An Honest Day In The Life Of A Writer #19 Becky Prestwich

This weeks post comes from the lovely @beckyph7.bsky.social 💓
open.substack.com/pub/morganll...

Bold black text on a yellow background. Text reads 'We're hiring! Greater Manchester Mentoring Officer'

We're looking for a passionate and driven individual to join our Mentoring team to recruit, match and support mentoring pairs across Greater Manchester.

If this busy and rewarding role sounds up your street, get in touch! www.arts-emergency.org/jobs

Deadline to apply: 30 June 2025

Planning for a masterclass I’m delivering on theatricality next week & I came across this on my son’s bookshelf. Come along to hear me read from picture books (& maybe say some other things)

www.arvon.org/writing-cour...

Well, in that case, I’d love to. Xx

Of course, happy to! (Although I don’t think I’d be as wise & articulate as this…)

This is so lush. What a lovely thing! ❤️

Masterclass: Writing for the Stage | Theatricality: what makes your play, a play? | Arvon You have an idea for a story that you think will work well on the stage. But what makes it a play? Is your story theatrical enough for the medium? What does, 'theatricality' even mean? From the relati...

So, you’ve got an idea but what makes it a play? Is your story theatrical enough for the stage? And what does, ‘theatricality’ really mean anyway? I’m not claiming to have the answers to those questions, but I never get tired of exploring them. Come along!

Labour's base-punching strategy reminds of the Seinfeld episode where George is so obsessed with making Jerry's girlfriend like him (she clearly hates him) that he neglects his own girlfriend (who does like him) and she leaves him

you're gonna love the piece I filed yesterday

if you change the name on a CV from a man to a woman's name, recruiters immediately rate it as 18% less competent.

they don't stop to check gametes/wombs.

pretending all sexism is rooted in a particular biology leaves us with no way to talk about systemic bias against female intellect & ambition.

A drawing of a dummy's head that wears purple round glasses, and is surrounded by circles.. exploding out of the head is all kinds of objects like pens clouds lightening awards plants. The words 'aged 16-22 and write' are printed below.

@thewritingsquad.bsky.social is recruiting, so I wrote about why I love my squad job go 👉🏻 www.emmaadamswriter.co.uk/new-blog/202...
But if you just want juice: Squad gives free workshops, opps, 121's & peer community. Northern, 16-22, writer? Apply 👉🏻 www.writingsquad.com/join-the-squ... Pls RP. ❤️

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4 - Alfred Bradley Bursary 2025 - Terms and Conditions Applications for the Alfred Bradley Bursary Award Terms and Conditions

Northern Writers:
Get on this if you qualify
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/a...

Fight back against Government plans on copyright and AI - The Writers' Guild of Great Britain On 17 December the Government launched a consultation on AI and copyright. The Government’s proposed plans on AI and copyright will weaken your copyright protections and allow AI companies to use …

2/ Respond to the Government consultation by midnight tomorrow - we have produced a guide to make it easy for you (and pls share with colleagues and friends!)

writersguild.org.uk/fight-back-a...

Séamas O'Reilly: Appeasing the far-right won't placate them — they'll just want the next cruelty Their concerns are not about society, the economy or public safety, they’re an ever-moving target of fear and hatred that cannot be sated, it has to be challenged.

I wrote this on the most consistently terrible, and fatal, idea in centrist politics today. On Fanta, rebadging, and why attempting to win votes from fascists is morally disgusting and politically suicidal.

www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle-co...

Masterclass: Pacing Your Fiction | From breathless plotting to breathtaking details | Arvon This Masterclass with Toby Litt, author of the daily Substack A Writer’s Diary, will be a practical, craft-based look at the best ways of keeping your reader alongside you – whether you intend to whir...

I was planning my Arvon Masterclass on pacing this afternoon.

Got quite excited, as it isn't something I've taught exactly like this before.

Still places available for Friday. Why don't you join us?

www.arvon.org/writing-cour...

@arvonfoundation.bsky.social

People out here like “Kanye’s music always sucked.” I am begging you to deeply internalize that terrible people are capable of making profound and incredible things.

If we cannot hold these conflicting truths, monsters will always be able to hide behind their talent

BBC Two - Spent, Series 1 Real life hijacks the high life as an international catwalk model crashes down to earth.

Late to it, but really loving Spent. Gem of a show.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Oh, also, ‘comparison is the thief of joy’. Hard to say it without sounding like you read too much self help stuff. But it’s true.

I don’t know if its aggressively normie exactly, but I find “can’t go over it, can’t go under it, got to go through it” from Michael Rosen’s Bear Hunt, a deceptively simple but profound &beautiful way to think about getting past hard things.

Amazing. Deservedly!!

Yeah, it’s interesting - maybe bcos of doing a bit of radio - I don’t hate the idea that some stories are there just to keep people company as they go about their lives. Obviously, it’s not a good note for everything. But for some shows, I think people not wanting to concentrate is true and fine.

My favourite reads of 2024, I think.

This is very good. 👇Anyone who works in the creative arts (books, music, art, comedy, podcasts, radio, TV, editing, etc) should be telling the U.K. government that copyright matters

There's something deeply disturbing about the sight of male photographers & film crews pushing, shoving and using their considerable strength to get close to Gisèle Pelicot as she arrives at the court, while knowing what she has been through. Have some decorum, people. Give the woman some space.

There is nothing that instantly fills my heart like watching kids perform ❤️

Fantastic, thanks for the suggestions!

Thanks v much Ian!

Any recommendations for books or podcasts on the craft of novel writing - or events or master classes - anything you’ve learned from & loved would be gratefully received!

So, I am very grateful to have received a Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant from the Arts Council to spend some time thinking, learning & exploring, to see if maybe I just might be able to learn a new way of writing to bring the idea to life…