How to Hook Readers from the Opening Page

Join us on Wednesday 9 September from 19.30-21.00. Is the opening of your work-in-progress as polished as it can be? Will it hook readers including agents and editors – from the start? Submit the first 500-words of your work in progress and join author, editor, writer Sara Grant for an interactive editing session. She will offer a series of hands-on exercises to help all writers improve their drafts. Also she will demonstrate how to use these techniques to improve those opening moments by editing the work submitted by event attendees. Please be aware that by sending 500 words from your work-in-progress, you agree to allow Sara to share and edit your work at the event. You do not have to submit your work. Only a few of the 500 words we receive will be selected for feedback during the event. Sara will read all the work submitted and tailor the content of the event based on what she reads and thinks attendees will find most helpful. Sara’s systematic approach to editing is based on her 20 years of experience as writer, editor, university lecturer and co-founder of Undiscovered Voices – and her new book The Ultimate Guide to Editing Your Novel: A revolutionary approach to transform your writing, published by Bloomsbury last year. Publishers in the US, UK and Europe, including Scholastic, Little, Brown and Orion, have published ten of Sara’s books for children/teens. As a freelance editor of series fiction, she has worked on fourteen different series and edited nearly 100 books. She’s the Talent Manager for Storymix (storymix.co.uk), an inclusive fiction studio. She’s taught masters’ courses on writing for children/teens at Goldsmiths University and the University of Winchester. She has given writing workshops in the US, UK and Europe. She co-founded Undiscovered Voices – which has launched the writing careers of more than a hundred authors and illustrators, who now have published more than 400 children’s books. The first 500 words of your manuscript should be sent to Morna at - [email protected] by 19th August. You will need to register for the event in advance of sending your manuscript excerpt Cost - SCBWI Premium members - $ 20.00 Standard Price - : $ 25.00