Kathryn Clark
After an eclectic ‘career’ involving a wallpaper shop, aromatherapy, and researching rich people, Kathryn graduated with distinction from the Bath Spa MA Writing for Young People in 2017. She mostly writes contemporary and speculative YA fiction about identity, mental health, consent, hope and love. She lives in Gloucestershire with her family, two dogs and two cats.
Qualifications:
BA(Hons) English Studies: 2:1 – Literature, Linguistics and Creative Writing
Postgraduate Certificate in Marketing
Masters in Writing for Young People: Distinction
I continue to develop my knowledge through workshops and courses, including recently, ‘The Ethics of Representation’, and The Psychology of Character for Writers.
Writing Credentials:
My debut novel will be published by Faber Children’s in July 2025. My short stories and flash fiction have been published online, in writing magazines and anthologies, after being placed or listed in competitions.
My latest Young Adult Novel was shortlisted in the Searchlight Children’s Novel Opening Award and the Bath Children’s Novel Award.
I have a Masters in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University, an exceedingly practical qualification which is taught by published children’s and YA authors. My two years on the course gave me lots of experience of writing in different genres for a variety of age groups, as well as critical reading of published children’s fiction, editing, and giving and receiving feedback/critique. I was one of three co-editors of the 2016 course anthology Paper Worlds.
Editing, Mentoring, and Feedback
Working with my lecturers and fellow students during the MA was revelatory for me in developing my fiction, and this motivated me to help other authors-in-waiting by becoming a writing mentor.
I began as a voluntary mentor for #WriteMentor in 2018. Now, I regularly edit, critique, and proofread for YA, MG, and adult writers, from novices to traditionally published authors. I am a Spark Mentor with #WriteMentor giving writers support and encouragement and helping them move their writing on to the next stage. I’m also a reader for a number of fiction competitions
I work with writers on all types of genres and narrative styles.
Examples of the kinds of manuscripts I have been privileged to read, edit, and give feedback on include:
Middle Grade (MG), Young Adult (YA) and Adult
Contemporary, historical, fantasy, sci-fi, magical, adventure, dystopian, detective, speculative, ghost, fairy, dual and multiple narratives, issue led, LQBTQ+, romance, funny, and all the things that overlap or fall between.
Short stories, flash fiction, memoir, and non-fiction pieces.
More details about my mentoring, editing, and reading services can be found here.
Publishing Industry Experience
My debut novel will be published by Faber Children’s in July 2025.
During my MA in Writing for Young People, I learned a lot about the UK children’s publishing industry and met a number of agents and editors. I was one of a team of three editors for our cohort’s anthology of work, managing all elements of producing the book and organising its launch.
I signed with a literary agent in 2017 and we parted company amicably in 2019 due to a change in circumstance. (This is a fairly common experience nowadays.) I am an early round reader for a couple of writing contests and am practised in submitting to agents and competitions, as well as helping other writers with their submissions.
I’m connected to, and keep up to date with, the children’s literature world through the MA community, Write Mentor, The Bookseller, and Twitter. I’ve also been privileged to work with a self-published author Ben Housden, so have some knowledge of what it takes to achieve success via this route too.