did that make you feel?
- Think about a book that you loved. How did it make you feel? Can you identify why?
- Think about a character you just couldn’t ’get’. How did that make you feel?
- Think about a character you adored. Why do you think that was?
- Think about one of your best real-life (that’s a ‘thing’) relationships. How did you initially connect? Why do you still connect?
- Think about your reader. Why do you think they will connect with your character, or the voice of the book? What kind of readers do you think your book will attract?
CHARACTER CORNER
A little writing exercise to help you warm up to 2025, building on the theme of ‘connection’. Don’t worry about story or concept or anything like that. Just focus on character.
Come up with any character. Get a clear sense of who they are, key personality adjectives, likes, and an understanding of their viewpoint on life.
Now think about a character who will absolutely drive them to distraction. This is often a character who is their complete antithesis. What does that character look like? Can you get a sense of how these two characters would wind each other up?
If you’ve got time, write a quick scene, or dialogue exchange, between these two characters about anything. It could be as simple as two cousins at a family gathering. Two gymnasts at a competition. Two children who are strangers at a park but both want to go on the swing. Show their clashing characteristics.
Now create an incident which transforms that dynamic, and suddenly gets them batting on the same team. Something which unexpectedly and suddenly unites them. What does that look like? How do things change?
FREE "CHRISTMAS" Q&A
Thank you to everyone who came along and celebrated 2024! It was a pleasure to spend the evening with you. If you were one of the lucky winners and won a coaching session or a free course, please do drop me a line to arrange your prize!
I’ll be running another free session once we’re in the swing of 2025, so keep your eyes open.
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. We can talk about anything. Your WIP... plotting problems... how to get an agent... aardvarks... Anything you like.
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 5.1.25 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 8th January 23:59GMT.
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!
*N.B. If you’ve already won a free coaching competition in 2024, please feel free to enter again this year - it all starts afresh each year.
WRITING MAGAZINE CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE
Congratulations to the writers of the following titles which were longlisted for the Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize.
Picture Book Category
B.A.N.G.
Bobble and Pip
Jenny Has the Jiggles
Pandora’s Box
ROGG
SAD – Secretly A Dinosaur
Skye and the Viking Dragon Boat Adventure
The Kiss You Might Miss
The Never Ending Birthday
The Swing
Chapter Book Category
Bronwyn the Bookworm
Derek versus Doldrum and the Pancake Pandemonium
Hattie Houdini and the Magic Trick Trickster
Fliss Grey and the Midnight Dance
Ryce’s Story
Sid-Sters
Summer at Robo Sphere
The Felix Files: The Earl’s Missing Pearls
The Fungi Fairies: The Mystery of the Stolen Spores
Uncle Ulric’s Home for Unusual Animals
The shortlist is being announced on Story Godmother social media channels on Monday 6th January.
TEACHING
We’re kickstarting 2025 with two popular, longer courses which start THIS WEEK. There’s still time to grab a ticket if you’re interested:
Monday 6th January – Monday 10th February
Writing Middle Grade (6 weeks) - £85
A comprehensive deep-dive into writing middle-grade fiction, including:
• Exploring middle-grade
• Generating and developing your ideas
• Breaking into the market
• Character building
• Structure and plot
• Opening lines
• Effective antagonism
• Weekly Q & A
• Writing exercises / tasks
• Optional extra: Discounted feedback on your opening chapters
Sessions will be recorded and available for a limited time
Tuesday 7th January – Tuesday 11th February
Picture Books: Going Deeper (6 weeks) - £85
Spend six weeks deep-diving into the wonderful world of picture books and hone your writing craft.
Includes:
• Shaping your idea
• Genre, tone and voice
• Create a stunning opening spread
• Small changes = big difference
• Making your text sing
• Analysing texts
• Weekly Q & A each week
Sessions are recorded and available for a limited time.
MENTORING
This is one of the Shake-Ups this year! Whereas I usually work with two individuals on a 6-month 1:1 basis, I’m trying to expand the reach to include more writers, and this year I’m delighted to offer a free 6-month online group mentoring opportunity for FOUR writers.
The opportunity will include:
• Monthly online sessions with me and the whole group
• Monthly online feedback sessions between the writers
• 1:1 online sessions
• Written feedback on work
This year I’m looking for unagented, not-yet-published mentees who consider themselves:
• From a working-class background
• In a financially disadvantaged situation
If you know a writer who fits the bill and would like to apply, please do spread the word! You can find out more and apply here: Mentoring – The Story Godmother
Submissions are open from 13th January until 20th January 2025 (23:59GMT).
I can’t wait to find out who I’m going to be working with!
STORY GODMOTHER WRITING COMMUNITY
Do you use Facebook? Great – join the Story Godmother Writing Community on Facebook. It’s a free, private and friendly group, where writers can share encouragement, thoughts or interesting finds. I also share weekly writing tips, we have a monthly self-promotion slot for everyone’s books (past, present and future), and I’m there to answer any questions you have because I’m on Facebook way too much. Come and join us! Story Godmother Writing Community
It’s a private group and a friendly bunch – a safe space for you to grow as a writer. And it’s absolutely free. If you request to join, please do make sure you answer the membership questions and agree to the group rules.
END NOTES
Thanks for reading! Wishing you a brilliant, creative and productive 2025!
If you’ve found this newsletter helpful, please do spread the word to other writers you know – the more, the merrier!
With writerly love,
Story Godmother x