I just wanted to say thank you for all the fabulous contemporary comedy applications I received in the #writementor summer programme. There was so much warmth and humour among them, it made choosing very difficult. 1/13

I got the impression there were less MG/YA contemp comedy applications than other genres, which is good news for us kids’ comedy writers! Kids need stories that make them laugh out loud and forget their woes, so please don’t stop doing what you’re doing. 2/13

In the meantime, I’d like to share a few #writerstips to chew over while you decide what to do next with your MS. Here goes… 3/13

#1. There’s always something new to learn, no matter how far along you are on your writing journey. My writing, editing, knowledge and confidence have improved vastly over the last 20yrs, but I’ll never see myself as the finished article. 4/13

Years ago I met the writer of a hit TV series who kindly gave me some #writingtips. What surprised me most was when she said she wanted to go on a creative writing course. Surely she’d no need? Now I realise how important it is to always keep learning and honing your craft. 5/13

#2. Show, don’t tell. This came up a lot in the applications I saw & I urge you to google the fandango out of it, as there’s plenty of info about it online. It’s hard to spot at first, but once you start to notice it, you’ll be seeing it everywhere in your MS. 6/13

So (rushed made-up example): Don’t tell us Uncle Bob was so tired he’d almost nodded off on the sofa and that he had a habit of doing that while still holding a drink, which always infuriated Aunt Ada. Instead… 7/13

Show us his eyelids drooping, his lips murmuring, his glass of chianti balanced precariously against his chest. Show us Aunt Ada yelling: ‘If you spill wine on my sofa again, Bob Mapleford, I’ll pour the next glass over your head!’ 8/13

#3. Does your story start in the right place? 1st drafts are for getting the raw material down. 2nd drafts are for moving things around or deleting scenes all together. Make sure your story gets into the action right away. You can drip-feed details as the story progresses. 9/13

#4. Do you need that character? On seeing my opening chapters my agent asked if my MC needed 2 siblings as they seemed a bit redundant. I had to recalibrate how I’d seen the dynamics, but I got rid of the older bro & built the younger sister more into the plot. It worked. 10/13

#5. Likewise, do you need that scene? If a scene isn’t moving the story forward, adding to the suspense, giving us important information, then you probably don’t need it. Redundant scenes simply hold the action up and slow the pace down. 11/13

#6. Does your young MC sound their age? If your MC is 10, they might say “judgy” rather than judgemental, or “that’s cringe” rather than “that’s cringeworthy”. If they say, “I’ll have your guts for garters you impertinent minx!”, you need to eavesdrop on some young’uns. 12/13

Lastly, if you feel crushed by the endless rejections, please read my blog on how long it took me to get pub’d. Keep a record of all positive feedback you receive, stay open-minded and, for the love of god, take a break from Twitter now & again. You’re not missing anything. 13/13