16 March 2010

Dear friends and colleagues,

As the green shoots of spring are emerging, I hope you are all staying warm for these last chilly days.

I wanted to send a quick update with news and information about what I have coming up – including a one-day writing workshop I'll be running in May. Please don't hesitate to get in touch, and do pass this on to anyone who you think might be interested.

News:

The essay I posted on-line entitled "What’s the Story? Reflections on White Privilege in the Publication of Children’s Books" generated many comments on my blog, and the original paper plus my ruminations on the blog responses will be published in the Write4Children journal in their April edition.

I have been featured or interviewed on various blogs, including the Writers Against Racism blog at School Library Journal, and on author Zetta Elliot's blog.

Coming Up:

Writing for Young People One-Day Workshop, May 22
I will be running an all-day intensive workshop in Rottingdean on May 22nd (just three miles from Brighton). The day is for those who are starting out as well as experienced writers. To find out more, visit my website.

Perfecting your Novel Submission Workshop
This one-day workshop will be for people who have a complete novel for middle grade or young adult readers, and who wish to prepare to submit to an agent and/or publisher. It will run in June or July. Contact me if you are interested in hearing more.

Judge for Pighog Press Competition
I will be one of the judges for this "Short Story Competition for Writers of Children’s Fiction" for writers in the south of England. Winners will be announced in May. See the website for more details.

On-going:

MS critiquing
I continue to offer manuscript critiquing. I have several people to whom I give on-going feedback and mentoring, and have consistent new manuscripts coming in. If you are interested in learning more about this service, have a look at my website.

Writing support groups
I run a monthly writing support group for aspiring and published children's book writers and illustrators. This takes place in Rottingdean on the third Thursday of each month. Please contact me if you are interested in coming along.

Editing Books for Publishers and Self-Publishers
I've continued to edit children's books for Cassava Republic Press in Nigeria. I have also been hired by several people who are self-publishing. I am including new testimonials from people who have utilised all of these editorial services below.

I have had several new testimonials. These and older testimonials are also available on my website:

Testimonials - Editorial Services to Publishers and Self-Publishers

"Laura is an excellent editor with a keen eye for detail. Laura works with our authors closely to make sure that they maintain the right tone of voice that is appropriate for the target age group. More importantly, she doesn’t impose her own cultural norm onto the text. Instead, she is acutely aware of cultural context and is sensitive enough to appreciate the need to maintain socio-cultural specificity of the writing whilst still ensuring that the story will have universal appeal. She has the talent to make the most ordinary text come alive and she breathes life into every word, every sentence. She is not afraid to tell the truth if she thinks a story is not working or exceedingly tedious. As a young publishing house based in Africa, we very much appreciate her skills and most importantly her interest and commitment to presenting a diversity of children’s worldview from across the globe. I hope to continue to work with her."
—Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, Publisher Cassava Republic Press

"The best investment I made in writing and publishing my picture book was in asking Laura to edit the manuscript. Her insight and attention to detail resulted in important changes to the text, illustrations and storyline which took the book to a different level. That she managed to do this by guiding my thoughts rather than imposing hers made her a pleasure to work with. I look forward to working with her on my next project."
—Selu Mdlalose, Publisher, Vezani Publishing

"When embarking on a new journey, there are so many unknowns and fears. I had been working on editing a manuscript for a children's story for over a year and really needed a fresh perspective. Having already had the story edited by two professional companies, I really had not intended on doing it a third time, but after perusing blog articles relating to my focus, I came across Laura's site and was ecstatic to learn she offered critiques. Laura did not disappoint. The perspective Laura brought to my story was unique and constructive. She had questions about things I had not thought about and offered suggestions that gave my final book the polish it needed to stand out and be noticed. Her critique was invaluable in its depth and content and I feel extremely fortunate for having received her insight and more importantly, actually taking the extra time to apply Laura's comments to my final manuscript. The experience is well worth the cost and I would highly recommend Laura's services to anyone looking for an honest and high quality critique."
—Navjot Kaur, Children's author and educator, A Lion's Mane, Saffron Press

Testimonials - Writing Workshops and Writing Groups

"I attended one of Laura's Writing for Children courses to give me some inspiration when I was working on my Creative Writing MA dissertation. I found her teaching invaluable. She was enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of writing for children. Laura has given me the confidence to start working on my own novel for teenagers, and I know that if I want high quality, focused feedback she is the person to ask."
—Astrid Holm MA

"Both Laura’s manuscript service and her monthly writing group have been fantastic. She has a great ear for tone and an eye for detail as well as an ability to really get under the skin of what you’re writing. Her balance of constructive criticism and intelligent encouragement are just right, and she always has her focus on the main prize — getting published — offering great contacts to agents and writing competitions. I really couldn’t recommend her services more highly."
—Kirsten Wild

"I found Laura's workshops challenging without ever being daunting, and her comments on people's work astute yet always encouraging. They made me look at the whole spectrum of children's literature, inspiring me to stretch out in new directions and take a few risks."
—Suzi Hopkins

"Laura offers lots of positive feedback, encouragement, constructive criticism and the feeling that she genuinely enjoys reading her students' work, even when she's pointing out the obvious and not-so-obvious flaws. Hers was the first (and only) writing group I've attended and I'm still an ad-hoc member two years later. It has been really useful to have the benefit of submitting drafts to someone with experience in the publishing world who gives honest feedback which is always positive and constructive. I may be some way off a final draft but the process has been made all the more enjoyable by attending one of Laura's writing groups."
—Caroilne Donovan