​

APPLICATIONS 

​​

​

 

Who will be Number Six?

The WriteMentor Summer Programme is back! That means I'm looking for my 6th mentee who wants to whip their manuscript into shape over the summer.

​

What am I looking for?
I'm looking for YA novels set in strange worlds, whether it's the future, the past, alternate timeline, post-apocalyptic, or a world inhabited by the supernatural. Send me your sci-fi, thriller, horror and fantasy. I like fast-paced novels, great cliff hangers, irresistible hooks, tight prose and snappy dialogue. A good villain will always keep me reading.  

 

What to avoid
I'm not a good fit for high fantasy (I'd be of no use to the next Tolkien) and hard sci-fi (a little sci-fi is good). Bizarro, surrealism, absurdism are all hard sells. 

​
Who I'm looking for
I am looking for a mentee who's ready to dive into the world of submissions, and who wants to go through their manuscript with a fine tooth comb. My mentee will be open to bouncing new ideas around, to being brutal if something isn't working, and someone who will take critique for what it's meant to be; a way to take their work up a notch. 

What to expect

I always give feedback as tracked changes/comments as well as longer more general feedback. You can expect me to be extremely picky. I will never read a typo without flagging it (because what if we forget it next read through?). Expect A LOT of red pen.

​

I'm a fan of very hard editing, cutting chapters, scenes, characters that don't work and paring dialogue down to its snappy essentials.

I will provide an initial detailed response to the whole manuscript. Once you've had chance to digest the feedback we can have a face-to-face to discuss (or by email if you'd prefer). Unlike in previous years, in 2025 I won't be able to re-read the manuscript once it has been re-drafted, but I'll happily look at your submission package synopsis, cover letter etc. before the showcase. 

 

Contact me

If you have any other questions or just want to have a chat to see if we'd be a good fit you can reach me by email at sarahdanielswriter@gmail.com, on Instagram (preferably) or on Twitter. I'll be available for the Twitter live chat before the application deadline.

​