The WriteMentor summer mentoring programme opens for applications in April, and I’m really excited to announce that this year you can apply to work with yours truly! Here’s what you need to know about me and what I’m offering.
Bio: I’ve been writing for a long time. My work has been published in various magazines and podcasts (take a look at the stories tab for examples of my work). After I finished the Curtis Brown Online Novel Writing course, I was lucky enough to sign with Felicity Blunt, and we’ve been working for the past year to get my first novel ready for submission (and it’s nearly there – woohoo!). Before that I was an archaeological scientist researching how people kept animals in the past. Now, I live miles away from anywhere with my husband, three little kids, and two guinea pigs.
Writers I love: Margaret Atwood, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Neil Gaiman, Michelle Paver, Christina Dalcher, Stephen King.
What I’m offering: I’ll provide detailed comments on your full manuscript (including plot, characterisation, world building etc.), as well as reading your cover letter and synopsis in advance of the agent showcase.
What I’m looking for: I’ll provide my comments constructively, but I’m not willing to shy away from critiquing your work as I don’t think it helps anyone to develop, so I’m looking for a mentee that genuinely wants to hear the good and the bad about their work. I like dystopia, sci-fi, fantasy, magical realism. I love a good re-telling. I’m probably not a good fit for epic fantasy and romance.
Applications: Applications will open in April and all the info you need will be posted on the WriteMentor webpages before then. If you want to have a chat or have questions before that, feel free to drop me a line here or on twitter (@SarahDan_Writes).
Hi Sarah, thanks for being a mentor – what a great programme. How do you feel about books that don’t neatly fit into one genre? My novel is a philosophical adventure story, somewhere in the margins of sci fi and fantasy…
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Hi Charlie, thanks for getting in touch! My taste is quite eclectic, so I certainly wouldn’t rule it out. I would say I might not be the right mentor if you’re writing epic fantasy – I don’t think I’ve read in that genre since I was a teenager so I don’t really understand the wider fantasy world. Probably the best thing is to send along your application!
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Great, thanks Sarah! It’s certainly nowhere near epic fantasy, so I’m encouraged!
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Hi Sarah! I was wondering if you can give more detail about your mentorship style. Will you be giving the detailed comments before or after a revision? Thanks!
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