Thanks to The Women’s Prize Trust for inviting me share my top 5 tips to transform your rough draft as part of its Writers’ Toolkit. Lots of great advice from other writers on the site. Check it out! womensprize.com/five-top-tip...

Congrats to @storymix.bsky.social for the launch of OXFORD BLOOD. Murder at Oxford Interview week. It’s a great read!

Entries for @uvcompetition.bsky.social close one week today! Winners will be published in the #UV26 anthology and introduced to agents and editors at the exclusive launch party. Don't miss this incredible chance to launch your #kidlit career🚀 undiscoveredvoices.com

SCBWI EU is offering an online workshop on Voice given by yours truly on Fri 26 Sept. (Be aware the listed time is for Amsterdam.) It’s a practical discussion on voice with exercises to help you uncover and enhance the voice of your work-in-progress. Details are here: www.scbwi.org/events/editi...

** One month to go** to get your entries into Undiscovered Voices - the best competition around for unpublished, unagented kidlit and YA writers (okay, we might be slightly biased...) We can't wait to read your manuscripts 👀 undiscoveredvoices.com

What could be better? A day spent with writers sharing my favourite exercises & tips on how to revise a novel at the Limehouse Library Hotel. The energy & talent in the room was inspiring. I love doing virtual events but you can’t beat the synergy and connections that are only possible in real life!

Just found these! Paper pens that are perfect to be tucked into a book so I can make notes in the margins. Yes, I write in books. I’m always dissecting the books I’m reading to figure out how the author creates magic on the page — and how I can learn to do the same.

** Submissions OPEN ** 🥳 If you're a #KidLit writer in the UK/Europe, #UV26 could be your big break. The anthology has launched 100s of writers' careers - will you be next? Find out more and enter👇 undiscoveredvoices.com Entries close: 8 September 2025 @scbwi-bi.bsky.social

I got my very first long listing and much need confidence boost from Undiscovered Voices! It is such a great competition, and definitely worth checking out if you write kids books!

Absolutely buzzing with excitement for George Kirk’s debut picture book BESSIE’S BEES!

Submissions open today for the 10th Undiscovered Voices! If you are an unagented and unpublished SCBWI member in the UK or EU you should check it. The anthology has launched the writing careers of hundreds of writers. Can’t wait to see who we will discover! @uvcompetition.bsky.social

We’re so excited to be sharing the cover of DEAD YARD: SEEDS OF DOOM, the first in a spook-tastic new horror middle grade series inspired by Caribbean folklore by P.J. Kilburn 🎬 🎨 Cover Art Markia Jenai ✨ Cover Design Kimberley Chen 📚 Available to request on Netgalley! Coming September 2025!

Submissions open NEXT WEEK for #UV26 - how's your manuscript looking? Our amazing co-founder, author and editing guru @authorsaragrant.bsky.social has put together this helpful checklist to help decide if you're submission ready 👇 undiscoveredvoices.com/news/checkli... @scbwi-bi.bsky.social

Thanks, Amber!

⬇️ If you’re writing a novel THIS is the book you need once you have a first draft. Nobody understands editing and getting to the heart of a story better than Sara Grant. Written with authority and warmth and out now! @authorsaragrant.bsky.social 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Thanks, Sue!!

Top tip: read books in the same genre & for the same age reader as your work-in-progress. The more you fill your brain with great writing, the more likely you are to produce it. What are you reading for inspiration?

Spotted the word 'theme' scribbled on an Underground train so thought I'd share this John Gardner quote from On Becoming a Novelist: “Theme is like the floors and structural supports in a fine old mansion, indispensable but not, as a general rule, what takes the reader’s breath away.”

Can't believe it!🎉It's publication day for THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO EDITING YOUR NOVEL.🎉75 exercises & interrogations. A practical, step-by-step guide to make your novel submission ready. Thanks to the team at Bloomsbury's Writers' & Artists' for being great publishers & lovely people.

Tomorrow THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO EDITING YOUR NOVEL is published. Here are a few ideas to tighten your writing. These were collected over years of giving my editing workshop. I asked writers for common errors & pet peeves. What would you add to this list? www.writersandartists.co.uk/advice/tight...

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO EDITING YOUR NOVEL is out tomorrow! Here's a little pop quiz for your work-in-progress. I use it as a diagnostic tool to identify any plot problems. Hope you find it useful! www.writersandartists.co.uk/advice/solut...

🌱A vandalised lucky money plant. 🪙An ancient Chinese coin. 👯‍♂️Two best pals. 🙄One annoying sidekick. Stir them up…and…you get: ⭐️The launch of The Lucky House Detective Agency⭐️ Scarlett Li, with pics by Sian James. A @storymix.bsky.social production; pub’d by @knightsofbooks.bsky.social

To celebrate the publication of THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO EDITING YOUR NOVEL this week: Here's an extract from the book that offers a series of questions to ask about your work-in-progress. Your answers may point out big picture issues you need to address. www.writersandartists.co.uk/advice/big-p...

Great day @capitalcrime.bsky.social! Interesting discussions on all things crime, mystery & writing. I’ve shown incredible restraint and only purchased 6 books…so far.

A quick test for your work-in-progress. Search for a free word cloud generator. Cut & paste your draft into it. This snapshot of your story can point out what words you overuse & what characters get the most air time. Do the words give the right impression of your story?

** Sign up by midnight for a chance to win one of these two fantastic new books on perfecting your writing craft ** Three 90min masterclasses for just £30 for @scbwi.bsky.social members; £40 for non-members. @authorsaragrant.bsky.social @sheilamaverbuch.bsky.social @scbwi-bi.bsky.social #UV26

Final call for my critique giveaway, celebrating the launch of THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO EDITING YOUR NOVEL -- my step-by-step guide to make your rough draft submissions ready. Follow & repost for the chance to win a critique of the 1st 2,000 words of your novel. Winner selected 3 June.

One week until the first #UV26 online masterclass 🥳 Just £30 for @scbwi.bsky.social members for three fab workshops = top tips for competition success Register at tinyurl.com/4tjm6m9r by 31/05 for chance to win a writing craft book by @authorsaragrant.bsky.social or @sheilamaverbuch.bsky.social 📚

When I’m editing, I love to go old school & print out my manuscript. I need loads of colourful pens and highlighters for a variety of exercises I use to dissect and rebuild by draft. I just picked up new editing supplies ...

Thanks, @habonjama.bsky.social!

Writing-to-editing ratio. I tracked my time when writing a 100-page MG novel. So far I’ve worked 220 hours on the book. Approximately 30% of that time was spent writing the 1st draft, but 70% was editing. The difference between a good novel & a publishable one is a rigorous revision process.

Having a comprehensive approach to editing your novel allows you to enjoy the creation process & write a better first draft. I give myself the freedom to experiment & play so I can write my way into a great story -- because I know I will whip it into shape using my systematic approach to revision.

My top tip for writers: read for inspiration! Read books in the same genre and for the same age reader as your work-in-progress. Analyse the books you love. How did the author hook you? The more you fill your brain with great writing, the more likely you are to produce it.

A quick exercise to test the first impression your protagonist gives readers. Review the first 1,000 words of your story. Make a list of what you 'show' and 'tell' about your protagonist. Am I intrigued and engaged my your main character already?

Great quote from @uvcompetition.bsky.social judges: Pitch is what gets you reading, hook and voice are what keep you reading.

@uvcompetition.bsky.social judges are tackling the difficult question of voice. ‘Voice’ comes when the writer is immersed in the world of their books and when an author has an authentic way of experiencing the world.

@uvcompetition.bsky.social judges sharing what they are looking for: killer idea, quality writing, heart, adventure, magic, hard-hitting YA, ignition in those first chapters — who is the person & what’s at stake, authentic voice and compelling opening that immediately grips you.

Judges @uvcompetition.bsky.social panel agree that establishing the voice of the piece from the very beginning is key to hooking agents, editors & readers.

Tonight @[email protected] announces its 10th @uvcompetition.bsky.social for unagented and pre-published writers! Undiscovered Voices has launched the writing careers of more than 100 writers who have received publishing contracts for more than 400 books. Could you be next? undiscoveredvoices.com

Testing your book idea. This quote from Karl Iglesias in Writing for Emotional Impact perfectly sums up the ingredients for a brilliant book idea: ‘A great idea should be uniquely familiar, and it should promise conflict.’

Overjoyed to grab my @waterstoneskids.bsky.social exclusive edition copy of LAND OF THE LAST WILDCAT by @lui-land.bsky.social. A talented writer and brilliant person. I can’t wait to read it!

In 1 month THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO EDITING YOUR NOVEL is published! It includes more than 75 exercises/interrogations to help writers analyse/improve every aspect of their novels. I’m giving away a 1-2-1 critique of the 1st 2,000 words of a novel. Follow & repost to be eligible. Winner selected 3 June

So excited for @ashleythorpe.bsky.social’s next book. Loved THE BOY TO BEAT THE GODS. Pre-ordering SPIRIT WARRIORS now!

Spirit Warriors contains.... It's a story that's been cathartic in many ways, from navigating grief to discovering pieces of myself that I may never have learned had I not been researching for the book. Hoping readers will find it special too. www.waterstones.com/book/spirit-...

Join me for @scbwi-bi.bsky.social’s The Ultimate Workshop For Editing Your Novel in London on 19 July. I use a combination of discussion, hands-on exercises & practical tips from my upcoming book – The Ultimate Guide to Editing Your Novel. The details & how to book: www.scbwi.org/events/works...

Undiscovered Voices 2026 launches with a live online event on 22 May -check out our pinned post 👀 The competition is open to unagented and unpublished members of @scbwi-bi.bsky.social and Europe. Some free memberships will be available for underrepresented writers 👇 tinyurl.com/46peka7h #UV26

I loved virtually meeting such a talented group of writers and illustrators! Glad you found it useful @hsnorup.bsky.social Wishing you all great success.

Have you signed up for the #UV26 masterclasses yet? Sign up by 31 May for chance to win The Ultimate Guide to Editing Your Novel by @authorsaragrant.bsky.social or Pitch Your Book by @sheilamaverbuch.bsky.social Find out more and book your spot: tinyurl.com/4tjm6m9r @scbwi-bi.bsky.social #UV26

My 3 key takeaways from today’s @scbwi-bi.bsky.social Debut Bootcamp: 1) Remember to find the joy in everything you are doing to promote your book 2) Communication and reliability are key with building a positive relationship with your publisher & 3) Connect and learn from other writers/illustrators

Great first day at @scbwi-bi.bsky.social’s Debut Bootcamp with nearly 50 up-and-coming writers & illustrators. @moohara.bsky.social, @candygourlay.bsky.social & I share everything we wished we’d known before our debut books launched. Lovely to meet so many talented creators!