Writing Tips & Advice

Welcome to my virtual study. In real life I don’t have a study. I have a desk in the corner of my dining room and a bedroom cupboard that I can just about fit into with my laptop. But my virtual study is spacious and tidy – an oasis of calm for other writers to visit and hopefully receive some useful tips and advice.

Some of the tips listed here have been garnered from my years as a novelist and freelance journalist. An awful lot of the tips have been a product of the weekly writers’ workshops I run for two London councils. I hope you find them useful and if you have any queries regarding writing that you would like me to answer on this page, then please do not hesitate to send me a message via my mailbox.

Waxing Lyrical About the Joys of Writing

GETTING PUBLISHED

How did you go about getting published?

I had always dreamt of being a professional writer, but when I finally decided to give it a serious go I was quite business like in my approach – and as it worked so well for me, I always recommend my writing coaching clients take this approach too. One night, back in 1997, I sat down and wrote out a 5 year writing plan – breaking my goals down into incremental steps. My ultimate goal was to become a published novelist within 5 years but I broke this big goal down into smaller yearly goals and mapped out a path to publication. I decided to start ’small’ – by sending out short stories and articles and then, if I was lucky enough to get them published, I would use this ‘toe in the door’ to try and enter the world of books. I would visualise my ultimate goal a lot, especially when the rejections started coming in. It gave me something to hang on to and believe in and in the end it worked. An article led to a non-fiction book and that first book led to a three book deal with Hodder for my novels. I ended up achieving my ultimate goal within 3 years of first writing it down.

Is it essential to have an agent?

The general consensus seems to be that an agent is essential these days. However, I recently spoke to an editor who told me that she has taken to raiding the slush pile (manuscripts sent in direct from authors) because she is so frustrated with what agents are sending her. She is fed up with agents playing it safe and has found that the most original new voices are to be found in her unsolicited manuscripts. The one thing I would say is that in my own experience – having negotiated my own deal for my first non-fiction book – is that an agent will be able to get you a much better deal financially.

What advice do you have re. approaching editors?

Make sure your work is neatly presented – A4, double spaced etc, and don’t try to stand out from the pile by using gimmicks such as yellow paper or green ink. It is a well known fact that only the criminally insane use green ink and anyway editors are a mega busy bunch with no time for silliness. Let your writing do the talking, is what I say.

FICTION

Do you have any tips on creating believable characters?

Preparation, preparation, preparation! I know it can be frustrating when you are itching to get going on your novel and the last thing you want to do are character questionnaires or back stories, but trust me, it saves a hell of a lot of time later on. In my workshops I use a lot of the same exercises that actors use when ‘getting into’ a character. At home (in my cupboard!) I also make scrapbooks with pictures of people I think resemble my characters -  in my last novel the model Lily Cole was the visual basis for Natalie and Cheddar was physically based on the Pub Landlord! I do character questionnaires and I don’t start writing until I feel I know the character inside out. Funnily enough, all of this character work tends to provide loads of ideas for plot too.

What other preparation do you do prior to writing a novel?

Recently I have started to visit the setting for each book, where I take photos and make notes of the smells and sounds as well as the sites. All of this minor detail is what helps bring the place to life in your description. I then make a picture board of the place, which I place by my desk / in my cupboard while I write and it really helps to remind me of the world in which my novel is set. I also have a loose plot in mind before I start and I definitely know where my story is supposed to end. I could never just start writing and hope for the best. My worst nightmare would be getting to page 170 and realising that the story had run out of steam. I need to know that there will be enough to fill a novel, but I’m always open to revising the plot, as once I start writing, other alternatives seem to spring from nowhere and the characters do have a tendency to take over!

How do you find your writing ‘voice’?

This was something I struggled with for ages when I was writing my first novel. I read other books and would despair at how naturally the author’s voice seemed to flow. It was only when I finally relaxed and stopped trying so hard that it came. The answer to this question is to keep writing until it comes. And it will come. Trust me.

How important is editing your own work?

Vital. It is amazing how a piece of work can seem as good as it can get upon finishing the first draft, but go back to it a week or month later and you’ll see it is littered with mistakes and opportunites for improvement. Editing is the only way you really get to hone your craft as a writer. It is the polish after the graft and can be a hugely satisfying process.

Do you have any tips for short story writers?

Begin as close to the end as possible – and by that I mean, don’t waste any valuable time on unneccessary preamble. With a short story you don’t have the luxury of time and space that a novel affords, so cut to the chase, make ‘the chase’ as gripping as possible and then finish with some form of resolution. When it comes to getting a short story published make sure you study the guidelines of the publication concerned and write your story accordingly. A fantastic website for short story guidlines and advice is: Women’s Stories: read, write, enjoy!

NON-FICTION

Why was your first book non-fiction if your ultimate goal was to be a novelist?

Going back to the business analogy that I used earlier, when mapping out my path to publication, I realised that my first goal was to get published full stop. Everything I had read on writing told me that I had a much better chance of getting an article published rather than a book deal so that’s what I started with. It just so happened that one of the articles I had published sparked a great deal of reader interest, so much so that the magazine editor suggested I ought to write a book. I figured I’d have a lot more chance of getting a book deal for a novel if I had already had a non-fiction book published, so I decided to give it a go. Writing non-fiction is also a great discipline for a novelist as it teaches you to pare down your writing. The same rules about hooking your reader in also apply to both. When I did finally submit my first novel to an agent she said that the fact that I’d already had a book published moved me straight to the top of her reading list.

SELF PUBLISHING

Would you recommend self publishing after your own experience?

Yes, I definitely would. I think that the technologial advances enabling print on demand mean that it is a very exciting time for writers. Just as downloads have revolutionised the music industry, print on demand and the internet mean that writers are no longer reliant on traditional publishers or agents to kick start their careers. It is now entirely possible, if you have the drive and determination, to publish your own book and make it a best seller. Im my role as self publishing editor for Writers’ Forum magazine I have interviewed countless writers who have achieved great success with their self published books and this has led to agents and publishers and even film companies beating a path to their door. One great example of this is Dave Moody - he self published a novel and then used the internet to achieve a readership of half a million. He now has a three book deal with Orion and his self published book is being made into a Hollywood film.

How much does self publishing cost?

I paid about £650 to self publish my novel, Finding the Plot with AuthorHouse and I would thoroughly recommend them. Things to ask when approaching self publishing companies are:

• Will your book have an ISBN number and therefore be available on Amazon and to order through shops?
• Will you retain copyright?
• Will your book be available to order through the suppliers, Gardners?
• Who will design the cover?
• Will they help you with publicity?
• What percentage will you get in royalties?
• If it is print on demand, how many complimentary copies will you receive?

What are the drawbacks of self publishing?

The main drawback I found was how time consuming it was. If you want your book to sell well then you have to spend an awful lot of time and energy promoting the book and I found that I just didn’t have the time to write any more. I also encountered a fair amount of prejudice when it came to getting my self published book reviewed or in the shops. I’m hoping that this will change as we get more and more self publishing success stories.

For further information, please feel free to visit my writing coaching practise, Finding the Plot.