This article originally appeared in Publishing Talk Magazine issue 4. Not all romantic novelists dictate their novels reclining on a chaise longue. Liz Fenwick tells us where she writes – and finds inspiration. When I say I’m a novelist, a … Read more
What do agents really want? A unique voice, storytelling ability, likeable characters and believable dialogue, says Danuta Kean.
Yesterday I taught my first Guardian Masterclass of the year on how to pitch your book. A question students always ask is: what exactly do agents want? It is easier to answer than you might think. Of course everyone in publishing would say ‘voice’, by which they mean the character and personality of the writing. Agents want a voice that is unique, fresh and engaging. If you remain unclear what that means, the best way to understand is to read, read and read contemporary books. Read more
Do you have writer’s cramp yet? Or typist’s tremor? Have you entered the annual November writing marathon that is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)? If you did, did you finish, or did you give up exhausted halfway through the month? Read more
As November eases into December, and NaNoWriMo ends in delivery or defeat, there’s a new seasonal online writing event to act as a mini come-down from the demands of bashing out a novel in a month. And you don’t need to write 50,000 words: you only need 140 characters. Read more
Here is your final week of writing prompts from Sarah Salway – good luck! Day 22: Draw your character – especially if you can’t draw. Day 23: What does your character remember about being 10? Day 24: Take your character … Read more
Are you half way through your NaNoWriMo draft? Here’s your next week of writing prompts from Sarah Salway! Read more
Day 8: You’ll be sure of the names of your main characters by now. Look up the meaning (Behind the Name is a good site, and has a fun random name generator to shake things up a little.) How can you include something from this in your section today? Read more
So it’s November, that month when many writers start an annual obsession with word counts and sleep deprivation! Even if you’re not doing the official NaNoWriMo, I invite you to create your own 30-day writing plan. The only rules are that you commit now to writing something EVERY DAY for the next thirty days, and that you don’t go back to edit or discard. Use these prompts below to keep you going. Some are for inspiration, some to motivate, some are to warm you up, and others you can just throw into your daily write to see what happens. Read more
Kirsty McLachlan of DGA Ltd answers one of your most commonly-asked questions: “How do I get an agent?” She reveals ways to get noticed – and avoid languishing in the slush pile. Let me shatter an almost universally held belief … Read more
Literary agent Sarah Such looks at the crucial factors needed in a successful book proposal. How to write a book proposal and what exactly it needs to include are two of the questions I am asked most frequently as a … Read more
