Writing Craft

Club Ed Conversations: Editing Horror, Middle Grade and YA
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The year before last, the wonderful Jennifer Lawler invited me to speak to her students about editing horror for children and teenagers and of course I jumped at the chance!…

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Resources: Hiring a copyeditor
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If you work with me (or someone else) on a critique or edit, you might decide to continue your publishing journey with another editor. There are several types of professional…

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FAQ: What’s in your contract and how does it protect me?
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Handing your manuscript over to a stranger is scary, I absolutely get it. That’s why I have a really detailed but easy to read, jargon-free contract that I’ll ask you to…

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Nail Your Genre and Give Young Readers What They Want! New course 🎉
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If you struggle to pin down your book’s genre or don’t really understand why it matters when it comes to children’s books, this is the course for you! It comes…

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FAQ: How does payment work at Writer and the Wolf?
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Editing and developing your craft can be super expensive investments. Trust me, I know! I’ve paid for more writing and editing courses than I can count, plus I’ve hired professional…

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Genre battle! The Clackity vs Clown in a Cornfield 2
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Hey, genre fans! Welcome to a new series on the blog: kidlit genre battle! The two questions that crop up most often in the emails and enquiries I receive are:…

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New Course! An Introduction to Writing Middle Grade and YA Fiction
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I’m so excited to be launching a new course! An Introduction to Writing  Middle Grade and YA Fiction covers so many of the questions I’ve been asked by new and…

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Lessons from picture books: Cake by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet
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Sometimes, even though they’re aimed at a completely different age group, picture books contain perfect, concise little examples of storytelling techniques that we can apply to middle grade and YA. Luckily, I get through a heck of a lot of picture books at home: my husband and I read Caeden three books a night at bedtime plus we go to the library at least once a week (we currently have about 60 books on loan 😬) so I often come across lovely demonstrations of writing craft and get super excited mid-story. 

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FAQ: What makes you qualified to edit my book?
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This is a great question and a super important one to ask about any editor you’re thinking of working with. Currently in the UK there is no official accreditation for…

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Start a book club for kidlit writers
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You’ve heard of reading like a writer (because I talk about it all the time). Now it’s time to book club like a writer! In the mid-nineties, ‘Book Club’ to…

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