Writing for children workshop with Jane Elson

This two-hour online workshop with BSL interpretation will give you a great grounding in the basics of writing for children. The session will cover everything from choosing your readership and concept to developing plot and characterisation, with time for questions.

To register, you must be over 18, reside in the UK and from an underrepresented group*.

Participants will also get the chance to join a writing group after the workshop, offering further support and an all-important writing community.

Workshop host Jane Elson was an actress and comedy improviser before she began writing stories and plays. Her books have won many awards including Peters Book of the Year two years running. Her debut novel, A Room Full of Chocolate, was longlisted for the Branford Boase Award and she has twice been nominated for the Carnegie Medal. Jane is loud and proud about her dyslexia and when not writing likes to mentor neurodiverse young people and promote the gift of alternative thinking. She was honoured to be named as one of the top 50 Neurodivergent Women by the platform Women Beyond the Box. Jane’s niche in the market is writing about those children that are often not written about. Her mini-series, The Digby and Marvel Detective Agency, features two child detectives who use their neurodiverse superpowers to solve crimes. In her latest book, Storm Horse, Jane returns to the world of the Beckham Estate, also featured in the multi-award winning How to Fly with Broken Wings and Will You Catch Me?

Workshop organiser All Stories offers free development opportunities to talented writers from underrepresented backgrounds. The 2024 programme includes writing workshops and writing groups, plus ten mentorships for writers of picture books and young fiction.

*Those who identify as a person of colour, LGBTQ+, disabled, neurodiverse, working class or socio-economically disadvantaged.