Writing
“Emma’s feedback is always exceptionally insightful and incredibly useful”
Hello there,
Thank you for stopping here to find out more about my writing world! It’s a busy but hugely rewarding world in which I deliver free community workshops (in association with various charities), run The Creative Path workshops and retreats, and mentor writers on their path to publication. Oh, and occasionally find time to develop my own writing too!
Workshops & Retreats
If you want to find out more about my workshops or creative retreats, feel free to skip over to The Creative Path page. Or stick around here to discover more about my writing background and the mentoring service that I offer.
My writing background
I started my career as a writer and editor with the news agency Reuters but, always drawn to the longer form, it wasn’t long before I moved to magazines. Being a staff writer/editor on glossy lifestyle mags soon resulted in approaches from publishers to write books on similar themes (interior design, health and parenting), and to edit/ghost write books by celebrity names.
These various experiences taught me about working on all sides of the publishing industry and proved particularly valuable when I moved to the south coast – and Bournemouth University offered me a lecturing post in Writing, Editing & Publishing.
Magazines, Books & Education
I happily juggled lecturing and freelance writing for many years until, after writing my first novel (under a pseudonym to protect the innocent!) and gaining an MA in Creative and Critical Writing, I set my sights on establishing BU as a destination for creative writing education.
Writing Prizes & a Publishing Press
Over the next few years, I designed/launched its MA Creative Writing & Publishing, the Fresher Publishing press and then The Bournemouth Writing Prize, which soon became international in its reach and attracted top name writers, agents and commissioning editors on its panel.
I also ran the Masters unit in Design, Editing and Publishing, equipping writers with the necessary skills for publishing books independently, and supervised MA students along the path to success with their novels and short story collections.
It’s this wide raft of experience, gathered in industry and education over more than 30 years, that I now bring to my facilitating and mentoring.
Mentoring
“Emma’s feedback on my, and other writers’ work, is always exceptionally insightful and incredibly useful - the kind of feedback that is possible to put into practice immediately. and it’s always delivered - whether written or verbal - with tact and positivity. So, although there might be lots of work to do, she always makes it feel doable”
As an editor and a university lecturer, I have steered numerous writers to success. I now provide a mentoring service to writers, in person and online, helping them improve and build confidence in any aspect of their craft, from initial concept and editing to approaching agents or considering independent publishing.
How I work
I take a flexible approach to mentoring, tailoring it according to the needs of the project and the writer. If you would like an initial, free, conversation with me about your writing project and how I might help you with it, please get in touch via the Message form at the bottom of this page.
This meeting (usually on Zoom) is an important step in the process, providing the opportunity to establish if we are a good fit.
Do also subscribe to my newsletter to be kept updated on relevant events. In November, for example, I usually provide one-to-one “surgeries” for writers during NaNoWriMo, on behalf of The Bournemouth Writing Festival, so you could always meet me face to face then.
NB: Please be aware that there is currently a Mentoring waiting list, with the next available slot unlikely to open up until September 2024. However, do feel free to get in touch for an initial chat now, if those timings might work for you.
