Happy New Year to you! I hope you had a fantastic festive period and that 2026 will be a wonderful year for you, filled with many writing adventures! 

I’ve got so many exciting things in the pipeline for writers this year and several of my own writing projects that are moving towards fruition. Please do check out my newsletter for readers – there will be exciting news about my books and projects this year, including competitions and bonus content for subscribers only.

RESOURCES

The Power Of The Plan

Despite being probably the most disorganised person you could meet, when it comes to writing, there’s always a plan. Partly, it’s because I am the breadwinner for my rather large family, and if I don’t have a plan, there will be hungry tummies. Partly, it’s because I am so excited for different projects, that I need to find a way to fit them all in. Partly, it’s because I know if I don’t plan, it will descend into procrastination, loss of momentum and ultimately, nothing.

There is, without a doubt, power in planning when it comes to your writing life. (Not necessarily for storytelling – that’s a subject for another time!) I spoke a little about it at the end of last year, but it’s worth mentioning again at the beginning of 2026.

As you get back into the swing of life (if you were “un-swinging” over the festive period), take time to think about your projects. Now is the time to think about realistic goals, which will be very different for different people. Set yourself deadlines. Identify what resources you personally need to meet them – whether that’s time, money, skills, or whatever. 

Write down a list of all the stories bursting to come out of you. You may not write all of them, but seeing them written down can be very inspiring. Sometimes you get new ideas from old ones. I recently discovered a list from around 10-15 years ago (Instagram) which was fascinating. There are some ideas on there that I’d been revisiting, without realising how old they actually were. With maturity as a writer, I can tackle them now, and have developed the creative flair and voice to do them justice. Others I had forgotten about, but still have potential in some form.

Consider your resources wisely and plan accordingly. I cannot stress this enough. Unless you have unlimited funds, spend wisely, and invest in whatever you think is going to bring you the most benefit.

Be very careful of anyone promising that ‘taking this course’, or ‘booking into this programme’ is going to drastically improve your chances of securing an agent or a book deal. These people are interested in selling – but unless someone has actually seen your writing, how do they know? Reach out to writers who are the step above you on the ladder and ask them what they feel genuinely helped them the most. And remember, this may be different for different people.

Be mindful of how much time you spend on social media vs actually writing. It’s lovely to be part of a writing network, and enjoy the support of the lovely writing community, HOWEVER, books will not write themselves. Fundamentally, if you want to sell a book, you need to spend time writing a really good book that will sell. Competition is huge, publishers are picky. Spend your time wisely.

 It’s also worth having a good look at anything that generates FOMO. It can be tempting to want to try and do everything, or the same things your contemporaries are doing, but always ask whether it’s actually right for you, right now. Is this the most beneficial use of your time, money and energy? Sometimes the answer is probably not. This why it’s so important to take time to understand what is right for you this year. Make a plan. Be flexible, of course, but understand your goals and your methods for achieving them.

Finally, I’d say when you’re working out your plan and goals, it’s always lovely to include something that feels like you’re doing it purely for the love of storytelling, books or reading. Something that has nothing to do with external validation from publishers, crit groups, agents, or even readers. Something that brings you joy, or brings others joy. It might be contributing to a charity, like perhaps volunteering with Beanstalk (Coram Beanstalk) and helping children with their reading. Or writing poems for a website unpaid. Even just writing a short story that is purely for your own enjoyment. Something that either reminds you of why you love writing, or doing something for the world somehow that is nothing to do with a business model. Using your gifts and passions in this way can bring such a sense of fulfilment and make such a difference, to you and others.

Happy 2026 – may it be enjoyable and productive, however you spend it.

CHARACTER CORNER

It can be difficult trying to kickstart again after a festive break (if you had one!) So here’s a character-based writing exercise for you. Every character – like every person – will have their own opinions, attitudes and beliefs. These will be shaped by personality, experience, society and other factors. Some may be shared in common with others. Some may be more personal and individual to each character.

Pick a handful of your characters. They don’t need to be from the same story. Or the same genre. Just the character as a character. Ask them a few questions and see what they come back with.

Top tip: write back in the first person as if your character is talking  to you directly. You can choose your own questions, or if you’re in need of a starting point, try these:

1. What is the most important thing to you?

2. Who is the most important person / animal / being / other character to you, and why?

3. If you could solve any problem, what would it be?

If you like this, keep an eye open for my Story Godmother writing craft book Walking With Characters, which will be coming out later this year!

WRITING COURSES & EVENTS

Thank you so much to everyone who gave suggestions of courses for 2026 – my list is now a full side of A4 long! And I’m very up for running all of them. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but courses running this year will include:

• How to make scenes work effectively (see below!)

• Writing historical fiction

• Nailing character voice

• Characters wants / needs and how they link to plot

• How to pitch effectively

• Rhyming masterclass

• How to create a series

• Writing middle grade books (part 1 and 2)

• Creating engaging, effective chapters

• Deep dive into picture books

And several others! Keep an eye open on social media and this newsletter. You can also follow me on Eventbrite to be notified automatically as soon as a new course is listed. Sessions will also be recorded and available for a limited time if you can’t attend.

SCENE SENSE

Thursday 8th January at 7pm

Speaking of which – we kick off teaching with ‘Scene Sense’, THIS THURSDAY.  Some of you were asking for a re-run of the ‘Scene Sense’ course I’ve run previously, to help tighten up scenes. Stories are comprised of scenes, so it really makes sense to be able to nail them. Once I grasped how to write effective scenes, it was an absolute game-changer for me.

In this session, we’ll be looking at:

• Different types of scenes

• Creating powerful dynamics

• Emotional moments

• Memorable and strongly visual scenes

• Timing and delivery

• Identifying and committing to what your scene intends to achieve

The session is recorded and available for a limited time after the event.

Tickets £13 (plus Eventbrite admin fee) and available here:

Scene Sense Tickets, Thu 8 Jan 2026 at 19:00 | Eventbrite

WINTER WRITING CHEER

I’m excited to say that Winter Writing Cheer is kicking off this month and running throughout January and February. For those new to the scheme, Winter Writing Cheer exists to help writers improve their writing through access to free, discounted and affordable events and services, whilst raising funds for charity. Over the last few years, this has focused exclusively on Alzheimer’s Research UK instead of being spread over several charities. Each year we aim to raise £1000 together, and have so far raised £3114.98 for Alzheimer’s Research UK! Thank you all so much for your participation, donations and support. I couldn’t do this without you! So many people have been touched by Alzheimer’s, directly or indirectly, and I sincerely hope that sooner rather than later, we can find successful treatments or prevent the condition completely. 

You can read more about the Winter Writing Cheer initiative here: #WinterWritingCheer – The Story Godmother

And more about the charity here:  Alzheimer's Research UK

If you’d like to visit the fundraising page to check progress or make any donation at anytime, you can do so here: Amy Sparkes is fundraising for Alzheimer's Research UK

Plans are still being finalised but so far include:

• A FREE Story Godmother session

• A discounted online writing craft session

• Discounted Story Godmother services

• An online agent panel

• And more!

100% of money raised goes to the charity. Another newsletter will be sent out with details once the finishing touches are in place! Please do watch this space, and consider joining in and supporting if you can. Feel free to spread the word to other writers if they would like to join in. And hopefully we meet the £1000 target again this year!

MENTORING 2026

Thank you to everyone who applied for the mentoring scheme in November. I wish I could work with everyone! Hopefully, everyone who submitted received a personal reply. If you didn’t, please check your junk folders, and apologies if anything got lost along the way! I have chosen my new mentee and look forward to working alongside them over the next six months.

I hope to be running the scheme again this autumn so please keep your eyes open.

COMPETITIONS

WRITING MAGAZINE CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE

We are getting close to announcing our longlists! Please do keep an eye on Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize 2025 – The Story Godmother and this newsletter for upcoming announcements.

OUT AND ABOUT

I love going out and meeting writers and I’m keen to do more of that in 2026. I had a wonderful time working with the lovely Exeter Writers last year, running a workshop on writing fantasy. If you’re looking for a speaker on any aspect writing craft or writing industry, please do get in touch. I’ll happily do anything from workshops to talks to 1:1s, from small writing group meet-ups to writing festivals!

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, and I’m there to answer any questions you have. 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 otherwise you cannot be admitted.

END NOTES

Thanks for reading! Hope 2026 is a fantastic year for you!

With writerly love,

Story Godmother
x