Dear subscriber,

We hope you are well and enjoying the onset of summer. It has been a busy time at TLC.

On May 7th we piloted our first TLC Masterclass, run by Jacob Ross, which was 'wonderful, useful and not overly prescriptive' according to one attendee. We look forward to introducing more writing classes that offer something different and that can make a difference.

On May 14th we held our Chapter and Verse mentoring scheme industry day, during which mentees learned about the trade from Sam Humpreys, editor at Serpent's Tail, literary agent Jo Unwin of Conville & Walsh and Arzu Tahsin, commissioning editor at Weidenfeld, Orion. Writers had a chance to pitch their work to this experienced panel and receive constructive feedback: an experience that was undoubtedly terrifying, but also very useful. Our mentoring scheme offers an extremely competitive rate for a one-to-one exchange with a professional editor and writing tutor. 

> TLC and the Guardian Books Pages;
> Margaret Drabble: A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman;
> Short Story Competitions and Event;
> TLC's May Showcase;
> Casa Ana in April;
> 24th May TLC Publishing Event in Bristol;
> Good Summer Wishes;

TLC and the Guardian Books Pages

In the month we celebrate 15 years in the business, TLC is delighted to become part of the new Guardian online books pages. TLC is the Guardian's recommended editorial consultancy, and we look forward to working with clients who come our way via their remarkable site. Their newly renovated books section provides a fantastic variety of reviews, resources and news about current books, prizes and festivals.

Margaret Drabble: A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman

Do you need some inspiration to write a short story? Join us for our event with Margaret Drabble and Helen Simpson.

26th May 2011 at Free Word, 6:30-8pm (drinks available from 6pm).

Short Stories:  the Form of the Future?

To celebrate the publication of Margaret Drabble’s volume of short stories, A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman, the novelist will be in conversation with Helen Simpson, the UK’s leading short-story practitioner, to discuss the history of, current trends and future possibilities for short stories.

Click here to book for the event.

Short Story Competitions and Event

The Royal Society of Literature is now accepting entries for the V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize for short story writing 2011. There is a £1,000 award, and the winning story will be published in the RSL Review . In addition, the winner will have the opportunity to appear at an RSL event in autumn 2011. The deadline is 30th June 2011. The Royal Society of Literature offers a fantastic variety of quality literary events. Click here for more details.

The Guardian Weekend magazine is running a short story competition on the theme of 'Journeys', entries of up to 2,000 words to be submitted by 13th June. Send entries to Short Stories, Guardian Weekend, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU or email to short.story@guardian.co.uk (no attachments).

Arts Council Free Read Scheme colleagues Spread the Word are running an event about the short story form in June. Click here for more information.

TLC's May Showcase

TLC's May showcase exhibits a wonderful new short story by Chrissie Gittins, a published author who came through TLC with her first short story collection Family Connections.

The showcase page is a monthly presentation of quality writing from both published and unpublished TLC clients.

We look forward to reading your comments on our Facebook page.

Casa Ana in April

Literary Adventurer Lindsay Waller Wilkinson writes "I feel like a tap that has been lying dormant, neglected, for a long time. It has just been turned on and at first the water runs impure..."

Lindsay joined TLC at Casa Ana in Spain for the second week of our writing holiday in April. Her blog reveals more about her literary week filled with courses taught by Jacob Ross and special guests Nell Dunn and Margaret Drabble.

TLC would like to thank our literary adventurers for a wonderful week in Spain. We hope to recreate an equally stimulating Literary Adventure next Spring.
 

24th May TLC Publishing Event in Bristol

TLC's Director Rebecca Swift and editor Karl French are due to appear in Bristol on May 24th to lead a day on how to approach the publishing industry. You can take part in a discussion about your work and participate in a writing exercise where you pitch ideas to agents. Receive a £20 discount by using the coupon code TMTM2405 when you call to book Take Me to Market– how does the publishing industry work?

Good Summer Wishes

We wish you the best for your writing ambitions this summer and we are here if you have any questions about our services or publishing in general. We have several exciting and informative events coming up after the summer so do check out our Facebook page or find us on Twitter for the latest news and updates.

For other up-to-date information about TLC see:-
www.literaryconsultancy.co.uk, or call us on 020 7324 2563.

All best wishes,
The Literary Consultancy