The joy of other writers
We’re all in this together
We’ve had the pleasure of welcoming loads of new Jericho Writers members this weekend, so I thought it would be apt to pause to celebrate the joy of having other writers in our lives. In this newsletter, we have different ways to connect with your community, opportunities coming up and a passion piece on how other writers can make everything a whole lot easier.
BURSARY: Win a free place on the Self-Edit Your Novel Tutored Course
The deadline is fast approaching to win a free place on January’s sold-out tutored course with Debi Alper and Emma Darwin. If you’re an under-represented writer, we urge you to apply for this one. Deadline 20 December.
This week at Jericho Writers:
MEMBER EVENTS: Member ZOOM and flash fiction (Member exclusive)
Join us on Thursday 2 December for our monthly member ZOOM call to meet writers from all over the world and ask us your questions. On 6 December, we also have an exciting flash fiction event with Kathy Fish.
MASTERCLASS: Masterclass of the week – Sarah Pinborough (Member Exclusive)
One of my all-time favourite keynotes at the Festival of Writing, Sarah Pinborough’s speech is funny, warm, and also shows that there’s never just one track to success.
TUTORED COURSES: Short Courses 2022 dates added (10% discount for members)
For those of you who are eager to kickstart your writing journey in the new year, why not sign-up for one of our short (4-6 weeks) tutored writing courses? The 2022 dates for our Writing for Children course with Eleanor Hawken and our Creative Non-Fiction course with Sam Jordison are all live on our website. These online courses are run by our expert tutors and are open to writers from across the world.
BLOG: How to find inspiration for your writing
If your creative well has run dry and you’re panicking that you’ll never be inspired again, no need to worry – YA and children’s writer, Patrice Lawrence MBE, shares with us all the fun ways she has ignited her imagination when penning her award-winning books.
SUCCESS STORY: Joanna Cannon
We were recently in receipt of the wonderful news that Joanna Cannon will be editing a mental health collection for Borough Press. In the blog below, Joanna reflects on her time at the Festival of Writing, winning Friday Night Live and it all beginning with seven (!) offers of representation.
The joy of other writers
When the time came to see my book in print for the first time, I felt a weird sense of disconnect looking at my name on the cover. Although I poured twelve years of hard graft into that book, it felt strange to have it just dedicated to me – like I somehow did all of that alone.
But I didn’t.
That book was workshopped on a tutored course, moulded by writers that I still consider to be close friends to this day. It was written in cafes alongside other writers also trying to up their word count. Plot problems were solved on long walks with friends; characters were changed after feedback from mentors; sentences were honed with the help of beta readers.
I strongly believe that my first book would not have been written if it wasn’t for the help and support of other writers. And I believe that for every book I’ve written since, too.
Writing might be something we largely do away from other people, but we don’t need to feel alone. In my experience, the writing community is made up of some of the most generous, brilliant people in the world. It welcomes people who have never written a word, as well as those who’ve written millions.
If you’re new to the writing community, do reach out and start making those connections. We have a Member ZOOM call on Thursday for those of you who like to put faces to names. We also have an online community you can join for free any time, tutored courses and even mentoring (should you need a writer with a bit more experience to lend a hand!) And of course, the Jericho Writers team is made up of writers ourselves – just get in touch.
Sarah J
Plus, don’t miss:
One-to-one sessions (10% discount available)
We still have slots left to chat with top literary agents from the UK and US. Each agent or book doctor will read your work in advance of this fifteen-minute call and is a great way to beat the slushpile. You can even choose your preferred agent and date/time.
Developmental editing (10% discount available)
If you want all the rigour offered by a Big-Five publishing house, but without the contracts and confusion, we’ve got you covered. A developmental edit offers you in-text comments throughout your manuscript offering in-depth feedback on your work, and a sixty-minute conversation with your editor to get that manuscript in perfect shape before you start submitting.
Manuscript Assessment (10% discount available)
Give your manuscript the best chance of succeeding with detailed editorial feedback from a professional book editor.
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