Writer, writing coach and theatre-maker, Rebecca Megson-Smith, is judging the Writing Mentorship Award to find a writer to mentor and coach their book to publication status.
The only work that gives her as much pleasure as the acts of reading and writing themselves is supporting other writers in the formation, creation and development of their work. Rebecca works with a wide range of writers – from beginners to the page through to published authors looking for additional support in their latest venture.
Rebecca enjoys working with an eclectic mix of writers and writing including novels, poetry collections, short stories, stage or screenplays, memoirs, and other works of non-fiction. Her own reading tastes are equally eclectic: She is a fan of literary fiction, psychological thrillers, sci-fi and fantasy, magical realism, mythology, supernatural and young adult fiction.
She is particularly looking forward to reading stories with strong female leads, irrespective of genre, and is looking for compelling page-turning and thought-provoking narratives. Having worked for Reuters for the first ten years of her career before moving into academic publishing, Rebecca holds a Masters in Journalism and has written articles and blogs for a variety of local and international publications.
A strong business as well as creative communicator, she has provided marketing and comms support to science and technology SMEs, including writing business content and copy for websites. She is a staff writer on the Mrs Mummypenny blog and regularly hosts the Bristol University Press podcast Transforming Society. Rebecca has written and had performed several short stage plays and worked as a dramaturg and creative producer for theatre.
Her short story ‘Unexpected Consequences’ was included in the collection Dispatches from New Motherhood edited by Emylia Hall. As a mother to a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old, in addition to running a household, a successful business and attending to her own writing needs, she considers herself something of a time management ninja and is always eager to pass on and exchange tips and tricks for how to bring the magic of writing into our everyday lives.
Fueled by tea, poetry and a love of cosy she can be found on Instagram @ridleywrites and Twitter @ridleywrites
You can read more about and from Rebecca on her website –
