Want a free craft guide?

With the following covered:

THE QUERY LETTER

THE SYNOPSIS

OPENING PAGES

STORY STRUCTURE

CHARACTERISATION

CONFLICT

DIALOGUE

GENERAL ADVICE

PICTURE BOOK ADVICE

Click Here

Writing Weekends with top, published authors and agents

Concession prices available.

CODE: WWW40

What we do

We offer a range of programmes and courses to help you develop your craft and industry knowledge at affordable prices.

#WriteMENTOR SUMMER Programme

Our summer programme is a voluntary, and free to apply to, 4 month mentoring period with an agented/published children’s writer, which culminates in an agent showcase.

15 week Courses

Led by Maz Evans (MG) and Lauren James (YA), these intense courses are designed for competent writers to take their work to the next level.

With course notes, feedback on up to 30k of your work, and a 1-2-1 tutorial with the course leader.

Children's Novel Award

Our novel award is for all unpublished and unagented writers of all childrens fiction, from PB to YA.

£10 Entry and up to 30 FREE entries for low-income writers.

ONLINE SHORT COURSES

From our 4 week PB course to our 6 week MG/YA course and our 5 week Preparing for Submission course, we have all the children’s writing courses you need.

With visiting agents, weekly workshops and tutor feedback on all tasks.

WOW-CON

WOW-CON is an all-online writing conference for children’s writers.

With speakers, workshops, agent 1-2-1s and our WOW-PITCH contest, it’s well worth the £10 ticket!

Writing Weekends

We are proud to announce that in 2020, we will be brining writing weekends to you!

With workshops at nearly 50 locations across the UK/IRE, you’re bound to find one local.

With 4 workshops, 10 hours of free writing time and an industry expert 1-2-1 at a quality venue. We also offer payment plans for those who need to spread the cost.

SPARK Mentoring

Our paid for mentoring is perfect for those who need a little help as they draft, or who need extra developmental help on a completed manuscript.

We have a range of mentors involved and with our regular industry expert chats and blog posts, anyone can join our community.

Starting at £10 a month.

Helping children’s writers move along that metaPhorical ladder

MENTEES

signed with agents

publishing deals

Cups Of Coffee

In an age of tl;dr, how to hook your reader … by Emma Read

by | April 28, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

Concerning Hooks The beginning to arguably one of the best books ever written is a twenty-page prologue ‘Concerning Hobbits’.It goes on to provide some fascinating insights into pipe-weedand extensive notes on administrative districts of the Shires. It’s a wonder...
Read More

6 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR WRITING PAY by Simon James Green

by | May 5, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

When I was writing my first novel, Noah Can’t Even, and spending time and money trying to get it ready to submit to agents, I often wondered if I’d ever really make any money back doing this. Sure, having a book published would be a dream come true, and cause for...
Read More

The ‘Write’ Moment – Identifying Obstacles & Finding What Drives You by A.J. Sass

by | June 15, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

There’s never enough time. This seems to be a universal truth, whether you work for a living, attend school full-time, or are a primary caregiver to a child or family member. All of your responsibilities may leave you wondering how you can possibly complete your novel...
Read More

Maintain the tension: Huffing and puffing your way through a saggy middle! by Lindsay Galvin

by | May 27, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 1 Comment

Today’s post was inspired by a workshop I’ve run in schools that links traditional tale plotting to story writing. A common problem in books is a meandering middle. The character has been sent on their adventure to solve their story problem and their problem worsens...
Read More

Sub that Book Baby! by Marisa Noelle

by | June 25, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

  So you’ve written a book, you’ve had beta readers and CPs look at it, you’ve queried it to every last agent in the Writer’s and Artist’s Handbooks, even that one that who’s on a sabbatical to Antarctica, and now you have an agent. (Or maybe you plan to sub to...
Read More

The Road to Publication by Emma Smith-Barton

by | July 22, 2019 | #WriteMentor, #WriteMentor Spark, General, Slider | 0 Comments

“I’ve got an agent! What now?” Before I got my publishing deal, my focus was always on getting an agent. That was the goal, the dream, and I didn’t really think of much beyond that. Back then, in my mind, getting an agent meant getting a publishing deal. But now I...
Read More

Get a routine, get motivated! By Emma Smith-Barton

by | June 3, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

You dream of becoming a professional writer, but in an industry where hard work goes hand in hand with rejection and there’s little, if any, instant gratification, how can you stay motivated to fulfil your dream? Where it all started... I was eleven when I decided I...
Read More

How to keep writing when you have mental ill health – 6 Practical Tips by Kathryn Clark

by | August 18, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

Alongside therapy, medication, and exercise, many people find writing can help to manage their mental health. But there’s a catch: How do you write when depression means just getting out of bed is too hard? Or OCD has you stuck in a loop of some tedious behaviour? Or...
Read More

Three Simple Steps to Writing your Perfect Hook by Julie Marney Leigh

by | February 24, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 1 Comment

Hooks. We’ve all heard about the importance of a good hook. But what exactly is it? And how do we write one? Let’s begin by looking at the elevator pitch – the entire story condensed into one sentence. A daunting prospect! But it doesn’t have to be. Because the...
Read More

#PitchWM

by | March 3, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark, MG, YA | 0 Comments

When: Sunday 3rd March until Friday 8th March 5pm GMT. Where: On Twitter, in reply to the pinned tweet on the @writementor account. How to enter: reply to the pinned tweet, with your best twitter pitch (one per person) using the #PitchWM hashtag. You must also RT the...
Read More

Hope and a Happy Ending (or, How to Write for Younger Readers) by Emma Read

by | June 23, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

  The Age of the Age Range Young Middle Grade, early readers, chapter books? On the 5-7 shelf in WHSmiths, or the 6-8 shelf at Barnes and Noble? Where do they fit, and who are they for? Well, according to Caroline Abbey, senior editor at Random House: ‘Chapter books...
Read More

First Things First by Lindsay Galvin

by | April 21, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

This is the first line to my book The Secret Deep. Forgive me for starting this post with my own writing, but it is relevant, I promise. I rewrote the entire opening of my debut hundreds of times, over the course of nearly five years. And it was worth it because I’m...
Read More

WRITING IS LIKE FISHING by Carolyn Ward

by | March 31, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

Yep – really! If you want to catch yourself a fish, you need a rod, a whole lot of patience, and maybe a bag of maggots.  But before you even get to the river you need to make sure your hook is hooky enough, or you won’t even catch a cold. Too often writers grind...
Read More

All the Feels – Five Steps for Creating Emotional Characters By Julie Marney Leigh

by | August 25, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

Before they begin writing their book, some writers see the setting. They see the place dancing with possibilities in front of their eyes. Some writers know the plot. They know exactly what will happen at the major narrative turning points and the tension that will...
Read More

Inciting Incidents and the ‘New World Order’ — Conflict’s Big Moment by Julie Marney Leigh

by | May 19, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

After this week’s fantastic craft chat, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about inciting incidents in my favourite books. It’s usually ‘the’ moment — the one that hooks me into the story, and makes it impossible to stop reading.  Which is no mean feat, because it...
Read More

Pantsing, Plotting… or Plantsing: Finding Your Planning Process By Jodi Herlick

by | March 10, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

Ah, the age-old question every writer is faced with: Are you a plotter or a pantser? Do you painstakingly outline every scene before you begin writing or do you take a vague idea, sit down, and pound it out without any forethought, flying by the seat of your...
Read More

Openings and Hooks by Chio Zoe

by | April 14, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

In with a bang Welcome to the new age of short attention spans and immediate gratification. You know what I’m talking about. With so much information out there to see, no one has the time to wait for you to get to the point. Now gone are those days of slow starting...
Read More

#WriteMentor Spark mentoring: A Blog Post by Camilla Chester

by | February 26, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

Who?I’m Camilla Chester, a near-miss, now self-published Children’s Author of three middle grade books; Jarred Dreams, EATS and Thirteenth Wish. I am also, one month in to being mentored through the #WriteMentorSpark scheme and I can definitely see the benefits of...
Read More

FIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA BRAND by M. Dalto

by | March 24, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark | 0 Comments

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are, or what you write- as an author you want- nay, need- a social media presence. And not because you need an outlet to spam your book-selling links once they’re available… to be honest, this is the last reason you should want...
Read More

YA (59) DAUGHTER OF A SPIRIT EATER by Samantha Cook

by | August 30, 2019 | #WriteMentor, #WriteMentor Spark, Agent Showcase, YA | 0 Comments

DAUGHTER OF A SPIRIT EATER is a young adult contemporary fantasy set on a mystical island off the coast of Shanghai. It’s told from two points of view and is complete at 74,000 words. The magic in DAUGHTER OF A SPIRIT EATER is comparable to Cardcaptor Sakuraand the...
Read More

The Road to Publication by Emma Smith-Barton

by | July 22, 2019 | #WriteMentor, #WriteMentor Spark, General, Slider | 0 Comments

“I’ve got an agent! What now?” Before I got my publishing deal, my focus was always on getting an agent. That was the goal, the dream, and I didn’t really think of much beyond that. Back then, in my mind, getting an agent meant getting a publishing deal. But now I...
Read More

Never Give Up. Never Surrender.

by | October 1, 2018 | #WriteMentor, General | 0 Comments

Every time I finish a book—at least to the point where I feel like I’m ready to send it off to my agent (or, in the past, begin querying)—I think I’ve got a handle on this whole writing process. I’ve written something, and I think it’s pretty darn good. What happens...
Read More

A Room With a View – Writing Spaces – Emma Finlayson-Palmer

by | August 15, 2018 | General | 1 Comment

I'm writing this whilst on a family holiday to Scotland. My room with a view for the week looks out across the Beauly Firth at Inverness. Stunning views, inspiring scenery, I'd like to pack it in my bag and take it home with me. So how do I create the next best thing,...
Read More

Are you ready to be a writer? by Clare Helen Welsh

by | September 9, 2019 | #WriteMentor, General | 1 Comment

It is widely considered that almost everyone, at some point in their life, will want to write a book. For me that happened in 2013. With no experience, no obvious talent, no clue what I was doing (!) …I began my writing journey after putting it on a ‘bucket list’ of...
Read More

Brandy Woods Snow – MEANT TO BE BROKEN – Author Interview

by | September 3, 2018 | General, Mentor Books | 0 Comments

1. Congratulations on having your novel published. Tell us a little about the novel. Thank you! MEANT TO BE BROKEN is a YA contemporary romance that explores the thin line between truth and lies in a small town in the Deep South. It is a story about a reluctant...
Read More

Bath Novel Awards by Melissa Welliver

by | September 19, 2018 | General | 0 Comments

Thursday 13thSeptember in 2018 was a doubly fabulous day for me. Number one, because it was my lovely Dad’s 65thbirthday (hi, Dad!) and number two, because I was lucky enough to longlist for the Bath Novel Awards and subsequently get invited down to the awards...
Read More

DO IT THE WRITE WAY By Emma Finlayson-Palmer

by | August 4, 2019 | #WriteMentor Spark, General | 0 Comments

In this blog I’ll be discussing some of the benefits of creative writing for your mental health and alleviating stress. Writing and being creative has provided an outlet for many people across the ages. Creative writing can be a journey of self-discovery and a release...
Read More

#WriteMentor 2018 Mentee Feedback Questionaire

#WriteMentor 2018 Mentee Feedback Questionaire

#WriteMentor 2018 Mentee Feedback Questionaire

#WriteMentor 2018 Mentee Feedback Questionaire

Let’s Start Something new
Say Hello!