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Thank you to everyone who entrusted me with their #writementor applications. I’ve now contacted the writers I want to hear more from. I’m sorry if you’re not one of them, but please know I found pleasure in every story I read. It was wonderful to see them ...
I’ve never read like that before. I received 97 applications and I had to read much more quickly than I would usually ...
Agents and editors often talk about stories “springing off the page” and now I think I have a little more understanding of what that means ...
I thought it might be helpful to share a few thoughts on what it was, for me, that made some stories grab my attention ...
1. A sense that the writer had brought something of themselves to their story. This could be their heritage, a distinctive sense of humour, their experiences of family life, their professional experience, their views on a particular issue ...
... it doesn’t really matter how you are present in your work, but I wanted to feel that the writer was there. I guess this is what people call voice.
2. Distinctive characters. Characters with clearly identifiable flaws and personalities. Characters who demand that you read them in a particular voice. Active characters who both make and solve their own problems.
3. A sense that the author has really worked to get inside the mindset of a young child - that the author has respected the child’s feelings and credited them with intelligence.
4. Good craft. Rich, inventive language can really make your story stand out (and not only in lyrical texts). Strong arcs. Strong endings that leave the reader with a clear, takeaway feeling.
So there we are. Those are the main features that really made some stories sing to me. It has been a delight to read your work and I have learnt so much from it ...
So many of you are so close. I didn’t get on to this very programme last year (with a CB) and I know it hurts. Don’t lose heart. Keep critiquing, keep learning and most of all keep writing.
