Live events (almost) every day this week!
The mid-summer event extravaganza is here
We’ve got some HUGE live events happening nearly every day for the next week, crossing Membership and the Summer Festival of Writing. Get the lowdown in this newsletter, as well as more success stories, agent spotlights and brand-new tutored courses open to you right now. Let’s do this!
COURSE: Apply for The Ultimate Novel Writing Course 2021-22
FINAL DEADLINE APPROACHING! No other course gives you this level of feedback and guidance on your manuscript. If you’re serious about writing a publishable book this year, submit your application now for either the UK/Europe or the International course.
DOWNLOAD THE PROSPECTUS (UK/EUROPE)
DOWNLOAD THE PROSPECTUS (US/INTERNATIONAL)
This week at Jericho Writers:
TUTORED COURSES: Writing for Children and Creative Non-Fiction (Discounts for members)
Deadlines for our autumn online tutored courses on Writing for Children and Creative Non-Fiction are coming up fast! Do check them out if you’d like guidance on these from an expert tutor and a small class of like-minded writers.
MEMBER EVENT: Building a Picture Book with Hachette’s Ellie Brough (Member Exclusive)
TOMORROW. Ellie will answer some of the most common questions she gets when it comes to picture book writing and demystify the picture book publishing process. Not one to miss if you’re writing in this genre.
EVENTS: Summer Festival events happening this week (Discounts for members)
Join us for a Book Doctor Surgery with Debi Alper and Emma Darwin TODAY; an interview with the amazing Middle Grade author Onjali Q. Raúf on 5 Aug; In Conversation with Lydia Millett on 6 Aug; Revising Your Whole Novel with Rebecca Horsfall on 7 Aug and The Making of Girl A on Monday 9 Aug. Phew!
AGENTMATCH: Spotlight on Angharad Kowal Stannus (Member Exclusive)
Our Spotlight agent this week is Angharad Kowal Stannus: “When I’m reading, I look for that immediate connection to the book, either to the voice of the writer, or something that really pulls me in and interests me from the very beginning.” Read some highlights below and get the full interview on Angharad’s AgentMatch profile.
JOIN US TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW
SUCCESS STORY: An interview with Felicia Yap 6 years on from her Friday Night Live win
This new blog looks at Felicia’s career since she got snapped up by a huge agent after her Friday Night Live win in 2015 and sold her high-concept thriller for a six-figure sum. Completely inspiring stuff.
4 ‘rules’ for writing stories for young children
We have some exciting stuff going on for children’s writers this week, including a member event from Commissioning Editor, Ellie Brough at Hachette; a Summer Festival interview with middle grade hero, Onjali Q. Rauf; and our new Writing for Children tutored course starting in just one month (grab your place now!) Plus, our Writing for Children tutor Eleanor Hawken has taken over our Instagram account. Head over here or search @jerichowriters for prompts, tips, and thoughts throughout the week.
But what are the rules for writing stories for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers? Although rules are always there to be broken, here are some common things you’ll find in books for young children:
1: The ‘good’ guys always win
Generally, books for this age group tend to live in a world where good guys prevail bag guys learn their lesson to be better, more accepting people/animals/monsters. What a lovely world that is.
2: Your voice matters
Be careful with language and choose words that are fun to say, whilst still being simple/clear enough for a young person to understand. This is why writing for this age group is harder than you think!
3: Leave room for the illustrations
The clue is in the name – picture books rely hugely on their illustrators to bring them to life. Ensure your text leaves room for exciting illustrations and isn’t too descriptive.
4: Use all of your senses
Be onomatopoeic in your description of the world, using sights, sounds, touch, taste and smell to describe a world a toddler can relate to. Rhythm, repetition and rhyme can be useful devices to help with this!
What rules do you see being followed and broken in books for this age? Join for free and share them in the Community here.
Sarah J
Plus, don’t miss:
Literary agent one-to-ones (10% member discount)
We’re running one-to-one calls with literary agents and book doctors throughout the summer. Anyone can book one of these – just choose your expert and book a time to suit you.
Mentoring (10% member discount)
Get expert one-to-one help as you write and edit your manuscript with your choice of award-winning mentors.
New Community Book Club (Open to all)
Each month, we’ll be hosting a live meeting with the author of the chosen book for that month, chatting to them about their writing process and asking your questions.
Responses