StoryGodmother Newsletter #4
Hello!
Happy New Year to you and welcome to newsletter number 4! It looks like 2023 is going to be a very exciting year for Story Godmother HQ. There is lots more to come.
March Onward Writer will be running again this year.
There are special Writer Days (such as Character Masterclass Day and Fantasy Writing Day) which will be affordable and entertaining days really focusing on the nitty-gritty of certain aspects of writing.
I am also exploring further opportunities to connect writers with other industry professionals so look out for more news!
Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize.
CHRISTMAS GIFT
Just a reminder that as a thank you for being subscribers in 2022, I would love to offer you all £5 of a Story Godmother service booked in January (excluding charity fundraisers). This can include £5 discount for a critique or coaching session, including GroupCoach. The session or critique does not need to take place in January, but please make your booking this month to claim your gift.
To look at various options, please visit the Coaching page on my website. To book, or enquire about affordable critique packages, please contact me at via email and make sure you use the same email address you do for the newsletter.
WRITING MAGAZINE CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE
A massive congratulations to everyone who entered the Picture Book category of the Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize. There were so many brilliant entries and decisions were so tricky that we had to include three highly commended entries!
Many congratulations to the authors of these stories:
Longlisted titles:
Dama and Teylu
Hop It!
Letting Go Of Pebble
Oh YUCKl! That Isn’t Poo!
The Backwards Book
The Seed
The Simple Tale of Slug and Snail
The Snatcher in the Bog
The Unhappy Shadow
We Grow Too
Highly commended:
A Blanket For Red, Hercule Sparrow and the Case of the Broken Web, Soccarella
WINTER WRITING CHEER
Winter Writing Cheer has started! Last week tickets were on sale – and quickly sold out! – for a brilliant Agent Panel Q & A with Julia Churchill (A M Heath Ltd), Sam Copeland (RCW Literary Agency), Gemma Cooper (The Bent Agency) and Jodie Hodges (United Agents).
More tickets have now been released. Grab yours quick before they sell out again – at a brilliantly affordable price of £10 (plus admin) to hear from 4 agents!
Winter Writing Cheer continues tomorrow (Monday 9th January). Be sure to keep an eye on social media channels for the latest opportunities every Monday in January.
There’s also more information about the Writing Cheer initiative on my website.
Resources & Ideas
Introduction
I wanted to share some thoughts about the year behind and the year ahead and the importance of learning. In the creative industries, we often talk about the importance of celebrating every achievement, however small. This is particularly the case when we stand at the beginning of a new year and look back on the old to consider our successes.
Learnings
But as well as taking note of the achievements, I think it’s really important to assess what we have actually learnt. By appreciating and understanding this, we are in a better position to move forward. So, what did you learn in 2022? Perhaps an element of writing craft. Or a better understanding of the market. How are you in a stronger position as a writer starting 2023 than you were starting 2022? Making a list of how your knowledge and skills have developed over the year can be very rewarding. It can also help you plan ahead for 2023. What are the gaps? What are your weaknesses of a writer? What can you do in 2023 to help develop your craft and get yourself in a better place? So when you look back NEXT January, you can clearly see what you have learnt this year.
The Expense
It’s worth noting that this does NOT have to involve buckets of money. You don’t need to have a Masters degree or join expensive programmes, although these can all be great if they are right for you. Shorter, more affordable courses targeted at the areas you want or need to develop are just as effective. But you need to understand and identify what they are for you as an individual. There are also lots of free resources online or webinars you can attend. Working alongside and learning with other writers is also valuable and can be absolutely free. Sharing resources with each other is a brilliant source of learning.
Dealing With Disappointment
If 2022 felt like a disappointing year for you, then the good news is that you have probably learnt something there, too! Perhaps you’ve discovered a certain story really doesn’t seem to be hitting the mark with crit group buddies, agents or publishers. That’s disappointing… but that’s fine. Maybe that’s telling you either something isn’t quite right with your craft, or perhaps these aren’t the stories people are looking for or connecting with at the moment. That can still be useful information. If it’s a story you really feel passionate about, it’s worth continuing to send it out, but also be open to listening and learning from what you get (or don’t get) back. If you consider even the seemingly negative experiences as a learning opportunity nothing is ever wasted. You can turn it into a positive experience which moves you one step closer to achieving your dreams.
BOOK NEWS
The Bookshop At The Back Of Beyond is now out in the wild! Thank you so much to everyone who pre-ordered or who has bought a copy. Even if you haven’t bought from Amazon, it can be hugely helpful to authors if you leave a review there, as it is often where people go to research a book. Thank you ever so much!
For those wondering, ‘Bookshop’ is the third in The House At The Edge Of Magic series and yes, more stories in the world are planned. Walker Books have put together a short promo video for me showing all three currently available!
If you’d like to order a copy of ‘Bookshop’, there are various options for where to buy it here:
As with the whole series, 5% of author royalties are going to baby charity ICP Support.
END NOTES
Thank you for reading the newsletter! If you have any queries, or if there is anything special you would like to see in the newsletter, please do drop me a line.
Best wishes and sparkles,
Story Godmother.