These days, I am finding it a bit tricky to separate out the strands of my working life. And by working life, I mean my teaching and tuition (at secondary level) and mentoring for young people, then my fiction mentoring, editing and proofing which goes hand in hand with my own writing – plus my volunteer work with literacy and as mental health advocate and campaigner. I feel that there’s overlap and cross-fertilization. For example, over the next month, I’ve two events in schools where I’m drawing on my own writing; I’m editing a book in which a former upper sixth student is published alongside established writers and academics and I am having discussions about how my first book, autobiographical novel Killing Hapless Ally, might be used more in mental health settings or by mental health professionals and clinicians.
Then, I have two free schemes available: the Fabian Bursary (which I started for GCSE and A level tuition for young people then expanded to all ages!) and the two free reads a year I offer for book-length projects under my mentoring, editing and proofing work.
So here’s a update on the whole thing!
For tuition at secondary level, my Fabian Bursary is now filled (you know who you are!) from January 2019-January 2020 and I dearly hope I can support a family and a young person and also help them find some joy and excitement in their English studies. But why not get in touch for a chat about 2020 onwards? If you want to do a GCSE in English or English Literature or an A level – perhaps you are 16, but maybe you’re 71 and you’re rich in enthusiasm but funds would preclude study – then you can do it with me. I can arrange exam entry and I have arrangements with exam centres so that you have somewhere to sit your exam.
OOOOH WHAT ELSE?
I have a FREE read going before Christmas if you have a book-length project of literary fiction (but will also look at memoir and autobiographical fiction) and want to get it ready for submission. I can read it, proof it for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors, factual accuracy and general typos, suggest edits, share with you anything I know that might be useful and write a report on it. I will also proof a synopsis and any covering letter if you would like that. All you need to do is write to me – you can use the contact button on this website for information. I would like this free read to be for someone who is on low-income and perhaps for someone who is coping with physical and mental health problems. I have been hampered from childhood onwards by the latter and so if I can help empower just one person…
Right: for English and English literature tuition, I have some daytime slots currently available on Wednesday and Friday morning; these can be online. I will have more from late May, 2019. Beyond that, if you are reading this and nearby, I’ve slots with me, in West Wiltshire, between 3.10 and 5.10 on Monday and Wednesday 3.10-4.10 from late May, 2019.
I think that’s everything.
Well, apart from the facts that…
…my current book The Life of Almost is moreorless out and about (I am tongue in cheek about this after distribution problems and being ignored by reviewers) and hopefully near you (but maybe not – there we are; more drear laughs: this is a marathon, not a sprint), I am editing an anthology of writings about dystopias called Tempest: that’ll be out in March 2019; my next book, historical fiction Saving Lucia, will be out with the legendary Bluemoose Books in early 2020 and more historical fiction, The Revelations of Celia Masters, is out on full submission at the moment and that one is all a bit nerve wracking. And if you are submitting to agents or publishers at the moment, let it be known that the latter has been called “unsaleable”, “brilliant”, “too literary for me to be able to sell”, “gorgeous”, “deeply intriguing” and “just not special for what is a very crowded market”. BABIES: YOU HAVE TO LISTEN, BUT BE AWARE OF SUBJECTIVITY – AND BACK YOURSELF, TOO.
Love, Anna x
Anna Vaught Writes 