I have a slightly strange obsession.
I love finding out about weird and wonderful “celebration” days. For example, today is “Hold Hands Day”, “Betty Boop Day”, “Rice Pudding Day” and “International Co-working Day”. Yesterday was “Global Sleep Under the Stars Night”, “International Cat Day”, “National Happiness Happens Day” and “Sneak Some Courgette / Zucchini onto your Neighbour’s Porch Day” while Friday was, among other things, “Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day” and “International Lighthouse Day.”
That last one made me think about my role as both teacher and editor. In both those roles, I aim to be like a lighthouse, offering light and guidance to all the wonderful writers who choose to work with me and trust me with their brilliant words.
You could also say I’m there to “hold a writer’s hand”; I’m a sort of “co-worker” in a pursuit that can sometimes feel a little lonely. And yes, I know that’s perhaps a bit of a torturous tying together of disparate things; you might even say I’m in danger of wrapping up my message in “particularly preposterous packaging” - but I’ve traveled down that path now, so here’s me “sneaking some metaphorical courgette / zucchini onto your porch” in the form of a 10% discount on some of my editorial services. I also wanted to “Betty Boop” your attention towards my new course “The Editorial Funnel Part 1: Structural Engineering” which I’ve recently opened up for bookings for October, and my popular “Go With The Flow” course which is running in November for probably the last time for a couple of years as I turn my attention to other things. I also wanted to invite you to “sleep under the stars” or at least to sleep under the same roof as myself at the writing retreat I’m running in September - there’s just one place left for that, so if you’re interested, get in touch fast!
You’ve come up with your idea. You’ve put that idea down on the page. But how do you take that first draft and make it the best version of itself it can possibly be? How do you create enough psychological distance from your work so you can read it like a reader would? How do you identify what is and isn’t working? And how do you fix the possible issues you pick out?
The Editorial Funnel is a two-part editing course that explores the concept of an “editorial funnel”, working through the editing process from zoomed-out to zoomed-in. Part 1 explores how we might effectively edit for narrative focus, narrative structure, originality, emotional build and structural form, considering editing as both a thing we do for our own writing and as a thing we might do for others.
5th - 25th October
Fully asynchronous and online (take part from anywhere in the world; no set (”live”) times you need to be online or any “Zoom” elements)
Topics include “Narrative Focus”, “Narrative Structure”, “Editing for USP”, “Effective Feedback”, “The Emotional Layer", and “Unusual Forms”
Want a sneak peak? Here’s one of the videos from the course.
How do we create flow in our writing, sentences that slip one into the next like a river of words? This flash fiction course explores sentence craft at a molecular level, thinking about the connection of ideas, rhythmic patterns and thematic cohesion.
9th - 22nd November
Get in touch regarding editorial work before the end of August and get 10% off the following:
Short fiction and short creative non-fiction edits up to 5,000 words
First steps reviews for novels or memoirs
Submission reviews for novels or memoirs
Wanting help with longer fiction or looking for a structural assessment of your full manuscript (collections, novels or memoirs)? Get in touch before the end of August to book an editorial slot and get a 5% discount on my usual rates.
Get in touch: matt@mattkendrick.co.uk
Find out about my editorial services: https://www.mattkendrick.co.uk/editing-feedback
Want help honing your craft or looking for support as you embark on a longer term project? I love working with writers on a one-to-one basis and I’m currently taking on new mentoring clients to start in September or October.
Get in touch: matt@mattkendrick.co.uk
Find out about my mentoring services: https://www.mattkendrick.co.uk/mentoring
***JUST ONE PLACE LEFT***
Monday 14th - Sunday 20th September 2026 in Thurlstone (Holme Valley)
Join us in the idyllic landscape of the Holme Valley for a six-night writing retreat where you’ll learn from two widely experienced creative writing teachers through a series of workshops, feedback sessions and one-to-one chats. You’ll also have plenty of unstructured time dedicated to putting new words on the page.
Get in touch: matt@mattkendrick.co.uk
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