estimonials
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'Charlie was one of my first critique partners for The Lightning Catcher, and I found her feedback so valuable. She has so much knowledge of craft, and the inside-out of how stories work. Highly recommended.'
Clare Weze - award-winning short story author and author of debut children's novel The Lightning Catcher.
'Charlie Aylett - Storysmith par excellence!
Charlie tackled my request for a constructive edit with gusto and professionalism. She spent some time becoming acquainted with my ideas and themes for my current novel, set in Iran, before reading and delivering a very full report. Her detailed analysis and critique enabled me to understand how to improve my manuscript, and her spreadsheet with suggested changes was a great visual aid to a rethink on plot and characterisation in certain places.
She has great expertise in analysing the construction of a story and I would certainly use her again and recommend her to any writer requiring thorough feedback on their work and help with redrafting and improving their novel.'
Sue Crampton (M.A. Ed. Author of ‘A Head Above Others' ISBN 978-09573977-8-1)
Charlie notably integrated herself into our publication through her very thoughtful insights on stories and feedback to authors. ...Her suggestions for edits notably strengthened stories and have have been particularly astute. Aside from her editing expertise, she is known for offering strong marketing strategies and methods of promoting the magazine. She had provided valuable insights, support, and suggestions across all areas of our publication.
Dawn Lloyd - Editor in Chief, The Colored Lens
Class Reviews
“Have taken actual college classes that don't explain it this well. Got lots of new ideas. ”
~ Felisia Ferreira ~
"Thank you so much! I am working on a complex memoir and this has helped me find the story arc and actually plot the 3-step change in each of the five elements of E.I. (emotional identity) between childhood/adulthood/ resolution. Finally, I have a table I can use to go back and set the scenes and get the structure (hopefully) right! "
~ Stephanie Kay (Switzerland) ~
“Short, simple, easy to remember - perfect for my attention span! It's well-organized and practical. It's cool to see a class about story and character arcs from an emotional perspective. Although I never read The Girl with the Pearl Earring, which was the example, it was explained in a clear way that helped me understand Charlie's points.”
~ Uderne Stroud ~
“Charlie tells this very simply, to great effect. Her example work in this class was thoughtful and easy to grasp. It's a refreshing change from other resources I have used, where there seems to be an obsession with 'The Hero's Journey', or 'Boys' Own' adventure fiction.”
~ Debbie O'Neill ~
“Very [good] explanation of story structure. Will definitely recommend. Great course!”
~ Crystal Melville ~
Acknowledgements in Published Books
Pam Godwin is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling erotica author.
Debut children's novelist Clare Weze will see her book "The Lightning Catcher" published in May 2021 by Bloomsbury.
Already a widely published short fiction writer, her work has appeared in many an anthology and she was awarded a Northern Writers' Award in 2016.
Sue Crampton worked in Iran with the British Army in the years before the Iranian Revolution. Her first novel brings insights not only to the political landscape of the time but to the meeting of two cultures navigating their overlapping political and personal relationships.