And other World Book Day fantasticness…. (title courtesy of Foxes class, Crowhurst School)
Happy World Book Day!
What have you managed to do today? Make an outfit for a teeny tiny person, possibly with a stapler and some sticky tape (sorry, just me, then)? Did you turn your own self into a book character? Read a little?
I’m having a kind of World Book Month. I’ve joined Reedsy, an editor’s marketplace, which allows authors to reach me direct to edit their work. I love it and I’m working on some wonderful stuff. It’s made me think about how closed off the editing world can be to new authors.
With this in mind, I’ve decided to open the doors for direct business. If you have a book, or a book idea – kids, adult, YA – feel free to get in touch about it, letting me know what age range, its general word count and what you’d like to see done, be it a proofread, a copyedit, an edit or a developmental edit. A bit of sample text can also help. Send details on my contact form and I’ll be sure to get back to you with an idea of what I can best offer and what I think it will cost.
A writer’s paradise – with chocolate and unlimited tea
I’ve also kickstarted my novel again – 6,000 words so far, and a jumble of some cracking characters. But I only have the amazing STARCROFT FARM CABINS to thank for this! In January, I spent a gorgeous week at their writing retreat, which included a session with writing coach extraordinaire, Joanna Norland. Joanna has her own website and blog, at Mumswrite!, and is a writer and playwright as well. Starcroft is shining bright, featuring only last week in the Telegraph’s Best British Breaks for 2024… so act quickly on this slice of booky beauty.
Another slice of the good stuff – my kids book, I LIKE MAKING THINGS – has been featured in the Children’s Book Council’s ‘Hot off the Press’ section for March. Wow!!!
And last, but never, ever, ever, least – I got to go to my local primary school and talk to kids about how to write and edit a story. See my notes above… and below. I had fun. They had fun. We talked about carrots and ghosts and coffee shops and little gold piggies that can fly. We scribbled.
I used the super effective method of ‘But then’ and ‘Therefore’, which is to say that, after each scene, you link the next scene with a ‘Scene 1 – this happened’ BUT THEN… ‘Scene 2 happened.’ AND THEREFORE ‘Scene 3’ and so on – to be used interchangeably. Find yourself using an ‘AND THEN’ to link the scenes? Don’t do it. It was so so great. We got a story done in quick time. Some kids got so excited they drew all over their notebooks with their new ‘worlds’ and are going to carry on with it – JOB DONE!
