5 things I wish I’d known before writing my first novel, Five Parks
metro.co.uk – Sunday October 22, 2017
I have written a novel.
Five words that every writer, aspiring or otherwise, longs to pen, or, as is more likely these days, type.
And I am lucky enough to have joined the club.
My first novel, Five Parks, a psychological thriller, was published by Endeavour Press in August.
It’s about a female freelance journalist who is kidnapped after going on five different blind dates with five different men in five different parks in London.
When she wakes up after the fifth date handcuffed in a dark room, she has to figure out – by continuing her dating blog, Five Parks – where she is and who took her.
It’s High Fidelity meets Misery, with a dollop of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory thrown in. And it was a lot of fun to write.
But it was also bloody hard.
Here are five things I wish I’d known before writing my first novel.
What I Learned From Binge-Writing Nine Bad Novels
vitals.lifehacker.com – Friday October 20, 2017
This year, I will write my tenth terrible novel. I do this every November; it’s part of the NaNoWriMo tradition. I’ve never published these novels, but I grow as a writer and as a human being every time I write one. Let me tell you why it’s worthwhile.
Philip Pullman: Rules of writing from man behind His Dark Materials
bbc.co.uk – Thursday October 19, 2017
So what are the tricks of the trade that has made Pullman such a success - and the tips he can pass on to budding writers?
He spoke to the BBC about his lucky pen and why he can work to the sound of a pneumatic drill, but never to music.
5 Tips for Writing Family Into Fiction Without Burning Bridges
signature-reads.com – Wednesday October 18, 2017
Before you read this, I should tell you that as I write this, my first and only novel Seven Days of Us has not yet been published. And so far, my husband and parents are my only family to have read it. So I’m not sure how qualified I am to advise on ‘Writing family into fiction without burning bridges’.
Still, I do know all about not deliberately offending loved ones in print, thanks to a social stereotypes column I wrote in The Sunday Times for two years. Inevitably I drew on real life, nearly every week, and often my sources had to be tactfully hidden. Occasionally I didn’t realize I had borrowed from reality, until just before the deadline. Then I had to send frantic emails to my favorite sub-editor: ‘Please could you change ‘espadrille’ in the second paragraph to ‘moccasin’ – I’m so sorry to ask this but my cousin is a big espadrille-wearer and may be insulted.’ Once I even had to add, truthfully: ‘He is also terminally ill, so I really don’t want to upset him.’ Aaaagh.
What does it take to write and publish a book? Fire in the belly
huffingtonpost.com – Wednesday October 18, 2017
When I decided to write my book, many years ago, I was committed. I had what I called “Fire in the Belly.” That is what it took for me to stay with it. I had passion and conviction that the story was important. It was history that had never been public. I needed to set the record straight, and I believed in myself that I was the person to write it.
I had a lot of challenges, though:
Brad Pankosky, Allison Schwartz Promoted to Agents At Paradigm
deadline.com – Wednesday October 18, 2017
Brad Pankosky and Allison Schwartz have been promoted to agents at Paradigm. Pankosky who was both Talent Coordinator and an assistant in Paradigm Beverly Hills to Chairman and CEO Sam Gores, has been named upped to an agent in the talent department. Schwartz, who was assistant to Theatrical Literary Department Head Jack Tantleff in Paradigm’s New York office, now becomes a literary agent.
New Literary Agency Listing
firstwriter.com – Tuesday October 17, 2017
Handles: Nonfiction
Areas: Autobiography; Business; Cookery; Entertainment; Historical; Military; Music; Mystery; Romance; Science; Self-Help; Sport; Theatre; Thrillers
Markets: Adult
Handles narrative nonfiction, military, sports, celebrity memoir, thrillers, mysteries, historical fiction, romance, music, style, business, home improvement, cookbooks, self-help, science and theatre. Send query by email with "query" in the subject line, and synopsis and biography explaining what the book is and who you are. Do not include sample material.
Writing for free undermines profession
irishtimes.com – Monday October 16, 2017
I’m a full-time writer and illustrator and was approached recently by an editor working for a reputable company who asked me to contribute a piece for an anthology of contemporary Irish writers. There was to be no fee. The company expected me to to provide the work for free, because of who they were and, presumably, the exposure I’d get for it. It was a commercial business, not a charity, although it said that any profits would go towards supporting emerging writers – as if established writers don’t need “support”.
John Green's Writing Advice Is The One Thing Every Aspiring Novelist Needs To Read Today
bustle.com – Sunday October 15, 2017
Want to finish the novel you've been working on, but keep getting discouraged and dragged down by insecurities about your talent or ideas? John Green's writing advice will help any aspiring novelist get over the hump and finish their manuscript draft. The Turtles All the Way Down author did a Reddit AMA on Thursday, during an eight-hour bus ride to Charlotte, NC, and gave some pretty great advice to struggling writers while answering a question about what he felt was "the most challenging part of writing a book." If you have a draft or manuscript idea you want to develop, you're going to want to pay attention to what John Green has to say.
Marty Shapiro, Veteran Talent and Literary Agent, Dies at 81
hollywoodreporter.com – Saturday October 14, 2017
Marty Shapiro, a longtime talent and literary agent, died Sept. 25 at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., his daughter Susan Moss announced. He was 81.
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