Network News - it's quiet in the networks - or is it?

The summer’s done – even though we’ve had good temperatures this week. The children are back at school. Some older siblings are leaving home to go to university for the first time. We’re all getting ready for the autumn and winter. The networks seem to have gone quiet. We’ve even had to cancel a critique group meeting in our area this week because not enough people could attend. A friend of mine who runs an editing / critiquing service reports a lack of work.
Has everyone lost interest? Actually, nothing could be further from the truth ….


It’s partly seasonal, of course. There is a slight time lag. The summer can be a fallow time for some. It can be a very productive time for others. It can even be so productive that people really get absorbed by projects and don’t want to stop. Those who’ve had it quiet are anxious to get back down to work. And even those whose children have left home long ago or who are childless are impacted by what the French call “la rentrée”.
The traffic gets heavier, the days get shorter and story time approaches.
And the networks are getting busy again, checkout our what's on:

• A session on polishing your manuscript is being run by Sara Grant in York.
• Masterclasses by Mike Brownlow on creating characters and by Sarah O’ Connor of Hot Key books in on middle grade fiction are taking place in London.
• North West members are planning Scrawl Crawls and Day Retreats.

Many members of the networks are busy taking part in more critique groups and networking events.
Yes, we’re coming into the season when what we do comes to the fore. Children (and adults) actually need more stories as the days become gloomy. Of course, for your book to be in the Christmas market your publisher should have been working on it for several months already. But there’s always next year.
And that’s precisely why after the lull of the summer we’re getting busy again now.

Over to you...

• Have we missed anything?
• What's been happening in your network?

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Gill James’ Veiled Dreams is a young adult novel published on 26 July by Our Street, an imprint of John Hunt Publishing.You can contact her with your network news at networknews@britishscbwi.org