Last weekend I spoke at the Waterford Writers’ Festival. The subject of the panel discussion was How to Write a Bestseller. The chair of the session, the very able Vanessa O’Loughlin from www.writing.ie asked us to consider the key elements of fiction writing and what makes a bestselling novel: character, dialogue, plot, making your book stand out. Also on the panel were fellow popular fiction writers Monica McInerney, Sinead Moriarty and Niamh Greene.
It got me thinking about the nature of the ‘bestseller’. A ‘bestseller’ is simply a book that sells a lot of copies, a book that has thousands of happy readers, all actively recommending it to their friends and family, and on Facebook and Twitter (which I think is the way most bestsellers are created – by word of mouth).
So I thought I’d jot down some of the things that came up during the panel discussion in case they are useful. And at the very end I’ll let you in on the secret – how to write a bestseller – as yes, there is a secret!
First of all: Character
We all agreed that creating big, interesting, real, lovable yet flawed characters is the key to writing good popular fiction. Monica McInerney said she creates her characters before plot; for Sinead Moriarty it’s the other way around. But when it comes to characters, you have to think BIG. (I covered this very topic during the 8 Week Write a Book course on this blog).
Monica writes warm, funny family dramas; Sinead’s books tend to have an issue at the centre – breast cancer, anorexia, breakdown of a family unit – and she takes her research very seriously indeed.
Research
Sinead said something very interesting – she said that you can write about anything as long as you do your research, which she finds very freeing. You keep reading until you know your subject backwards, she said. One of her books, Pieces of My Heart (about an anorexic teenager and her family’s struggle to help her get well again) took a lot of research and after the first draft she had to go back and unpick the chapters that were too research heavy and rewrite them. She was very honest and open about this, which I think was helpful for people to hear. Rewriting is a topic that came up a lot. More about that in a second.
But next: Dialogue
Niamh Greene talked about dialogue and how important it is to get it right. She reads out her dialogue and works on it until it’s perfect. I talked about how each character has to have their own way of speaking in a book, their own voice. If you are unsure about how to approach dialogue, read some of the masters – Roddy Doyle, Marian Keyes, Anne Tyler.
Plot
I explained how important it is to select a subject/setting that you really, really want to write about. It has to be something that fascinates you and that you’re dying to tell your readers about - eg zoo keeping (my latest novel, The Shoestring Club has a zoo keeper in it), the life of a young ballerina (Ask Amy Green: Dancing Daze – now that research – in Budapest – was such fun!).
I always say there are two types of people, the planners and the seat of the pant-ers. Planners know where their passport is weeks before travelling, seat of the pant-ers don’t. If you’re a planner, you may need to plan your book. I’m a planner and I make detailed plot notes for every scene of every book. Now, often these change once I start writing, but I need the plot notes to start a book in the first place – it’s like my safely net in case I get stuck along the way. A book takes a long time to write, and you need all the help you can get!
Monica is not a planner, her books evolve as she writes; Sinead is a planner. We are all different writers, just as we are all different people.
Theme
I talked about theme, about how your book has to say something. At the heart of The Shoestring Club is a family secret and the book is about how a buried secret can have devastating consequences.
Julia, the main character, blames herself for her mother’s death – this is at the heart of every mistake she makes in life. And until she comes to terms with this, she will never live a full life.
What’s your book about? Can you tell me in a few lines? If not, you need to work on your book’s theme. And this doesn’t always come easy. Sometimes the theme won’t be clear to you until after your first or second draft.
Rewriting
The difference between a published novel and an unpublished novel – the rewrites. Simple as that. Your first draft is just a starting point. Keep working on it until it’s a perfect as you can make it. Again, see my Write a Book Course for more on this.
Motivation
You have to want to write more than anything in the world. If you don’t have this overwhelming drive and passion, there’s no point in writing. Marilyn Munroe once said:
‘I wasn’t the prettiest, I wasn’t the most talented, I simply wanted it more than anyone else.’
Do you want to get published more than anyone else?
Because that’s the secret. Motivation, tenacity, drive. And the willingness to be honest, to cut a vein and bleed all over the page; to write about things that scare you, upset you, terrify you. You have to dig deep. It has to hurt. If it doesn’t, there’s no point writing. Unless you have to write, unless you have a burning need to tell people about something that means everything to you, don’t bother.
I’ll leave you with these final words from Pablo Neruda:
‘For me writing is like breathing. I could not live without breathing and I could not live without writing.’
Yours in writing,
Sarah XXX
I’ve been visiting schools, libraries and festivals since 1996 when my first book was published. Over the years I’ve talked to thousands of children about books and writing. I’ve also given many writing workshops to children of all ages and this is what I’ve discovered:
1/ Children are not afraid of making mistakes – if their story isn’t going well they’ll just shrug and start another story, no big deal. They never worry about looking stupid on paper or getting it ‘wrong’.
2/ Children love creating big, funny, unusual characters – because their books are full of larger than life characters – think of Matilda, Mr Gum, Artemis Fowl, Tracy Beaker and Skulduggery Pleasant. They know when it comes to characters, BIG is good.
3/ Children understand that stories have to be exciting, fast, funny and full of emotion (and explosions in the case of boys – maybe slightly too many explosions!).
4/ Children don’t get too hung up about grammar or spelling, they just keep writing. They know they can correct that stuff later.
5/ Children write ‘cos they love to write, not because they want to get published/show off to the neighbours/make a million like that Harry Potter lady.
6/ Children believe that everyone has the right to write.
7/ Children don’t twist themselves up in knots about genre. If zombies appear half way through their romance, then cool, it’s a zombie romance!
8/ Children write for themselves, plain and simple, and because it’s fun.
(However they ARE very fond of ending their stories with ‘and I woke up and it was all a dream’!)
And finally they never, ever finish a book they are not enjoying. They would never say ‘I spent good money on that book so I’m going to finish it’ or ‘It’s for my book club, I have to get to the end’ – they think that’s crazy behaviour!
We have a lot to learn from these smart kids! (But I woudn’t recommend the ‘I woke up and it was all a dream’ ending!)
Yours in writing,
Sarah XXX
There was an interesting conference today in Dublin all about writing classes/workshops which I’ve been following on Twitter. A question came up – why do writers teach creative writing? Is it for the money? Book sales? To find material.
And it got me thinking. Why do I teach?
In fact I was teaching only last night – Writing for Children at the Irish Writer’s Centre. We talked about what makes a good children’s book – unforgettable characters, beautiful writing, a cracking plot, emotion, drama . . . ? We talked about memory and using our past to shape fictional characters. And above all, it was fun. I learned a lot and I hope the other writers did too!
And that’s the main reason I teach: because it’s fun. Writing is a lonely old business, and now and again it’s very healthy to step out from behind the desk and meet ‘real people’. I also teach because I believe in passing things on. I’ve been very lucky in my writing life, many, many people have been very kind and helpful to me. And if I can help someone else, even in a small way, I believe it’s my duty to do so.
I’ve been involved in the book world as a writer and a bookseller for nearly twenty years now, and I like passing on what I know about the business to people who are interested. Plus I adore talking about books, and as most writers are also huge readers, the book chat in workshops is always fascinating.
To answer the question posed on Twitter (and above): I genuinely don’t do it for the money. Depending on the organisation, I don’t always charge for workshops or talks. I don’t do it for book sales – I’m not sure 15 sales (the max number I like to take in a class) would make the slightest bit of difference overall. To find material? If this means being wowed by the amazing people in the class and their life stories, then yes, often they do inspire me. I love meeting new people and, like most writers, I’m always curious about what makes or made them who they are. But their writing doesn’t give me material as such, no. Writers have to find their own obsessions to write about, and my passion for Hungarian ballet probably isn’t your passion for example!
For me the answer really is: I teach because 1/ I have something to share with other writers, and 2/ it’s fun. Teaching children can be the most fun of all, but that’s a blog for another day. Young writers can teach us oldies so much about writing.
Yours in writing,
Sarah XXX
PS The best writing talk I’ve ever heard was given by Patrick Ness who told the audience to ‘write with joy’. If he’s in Dublin again soon, check him out! He’s a remarkable speaker.
The Mountains to Sea Book Festival has just finished – phew – and I’m back to my desk. I programmed the children’s events this year and had such fun watching the authors in action and helping at their mammoth signings.
Three authors in particular really impressed me. Cathy Cassidy, Darren Shan and Derek Landy. They have such huge respect for their readers and do everything they can to send every reader home with a big smile on her or his face.
My own nephew isn’t a big reader but after Darren’s inspiring event went home and started writing a zombie story. My sister was astonished. Darren read two extracts from his work – one so spooky it made everyone jump in their seats and scream. Then he talked about his life as a writer and took questions from the floor. And then – then! – he signed for 3 hours solid, greeting each young reader with warmth and interest, chatting away to their parents and grandparents. It was a joy to watch.
Cathy Cassidy was equally charming to her long line of fans. She posed for photos, gave out sweets and chocolate, chatted to the girls and asked them questions about Dublin and what…
The Mountains to Sea Book Festival has just finished – phew – and I’m back to my desk. I programmed the children’s events this year and had such fun watching the authors in action and helping at their mammoth signings.
Three authors in particular really impressed me. Cathy Cassidy, Darren Shan and Derek Landy. They have such huge respect for their readers and do everything they can to send every reader home with a big smile on her or his face.
My own nephew isn’t a big reader but after Darren’s inspiring event went home and started writing a zombie story. My sister was astonished. Darren read two extracts from his work – one so spooky it made everyone jump in their seats and scream. Then he talked about his life as a writer and took questions from the floor. And then – then! – he signed for 3 hours solid, greeting each young reader with warmth and interest, chatting away to their parents and grandparents. It was a joy to watch.
Cathy Cassidy was equally charming to her long line of fans. She posed for photos, gave out sweets and chocolate, chatted to the girls and asked them questions about Dublin and what they liked to read. She basically made them all feel really special.
The last event of the festival was a hilarious delve into Derek Landy’s weird and wonderful mind. His fans are something – I spotted lots of Skulduggery T-shirts, several hand-made Skulduggery bags and even a pair of Skulduggery runners. Again, he signed with patience and a big grin, making all his young readers laugh with him.
If a reader arrived with a pile of books, they all signed each and every book. If a child arrived with a grubby piece of paper, that was signed too. Nothing was too much trouble.
It was utterly inspiring and reminded me exactly why I love the children’s book world so much – the writers are just so darned decent and lovely. To a man or woman – the picture book gang, the Irish writers, the UK writers, the Americans (Meg Rosoff and Patrick Ness) – all exceptional people. I’m sure they have their grumpy days like we all do, but they give everything they have to their readers and for that I salute them.
I’m so grateful to them all for making our festival so successful and giving so many readers an experience they will never forget.
We can all learn a lot about how to treat our readers from Cathy, Darren and Derek!
Yours in writing,
Sarah XXX
- Out Next Week!
I have two books out this month – Ask Amy Green: Love and Other Drama-ramas and Sally Go Round the Stars: Rhymes from an Irish Childhood – and as always I’m dreadfully nervous. Will readers like them? Will they pick them up in a bookshop? Will they buy them? Are the covers right? Did I find all the typos?
This morning I woke up at 6am, my head already full of my To Do list: finish putting content on my new website (more on that in a second), write Amy 5, think about the short story I have to write for a Walker Books anthology called ‘And Then He Kissed Me’, write articles for the launch of both books, write this blog, and let’s not mention the tax return hanging over my head or the rewrite of Shoestring 2! I also programme the children’s section of a book festival, Mountains to Sea in Dun Laoghaire which starts in, gulp, a week.
My new website is almost ready to go live – on 6th September. Lisa, the designer has done an amazing job. It’s fresh looking
…
- Out Next Week!
I have two books out this month – Ask Amy Green: Love and Other Drama-ramas and Sally Go Round the Stars: Rhymes from an Irish Childhood – and as always I’m dreadfully nervous. Will readers like them? Will they pick them up in a bookshop? Will they buy them? Are the covers right? Did I find all the typos?
This morning I woke up at 6am, my head already full of my To Do list: finish putting content on my new website (more on that in a second), write Amy 5, think about the short story I have to write for a Walker Books anthology called ‘And Then He Kissed Me’, write articles for the launch of both books, write this blog, and let’s not mention the tax return hanging over my head or the rewrite of Shoestring 2! I also programme the children’s section of a book festival, Mountains to Sea in Dun Laoghaire which starts in, gulp, a week.
My new website is almost ready to go live – on 6th September. Lisa, the designer has done an amazing job. It’s fresh looking and easy to navigate, it has a Facebook feed and all kinds of clever things like a media box (for video clips and photos). I’ve updated all the content and added lots of new content, like exclusive background details to all my books – how the titles were picked, where the idea came from etc. I’ve very proud of it and I can’t wait to share it with you all in September. I will of course be continuing my writing blog, and do please keep reading!
Writers at every stage of their careers are riddled with doubts and insecurities, especially around publication time. I’ve written eleven adult novels now (nine published, two out in the next two years), I’ve written four Amy Green novels, and lots of other children’s books, but I’m still horribly nervous about the reaction to each and every new book.
Seeing your new book on the shelf for the first time is terrifying, yet exhilarating. Not seeing it on the shelves when it’s supposed to be there is of course, far worse! I’m in the very lucky position of having publishers behind me who believe in my work and do all they can to edit, market and promote my books to the very best of their ability. And I try to do my part, writing articles for papers, magazines, blogs and websites, being interviewed by journalists on all kinds of things – yesterday it was on proposing to Ben, my partner, for the Irish Examiner – visiting the bookshops to say hi to the booksellers and to sign stock, doing school events, library events, festivals. Around publication time I generally set aside a full month to work on the publicity side of things. There is no point spending a whole year writing and rewriting a book and then just sitting back and letting it find its own way in the market, I like to get out there and do as much as I can to help it on its way.
I know some unpublished writers look forward to the bookshop visits, the interviews, talking to school children or reading their work to adults, but many don’t. After over fifteen years writing and publishing books, I guess I’m just used to it; but publication month never gets any easier – it’s exciting, joyful, stressful and exhausting. But you have to embrace all the publicity and the marketing for what it is – part of every writer’s job. And I’m very, very grateful that people actually want to read my articles, want to interview me, want me to visit their students.
October is Children’s Book Festival month and I’ll be travelling around the country talking to young readers about writing and my books. But in November it’s back to my desk to finish Amy 5. And I’m already looking forward to it. Sometimes I think publication month is there to send us writers scurrying back to our desks with added dedication and vim, ready to type again until our fingers throb.
But in the meantime I’m going to take a deep breath, jump into September head first and embrace all the madness of publication month. And now I can cross ‘write blog’ off my To Do list!
Yours in writing,
Sarah XXX
I spent a good chunk of last weekend at the Dalkey Book Festival. There was a lovely atmosphere – lots of multi-coloured bunting slung across the streets, face painting, music – a very happy, party feel to the village.
I grew up in Dalkey, near the quarry, and it’s a place very close to my heart. It’s wonderful to see such a vibrant, lively festival take over the streets.
On Saturday I hosted a writing workshop for children. Billed as for age 9+, I had a 5 year old and a 7 year old ‘writing’, or more accurately drawing pictures of what they wanted to say in their work (and very good they were too). And one very brave boy who was full of excellent ideas and didn’t seem to be at all phased to be flying solo amongst so many girls.
We did several fun exercises, concentrating on using your senses in your work – especially smell – which writers starting out don’t use half enough. Certain scents transport us to different times of our life, to other countries, to sad thoughts, to happy times.
On Sunday I spoke to Amy Green readers about ideas and inspiration, and we acted out a scene from the first Amy Green book, Boy Trouble. I had a lot of fun, and I hope they did too! Meeting readers is always a pleasure and makes my ‘day job’ worthwhile.
I also got to see some of my writer friends: Martina Devlin, Don Conroy, Niamh Sharkey, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, Judi Curtin, Conor Kostick and Sinead Moriarty. We had lunch together, chatted and caught up. It’s always lovely to talk to other writers, they truly understand the pressures and joys of living a writer’s life.
I also listened to Martina Devlin and John Waters speak about being ‘blow-ins’ in Dalkey, which was most interesting. I always learn something new at other writers’ talks and try to attend as many as I can. I greatly enjoyed Listowel Writers’ Week for that reason – and made sure to catch as many different authors and musicians as possible, from Joe Craig on the piano, to Joseph O’Connor with ‘his’ band, and Alice Sebold.
Writing can be a lonely occupation at times, and book festivals are a fantastic opportunity to get out and meet fellow readers and writers. Feeding the mind and the soul is always a good thing. And it reminds me how important books are in so many different peoples’ lives, which as a writer is heartening and inspiring to know.
I’m already looking forward to the West Cork Literary Festival in July – David Soul and Michael Morpurgo in particular. And the Mountains to Sea Festival in September in Dun Laoghaire with Oliver Jeffers, Patrick Ness, Meg Rosoff, Emma Donoghue and Edna O’Brien.
Yours in Writing,
Sarah XXX
Had the good fortune to meet the lovely and ultra smart Kate DiCamillo on Saturday. She gave a rousing reading and q and a session at the Mountains to Sea Festival.
She gave 3 writing tips during her talk:
1/ Read
2/ Show up on the page – write every day – doesn’t matter if it’s short, just write daily.
3/ Be stubborn and stand up for yourself – if you want to be a writer, don’t let anyone or anything stand in your way.
Good advice!
Everyone fell in love with Kate during the day – she’s amazing and so funny. I do hope she comes back to Dublin soon.
I do love the questions young readers ask authors. They asked Kate – ‘Are you a cat or a dog person?’ (Dog!)
Did you have a doll when you were little? (Yes, Victoria – and Kate still has her in a cedar chest at the end of her bed as she can’t bear to give her away.)
Do you like mice? (Yes!)
Far more interesting than the questions adults ask – ‘where do you get your ideas?’ We should all look at things through children’s eyes at least once a day. Are you a cat or a dog person? Such a great question!
Yours in writing,
SarahX
That’s the funny thing about doing events and publicity for books – publication and all it entails: launches, radio interviews; writing columns; getting pics to go with the columns taken at odd times like 5pm (kids’ tea time in our house and always a zoo!), Sat morning just before you have to get the kids out to soccer; book events and book tours – it makes you realise how much you actually enjoy a normal writing day.
Some writers love the whole buzz of publication – but most don’t. Most – me included – would like maybe 2 or 3 days of it – just to mark the fact that a new book is actually out – and would then like to be allowed slink gracefully back behind our desks to write again.
But such is the life of a writer these days – you must do whatever you can to make your book sell so that a publisher will actually pay you to write another one. And if that includes telling journalists (who I must say are mostly lovely) what you had for breakfast, so be it.
But the most important thing is the writing – get that right first. Worry about all the rest of the hoopla later.
Here’s something I’ve learned over the last 15 years – if your book is really, really good, word of mouth is the most vital ingredient of all when it comes to book sales. You can have the best cover in the world, be on all the radio and telly shows, have bookmarks and posters coming out your ears, and if the book isn’t up to scratch no one will recommend it to their friends or family.
So heads down and write!
But I must say visiting 8 schools all over England and meeting some amazing girls and teachers was an experience I will never forget. More about that next week . . .
Have a fab weekend.
And remember – heads down, the writing’s the thing!
Sarah XXX
