This service with poet, editor, and critic David Caddy, involves critical appraisals, advice on manuscript preparation and development, and guidance towards full collection publication. One to one meetings and Zoom or Skype sessions may be arranged for mentoring on a wide number of literary matters. In addition, David offers mentoring for prospective and new editors, and reviewers, in poetry and fiction. Refresher sessions with established poets are also available upon request.
Playwright, Performance Studies Lecturer, and poet, Louise Buchler is offering Mentoring in Scriptwriting and Verse Drama under the same scheme. She has over twelve years of experience lecturing in Writing for both Stage and Screen. She made the shortlist for the National Theatre London’s Africa Playwriting Competition recognising her as one of the top twenty playwrights on the African continent. Her poetry has been published in Tears in the Fence and various publications in South Africa. Louise is also available for Performance and Voice coaching, and to advise on the early stages and development of ideas for future work. Please email Louise at tearsinthefence@gmail.com
David is available for Manuscript appraisal, with a variety of rates depending on the number of poems. As a guide the fee for up to 20 poems is £80. Feedback includes critical appraisal of individual poems as well as a report on the overall manuscript with suggestions for improvements, further reading and development. Smaller and larger sequences of poetry are acceptable and the rates are adjusted accordingly.
David is available as a Publication mentor which is a step further from the manuscript, and involves helping you put together your manuscript for publication, advising you on where to send and read your work as well as motivating you.
For those interested, David is also available for Editorial mentoring helping prospective and new editors enhance their creative and critical reading, production and promotion strategies so that their journals develop and survive. This practical training initiative may lead to new approaches to publishing in the digital age.
David judged the ‘Icons in the Landscape’ poetry competition with Dame Judi Dench for the Countryside Restoration Trust in 2020.
Contact David at tearsinthefence@gmail.com
Standard Fee is £80 per appraisal
Please submit through our Submissions Page
and pay through the Donate button.
Intern: We are delighted that Joanna Nissel has developed her Internship at the magazine and is now our Social Media editor. We recently welcomed Olivia Tuck, Hannah Green and Hamidah Saleem as our new Interns. The magazine welcomes interest from others for a potential Internship expanding our social media platforms, reading submissions and being involved with our annual Festival and other events. The Intern will receive a gift subscription to the magazine, free admission to our annual Festival and other opportunities for professional development through a not-for-profit literary organisation.
Due to the number of requests received the editorial staff and colleagues are offering critical appraisals.
We will provide detailed critical appraisals for the following genres:
Poetry up to 20 poems
Verse Drama up to 20 pages
Short Stories up to 5,000 words
Flash Fiction up to 10 pieces
Plays / Screenplays up to 15 pages
One to One sessions are also available.
Please message for a booking.
Our fee is £80 per appraisal
Please submit through our Submissions Page
and pay through the Donate button.
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Recent comments include:
‘Thank you so much for your feedback reports, they were both so detailed and insightful. There are so many helpful notes to think about; I’ll be reading them several times.’
Sian Astor-Lewis
‘I’m glad to share with you that Red Ceilings will publish my little ebook! Many thanks… many, many, many thanks for your guidance. Defeated by magazine{s withdrawals, I spent almost two months reading over and over again your comments, the appraisals… Finally I found a way to give my pebbles, my poetry, a foundation I always felt it lacked. I´ll give you a shout when it gets published.’ Andrés Hernández
‘My mind is exploding after a really helpful, useful manuscript consultation with Tears in the Fence publisher, David Caddy and Louise Buchler as a second reader for that. If anyone is seeking a consultation, they are tremendous.’
Jennifer K. Dick
‘David has an astonishing breadth of knowledge. His approach is to zoom in on your strengths and he has a knack of steering you towards your own authentic voice. He can cut through the padding and help you to see where your writing can be transformed. David encourages you to discover the most amazing connections and themes in your own writing. His manner is warm, generous and inspiring. A mentoring session with David is an energising experience that I would recommend to anyone who wants to write poetry.’
Jonathan Chant
‘The appraisals from David and Louise were thoughtful and precise. Their feedback ranged from specific matters of craft to the broader question of how I might take my writing forward. They responded to the work on its own terms and even picked up on recurring motifs and concerns I hadn’t been aware of myself.’
Phil Baker
‘David’s critical appraisals are immeasurably helpful. His work
towards my first full collection was immensely useful.’
Jessica Mookherjee
‘David’s close and perceptive reading of each poem, help with ordering and sequencing my pamphlet collections, and support with my first full collection has been enormous. I thoroughly recommend his critical and mentoring services.’
Geraldine Clarkson
‘David is a gem, so astute and helpful.’
Lesley Burt
Tears in the Fence 