My Writer's Manifesto - from the archives

(This was first posted in 2010) According to my Oxford Concise a manifesto is ‘a public declaration of a policy and aims’.

I’m currently planning a tour in October for 3 teen/tween writers – 3 days, 3 cities, 3 remarkable writers – title yet to be decided, but we have some pretty nifty names already. The writers involved are Judi Curtin, writer of the fab Alice and Megan series, Sophia Bennett, writer of the equally fab Threads series set in the London fashion world, and moi!

And I came up with a tongue in cheek manifesto:

No vampires No werewolves No boys that go bump in the night

Real girls Real drama Really amazing stories straight from the heart

We all write books for age 9/10+ with characters who are in their early teens. We all deal with real life issues – family drama, friendship problems, bullying – hence the no vampires, no werewolves bit.

So it got me thinking – maybe I should have my own writing manifesto, a Writer's Manifesto. A ‘public declaration’ of my writing intentions.

So here goes:

I guess my most important aim is to entertain.

The first commandment of popular fiction of any kind or for any age is (as the lovely Claudia Carroll once said): Thou shalt not bore. Quite right too.

Second aim – to say something.

I know this sounds a little vague but sometimes I read books that don’t actually say anything. They just potter along, telling a nice story, but don’t really going anywhere. I think books should have something solid rooted at the heart of them – a theme if you like. Sometimes that theme doesn’t make itself fully known until you finish the 1st or 2nd or even the 3rd draft, but it’s often bubbling away under the surface of your words, slowly rising to the surface. For example in the first Amy Green book I wanted to tell readers that it’s OK to be yourself. In fact it’s pretty darn cool to be yourself. It’s a theme that runs through all the Amy Green books.

My third aim is to write with passion and with confidence.

I’ve been writing for many years now and I’ve started to understand what both of these things really mean and how important they are. Write without passion and you’re doomed. The confidence bit – that can be learned over time. But if you can write with both passion and confidence – then you might just have a pretty good book on your hands.

So there you have it – three aims for my own personal manifesto.

What are your aims when you write?

Do you have a writing manifesto?

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Recommended Books About Writing

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I've been editing for the last two weeks so apologies for the lack of blogs. I taught a writing workshop yesterday and this is the list I gave the writers at the end of the class (along with other notes that I'll post at a later stage). I love good books about writing and here are some of my favourites. I'd advise every anyone interested in writing to invest in and read Stephen King's book, it's excellent. Yours in writing,

Sarah X

On Writing by Stephen King Inspiring and full of good advice.

From Pitch to Publication by Carole Blake Invaluable guide to getting published from an experience agent.

The Right to Write by Julia Cameron One of the best books about being a writer and living a writer’s life I’ve ever found. Succinct, direct and truthful, a book I come back to over and over again if I’m in need of a little writerly pick me up.

Write Away by Elizabeth George Excellent if you want to write crime.

See Jane Write by Sarah Mlynowski and Farrin Jacobs Tips on writing fiction for a female audience – American book – useful if you are interested in writing popular fiction.

Writing for Success by Patricia O’Reilly Sensible advice with a useful Irish slant.

Write a Book in a Year by Jacinta McDevitt Another great Irish book – I think it’s out of print, but you might find a copy in the library.

How Not to Write a Novel by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman Funny, light humored book about how to avoid common writing pitfalls.

The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner (American) A fascinating book described as ‘a riveting safari through the wilds of a writer’s brain.’ Ever wondered what exactly editors think about when faced with a manuscript, then this is the book for you!

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott More memoir than writing guide, but very entertaining.

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg How to ‘free the writer within’. Some interesting thoughts and ideas about writing.

This Is How It Starts - The Story of a Book Deal

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I’m currently reading This Is How It Ends by Kathleen MacMahon and I’m engrossed. Fantastic characters, immersive plot, strong writing – a real treat. It’s the kind of book that once you start, you just can’t put down and I’m already looking forward to getting back to Addie and Brunos’ tale this evening. It’s set in Dublin and is a love story with a difference. The main characters are thirty-eight and fifty and have the battle scars to prove it. It reminds me in a way of The Bridges of Madison County, another love story with a seam of melancholy running through it. I re-watched the film recently and I was struck by the simplicity and timelessness of the story. This Is How It Ends is very much set at a particular time (just before Obama was elected), but MacMahon's writing has the same classic feel to it.

Over the weekend I read an interview with the writer, a journalist in RTE. In the interview (an excellent piece by Róisín Ingle of the Irish Times) she explained that it wasn’t her first book. She has been writing for eight years now, and had wanted to write a book since she was ten. As Mary Lavin’s granddaughter (the Irish short story writer), she felt the legacy held her back. “I spent a lot of time thinking about writing,” she says in the Irish Times, “but I had to find my own voice. I think if I were doing it ten years ago I might have been trying to impress others. In my family people wouldn’t just be delighted that you had written a book: they would be saying, ‘But is it any good?’ ”

But eventually she decided to put her misgivings and doubts aside. She wrote a novel, The Sixth Victim which landed her an agent, Marianne Gunn O’Connor (via Cormac Kinsella, a well connected literary publicist who recommended her to MacMahon). Gunn O'Connor is highly respected and also represents Cecelia Ahern and many other internationally successful writers. The book was never published although it came close.

MacMahon says in the Irish Times “At the time, Marianne was very disappointed and I was very relieved. Because I thought, Oh no, I am going to have to tell people I am writing now. I was looking around the newsroom in terror. It felt like I was going to have to stand up and take off all my clothes.”

But MacMahon tried again. She wrote a second book and once again sent it to her agent. This time things were a little different. Little, Brown paid £600,000 for a two book deal at last year’s London Book Fair (the deal of the Fair) and the rest is history.

There’s a lesson here for all writers. You get knocked back and you get back up again. You get rejected and you fight back with something even stronger. You try again (multiply by however many times it takes) and you get published. It does happen. Kathleen MacMahon is living proof. Her first book was rejected so she wrote a better book, it’s as simple as that. Her ‘better book’ happens to be an exceptional piece of work and now she has a glowing career ahead of her as a writer.

As Samuel Beckett once said: Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Ode to a Bookshop and a Very Special Bookseller

I was saddened to hear last week that one of my favourite bookshops in the whole world, The Exchange Bookshop in Dalkey, South County Dublin has just closed. The lovely owner, Michael has decided to retire and it’s uncertain as to what will happen to the shop. Will it become yet another coffee shop or restaurant; will another enterprising (and brave) bookseller take it over? We will have to wait and see. In the meantime I wanted to celebrate the shop and what it meant to me as a child and as a teenager growing up in Dalkey. When I was younger Dalkey village had a small children’s library that was housed in the Town Hall. Once a week special green wooden shelves would be rolled out and we’d be taken there to pick our books. Unfortunately there wasn’t much of a range and, as I became a more confident reader, I craved more choice. So Mum took me to The Exchange Bookshop and we looked through the second hand books together, searching for novels that would be suitable for a young teenager.

Gradually Mum allowed me to rummage on my own, and I managed to unearth some gems that she might not have ‘approved’ of had she know the contents, Flowers in the Attic example which I devoured, staying up all night to finish it, racing through each page like a teenager possessed. Michael in the shop did sometimes question the ‘suitability’ of the books I picked, but to his credit never stopped me buying them.

James Herbert, Stephen King, The Outsiders by S E Hinton, books about possession, haunting, vampires – this was my staple reading diet as a teenager (YA or teen fiction was only in its infancy in those days and many of the books were far too ‘worthy’ for my strangely blood-thirsty teen taste). They were interspersed by Maeve Binchy, American teen novels (Sweet Valley High), Judy Blume and the classics, but only ones concerning love and relationships, especially doomed relationships, most notably Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Jane Austen. Darkness and light, black and pink.

From the age of about eleven I read passionately and voraciously and The Exchange provided much of my story fuel. Unusually it sold both new and second hand books and had a special ‘exchange’ system (hence the name) whereby you could bring back books you’d read and ‘swap’ them for other books. And yes, I admit I ‘exchanged’ many of my mum and dads’ books for Stephen King novels.

Without The Exchange I would not have read so many books as a teenager, it’s as simple as that. And those books – both black and pink - made me the writer that I am today. So I owe a lot to Michael and his wonderful bookshop, as do many other readers (and writers) I suspect. And I wish him all the very best in the future. Maybe now he’ll have time to read himself for a change!

Today, on Shakespeare’s birthday and leading up to World Book Night later, I give thanks for Michael and all the other amazingly hard working and booking loving folk who power the bookshops of Ireland. Booksellers, I salute you! I’m proud to be an ex-member (and hopefully a future member in years to come) of your fold.

Yours in books,

Sarah XXX

Write a Story That Matters

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I've just finished reading The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler, one of my favourite writers. I was struck (as always) by her wonderfully simple yet evocative language. She's a genius with verbs; makes them work. She paints pictures with her words:

'I tilted my face up and squinted against the sunlight to follow the arc of the spray, which sashayed left, sashayed right, like a young girl swishing her skirts as she walked.'

Her sentences have the power to make you gasp. And you can tell that she's mad about her main character, Aaron despite his glaring flaws.

It's a masterful book and it got me thinking about fiction and why writers write.

I have a great fondness for first novels. Writers throw everything into their first book - passion, joy, heartache; hopes, dreams, failings - it's all there in one heady mix. With a first book you have years to craft your sentences. Once you are a published writer deadlines sneak into the writing equation.

You also think about your readers - will they like your new book? Your editor - what will she/he think? Reviewers - if you are lucky enough to get reviewed. The page is never fresh.

But there is nothing jaded or knowing about The Beginner's Goodbye. Anne Tyler is telling the story that she wants to tell in the her own peerless way. She is writing for herself, telling a tale that she just has to share. And that is how we should all write - telling the story that we just have to tell, regardless of readers/editors/deadlines. We need to get back to the voice of our 1st book and reclaim the joy that we felt, the sheer wonder at creating a fictional world and living, breathing characters.

It is not enough to write a story that you like. If you had three months to live what would you want to tell people? Write that book - a book that matters.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

How to Write a Bestseller – The Secret Ingredient

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

My Predictions for the 2012 CBI/'Bisto' Award Shortlist

My Predictions for the 2012 Children's Books Ireland ('Bisto') Award Shortlist

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Last year was a good year for children’s books written and illustrated by Irish authors and illustrators (the award is given to books published in 2011), with some exciting new names joining established ones. There were less 'Irish' picture books published last year (after a stellar year in 2010 – culminating in Chris Haughton’s win for A Bit Lost), but it was a strong year for teen novels, with Ger Meade’s Flick a notable debut. Ger has six young children, so the fact that she’s writing at all astounds me!

This list is my own personal opinion, and it’s just for fun. Let’s see how many I get ‘right’! The actual shortlist will be announced on 20th March.

1/ A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle – my prediction for overall winner One of my favourite books of the year – lyrical and touching, with fantastic characters.

2/ Spirit of the Titanic by Nicola Pierce – my prediction for the Eilís Dillon Award (or Ger Meade’s Flick – depending on the judges’ tastes) – a very strong historical novel about a young boy and the Titanic. May also get the Children’s Choice Award.

3/ Marshall Armstrong is New to This School by David Mackintosh – Honour Award for Illustration – my favourite picture book of the year – it deserves the overall award and I’d love to see it win. The dark horse of the awards!

4/ Bruised by Siobhan Parkinson – Honour Award for Fiction – a beautifully written teen novel.

5/ Flick by Ger Meade – possible Eilís Dillon Award or Special Judges' Award – full of drama and emotion, it’s impossible not to be impressed by this debut novel.

6/ My Dad is Ten by Mark O’Sullivan – another strong, gritty teen novel.

7/ Stuck by Oliver Jeffers – it’s Oliver, what more can I say?

8/ No One But You Illustrated by P J Lynch – stunning illustrations from one of Ireland’s finest artists.

9/ Maitriosce by Siobhan Parkinson – I haven’t read this one but I believe it’s great and there tends to be at least one book in Irish on the shortlist. Or Dordán, which my friend, Liz says is the best book she's read all year in any language!

10/ The Lonely Beast by Chris Judge (another possible contender for the Eilís Dillon) – another new talent on the Irish picture book scene. Winner of the Irish Book Awards (Junior Section) last year.

Also might be shortlisted:

The Horse Girl by Mary Finn – Beautifully written historical fiction. Into the Grey by Celine Kiernan – A ghost story so unnerving I have to admit I didn’t finish it! Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent by Alan Early -  A good action adventure story, with 1 or 2 cracking scenes towards the end. The Butterfly Heart by Paula Leyden – Beautifully written story set in Africa. Sally Go Round the Stars Illustrated by Steve McCarthy – A book of Irish and international nursery rhymes that I compiled it with Claire Ranson. The illustrations are mighty! Steve deserves a nomination but he’s up against some tough competition.

Deserve to be shortlisted but will probably not be shortlisted: Palace of the Damned by Darren Shan – one of his best yet – wonderful sense of place and vivid, muscular writing. I would love to see Darren on the shortlist one day. Skulduggery Pleasant Death Bringer by Derek Landy – funny, smart and BIG. Eva’s Holiday by Judi Curtin – again, one of her best yet – warm and engaging. 

For more on the Award see here.

Write That Book - Week 8 - Publishers/Getting Published

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Welcome to the final week of Write That Book. Today I will cover submitting directly to a publishing house. At a later stage I will look at self-publishing and ebooks, so look out for that soon.

Publishers

Once you are happy with your manuscript, it’s time to decide who to send it to. All of the Irish publishers (and Irish offices of the UK publishers) still accept unsolicited manuscripts, which is good news if you haven’t secured an agent. See last week’s blog – week 7 – for how to prepare your manuscript for submission (to an agent or a publisher). For most UK publishers you will need an agent – again, see week 7 for information on this and a list of recommended agents.

It is very important to match your book to the right publisher. There’s no point sending a crime novel to a children’s publisher for example. Do your research. Find out the kind of book each publisher actually publishes. Visit your local bookshop or library and have a look on the shelves. Familiarise yourself with what the various publishers actually bring out. Some of them specialize, some are more general publishers. Some publish children’s books, others don’t.

For a full list of who’s who in Irish publishing, www.writing.ie can’t be beaten. Check it out here:

If you are interested in writing either children’s books or popular fiction (the areas I know the most about), these are the main Irish publishers to try:

Poolbeg Specialise in popular fiction. Poolbeg discovered Marian Keyes, Sheila O’Flanagan, Patricia Scanlon, Melissa Hill, Cathy Kelly and many others. As they only publish in Ireland (although they do sell on other rights), most writers move to an international publisher after a few books (as was the case with me for example). But it’s a good place to start if you write popular fiction.  Editor - Gaye Shortland Submission details on their website - www.poolbeg.com

O’Brien Press Publish children’s fiction, adult fiction and non fiction, especially Irish interest books. They are the biggest and best children’s publishers in Ireland and also sell a lot of international rights to their books. Editors  – Ide Ni Laoghaire and Helen Carr Submission details on their website -  www.obrien.ie

New Island General publisher (not children’s at the moment, but this may change). They are small, but strong and are especially good at publishing edgy fiction. Editor – Eoin Purcell Submission details on their website:  www.newisland.ie

Little Islands Children’s fiction for readers of 6/7+. They are a relatively new publishing house, but they have already made quite a name for themselves in Ireland, with several award winning books for young readers. Editor – Siobhan Parkinson

Submission details on their website: www.littleisland.ie

Irish offices of UK publishers:

Penguin Ireland Publish all kinds of fiction and non fiction. Also accept children’s books. Very strong popular fiction list and non fiction list. Editor - Patricia Deevy Submission details on their website:  www.penguin.ie

Hachette Ireland Again very strong on popular fiction and have also published a young adult series set in Dublin called The Butterfly Novels. They are only accepting non fiction unsolicited submissions at the moment. For fiction submissions, you will need an agent. Editor - Ciara Considine Submission details:  www.hachette.ie

Transworld Ireland Publish both fiction and non fiction and have a strong stable of authors. Editor – Eoin Mc Hugh

Submission details: www.transworldireland.ie

Once You Have Sent Out Your Manuscript, What Next?

Most Irish publishers will get back to you within three months. Be patient – it’s best not to ring within this time. Few send out an email or postcard to say they have received your manuscript (unfortunately), they are just too busy. If they like your work, they will get back to you, that’s the honest truth.   

The Truth about Advances

Whatever you read in the papers, few authors get large advances. Most get royalties based on their sales. These are usually from 7 to 10 % of the price of the book. On the plus side, Irish writer’s royalty earnings are tax free up to a 40k cap if you work is deemed 'worthy' - you can apply for the artist's exemption after publication from the tax office.

Once You’ve Submitted - Keep Writing

Don’t get discouraged. Getting published is hard and there will be many set backs along the way. Even J K Rowling was turned down by many of the top publishers – including Penguin and Harper Collins. Don’t just sit around waiting for an agent or publisher to get back to you, keep writing.

Recommended Book: The Best Book for Writers That I Have Ever Read

For a real insiders guide to how the publishing industry really works, read From Pitch to Publication. Written by Carole Blake, one of the top UK literary agents, this book is full of useful information on the publishing business, submitting a manuscript, contracts and troubleshooting. I can’t recommend it highly enough - it’s the definitive guide to getting published.

Best of luck with your writing and publishing journey!

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Top Tips from Alison Walsh, Experienced Editor

(Ex-Tivoli and Harper Collins)

1. Don't send publishers a 'rough draft' of your work, in the hope that they might transform you into a bestseller: it is your job to see that your work is the best it can possibly be before submitting it to a publisher.

2. There are a range of outlets for short stories: Some magazines - eg Woman's Way - publish them - take a look at a range of magazines to see if your work would be suitable.

3. If you have written a novel, you can approach publishers direct, but do your homework - don't send your thriller set in the Florida drugs underworld to a religious publisher. Find the company that publishes books in your market, whether it be a self-help guide to quitting smoking, or a romantic novel, and send them a sample of your work.

4. Most publishers like to see a synopsis and 2-3 sample chapters, rather than the entire manuscript, along with a covering letter. This should explain briefly what the book is about and who you are, mentioning any writing credits, if you have them. All publishers receive a large number of manuscripts, so if you don't hear back within a week, don't feel disheartened - the process can take a month or so, sometimes longer.

5. If the answer is no, don't give up, send it to the next publisher on your list. Every writer, no matter how famous, has been rejected at some stage, and it's all part of the process.

Write That Book - Week 7 - Proposals and Agents

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Welcome to week seven of Write That Book. If you’ve just stumbled upon this blog, weeks one to six, covering getting started, characters, plot and editing may also be of use to you. Once you’ve finished your manuscript and have rewritten it many, many times and copy-edited it meticulously, you will need to find an agent or a publisher. I’ll deal with why you need an agent below (and in some cases you don’t), but first, titles.

Book Titles

Book titles are very important. They say a lot about a book. Some writers find titles easy, for others it’s like pulling teeth. And it can differ with every book. In the world of popular fiction/romantic comedy, I’ve always liked Katie Fforde’s titles: Thyme Out, Practically Perfect, Highland Fling. Maeve Binchy’s titles are also excellent – simple and catchy - Tara Road, Nights of Rain and Stars, Circle of Friends.

On the children’s side, I’ve always loved the quirky Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret as a title. It shouldn't work, but it does. How to Train Your Dragon, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Under the Hawthorne Tree, Ballet Shoes, Skulduggery Pleasant, Artemis Fowl – all fantastic, memorable titles. It’s hard to define what makes a good title. It must be simple and catchy, but it must also say something about the book.

So spend time getting your title right.

Writing a Proposal for an Agent

So you’ve finished your book, made it as perfect as you can (after many, many edits and rewrites) and you’re finally ready for the journey to publication. Some publishers will accept unsolicited manuscripts, but many of the larger publishers only accept submissions from agents. If your book is a local history of Dublin, you can send it directly to an Irish publisher, and we’ll talk more about this, along with self-publishing, next week. If your book is a novel, and you’d like to see it published in the UK, all over Europe and the US, as well as in Ireland, you will need an agent.

Preparing your manuscript

Presentation is so important. Your manuscript must look professional. Make sure the pages are freshly printed out and look pristine. Make sure your covering letter is clear and polite. Include any personal details that you think are relevant and interesting - your experience living in an exotic country where the book is set from for example, working in the circus in your teens, your years as a ballerina/ballet teacher - but keep it brief and succinct.

Make sure your manuscript is neatly printed on plain white A4 paper, using double spaces and easy to read (eg Times New Roman) 12 point type; and make sure every page is numbered. Put your name, address and telephone number clearly on the title page, as well as the title of the book, and place a large elastic band around the pages. Don’t staple the pages together and don’t bind your manuscript - agents like to be able to read manuscripts on the train and in bed.

Some agents prefer a synopsis and a few sample chapters first, check with each agent for details before sending anything to them. Place the whole lot in a jiffy bag, and cross your fingers.

These days, some agents read most of their submissions on their Kindle or iPad, make sure to ring or email and ask how they like submissions before you send anything off. Be warned – sometimes you will ring an agent’s office and they will answer the phone themselves. And they may ask you to tell them about your book right then and there. Be prepared! This happened to me once and I was caught completely on the hop. I didn’t have my notes in front of me and I was hideously tongue tied. (In my case it didn’t actually matter – but it could have!)

This is what you will need to send an agent:

A brief, polite and informative covering letter A brief biog – especially anything exciting or book related. Are you a librarian, bookseller, teacher, bee keeper, lion tamer? A brief blurb (like you’d find on the back of a book – sell your book to the agent in 3 or 4 lines) A synopsis of the whole novel – 2 to 3 pages Character biographies of your main characters – to show you know who they are (I’m not sure if this is standard, but I always do it) The first few chapters depending on their length – about 30 to 50 pages – ask how many chapters/pages the agent would like to see.

Most agents ask for the first few chapters; if they like them, they will request the entire manuscript. So you’d better make those first few chapters REALLY, REALLY GOOD. Never say in your letter ‘These aren’t the strongest chapters, it does get much better later on’. Never send an extract from the middle of the book.

And finally all agents want career writers, people who want to write lots of books, not just one book. So it’s a good idea to tell them what other book ideas you have, or what other books you have also written.

They want writers they feel they can work with, who are professional, hard working and in control of their work. They want writers who know what they are doing and have confidence in their own work, writers who aren’t afraid of rewrites, who take the business of writing seriously. Is that you?

Why Do I Need an Agent?

People often me ask this and I tell them the following:

The Irish publishing world is quite small and very few writers could survive writing only for the home market. This is where agents come in – to find international publishers for Irish writers, and to sell foreign rights.

There are many reasons why agents are useful: 1/ An agent can advise you on your manuscript and on how to make it more attractive to a publisher. Some of them, like my wonderful agents (I have two agents – in the same agency – one for my children’s books, another for my books for grown-ups) will act as unofficial ‘editors’ to their clients, or can, at the very least, suggest changes or improvements. Many are in fact ex-editors and are highly qualified for this work. 2/ An agent can find the right publisher for your work. Good agents will know what kind of areas particular publishers are looking to publish in at the moment. And they can sell your UK, US and other foreign rights. 3/ Agents deal with the difficult and technical area of contracts. They are also experts in digital rights and ebooks, which is an area that is becoming more and more important for writers. 4/ Money – they can chase up your royalties and talk to your publishers about outstanding monies owed to you. 5/ Good agents make you want to up your game – they make you want to write better books. Which is always a good thing! Ditto good editors – more on that next week.

Agents can be found in the Writers and Artists’ Yearbook. It can take a while for them to get back to you (up to 3 months). It used to be good practice to approach them one at a time, but these days it is perfectly acceptable to approach several at the same time. Of course, if you get an agent, do let other agents you have sent submissions to know, it’s only good manners and you don’t want to waste their time.

There are only a few literary agents in Ireland, the main ones being Jonathan Williams, Faith O’Grady and Marianne Gunn O’Connor (Details below or in the Writers and Artists’ Yearbook as above – or google them). Many Irish authors are with UK agents.

Contact the chosen agent and find out what they would like to see – for some it’s a few chapters, for others it’s the whole manuscript, plus news cuttings, reviews, biog, photo - anything relevant. Even the top agencies are always looking for new talent so don’t be put off by the fact that they represent Cecelia Ahern, JK Rowling or Marian Keyes.

See below for a list of recommended children’s agents and popular fiction agents. And finally I will leave you with some tips from the experienced Irish agent, Faith O’Grady:

Top Tips from Faith O’Grady, Literary Agent at the Lisa Richards Agency

1. Do some research on the literary agency before submitting your work to find out if they handle your particular genre. It is worth making a brief phone call or looking up the agency website to find out what their requirements for submission are. Agencies have different submission policies so it is worth finding out what they are looking for.

2. Write a cover letter which is clear and concise, giving a brief description of your book and of yourself. Don't exaggerate or oversell yourself or the book as this is quite off-putting.

3. Include an sae if you would like your work returned. And don't expect an immediate response as most agencies are inundated with unsolicited manuscripts.

And next week - the final week - we will deal with publishers and self publishing . . .

Who Represents Who?The Agents Who Represent the Most Successful Irish Children’s Writers (with Contact Details)

 Remember to check each agent’s website for submission guidelines before you send anything out. Or ring the agency for details – I know it’s daunting but they are always happy to advise you on how (or if) to submit. Be warned – you may get the agent herself/himself on the phone. Be prepared!

Eoin Colfer is represented by Sophie Hicks.

sophie@edvictor.com 0044 (0) 2073044100

Derek Landy is represented by Michelle Kass (Who also represents the wonderful Patrick Ness)

office@michellekass.co.uk 0044 (0) 207 74391624

Darren Shan is represented by Christopher Little

Christopher Little Literary Agency 10 Eel Brook Studios 125 Moore Park Road London SW6 4PS

Tel: +44 (0) 207 736 4455 Fax: +44 (0) 207 736 4490

For general enquiries please email: info@christopherlittle.net

Sarah Webb (moi!) is represented by Philippa Milnes Smith at LAW

Contact: All submissions should be sent, in hard copy, by post to: LAW, 14 Vernon Street, London, W14 0RJ www.lawagency.co.uk

Cathy Cassidy is represented by Darley Anderson (Spends a lot of time in Ireland and a lovely woman so I’ve included her!)

Contact: Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency Estelle House 11 Eustace Road London SW6 1JB Tel: 00 44 (0)20 7385 6652 Fax:00 44 (0)20 7386 5571 Email: enquiries@darleyanderson.com

Judi Curtin and Marita Conlon McKenna are represented by Caroline Sheldon

Contact via: www.carolinesheldon.co.uk 71 Hillgate Place, London W8 7SS

 Other Recommended Children’s Agents:

Julia Churchill Greenhouse Literary Agency

If you want to make a submission, we take e-queries only, please. To Julia at submissions@greenhouseliterary.com.  Check our submission guidelines on this site for full information before querying.  Please note, we no longer accept snail-mail queries or email attachments. We are sorry that we cannot take (or return) phone queries regarding submissions. 

Eve White, Eve White Literary Agency (represents Andy ‘Mr Gum’ Stanton) eve@evewhite.co.uk 00 44 (0) 207 6301155

Veronique Baxter at David Higham Contact: David Higham Associates 5–8 Lower John Street Golden Square London W1F 9HA Switchboard: 00 44 (0)20 7434 5900 Fax: 044 (0)20 7437 1072 E-mail: dha@davidhigham.co.uk

Who Represents Who?Irish Popular Fiction Writers and Their Agents with Contact Details

 Remember to check each agent’s website before you send anything out for submission guidelines.

Maeve Binchy is represented by Christine Green

Contact: 0044 (0) 20 7401 8844          info@christinegreen.co.uk Christine Green Authors' Agent 6 Whitehorse Mews Westminster Bridge Road London SE1 7QD

Marian Keyes, Cathy Kelly and Monica McInerney are all represented by Jonathan Lloyd (also CEO of Curtis Brown)

Contact: 0044 (0)20 7393 4418 lucia@curtisbrown.co.ukwww.curtisbrown.co.uk

Sheila O’Flanagan is represented by Carole Blake

Contact: Blake Friedmann Literary, Film & TV Agency 122 Arlington Road London NW1 7HP   Telephone: 00 44 (0)20 7284 0408 Fax: 00 44 (0) 20 7284 0442 email: info@blakefriedmann.co.uk

Cecelia Ahern is represented by Marianne Gunn O’Connor Marianne also represents Claudia Carroll, Anita Notaro and Sinead Moriarty

Contact: Marianne Gunn O'Connor Literary Agency Morrison Chambers, Suite 17 32 Nassau Street, Dublin 2 mgoclitagency@eircom.net

Melissa Hill is represented by Sheila Crowley Sheila also represents Colette Caddle, Emma Hannigan and Sarah Harte

Contact: 00 44 (0)20 7393 4492 crowleyoffice@curtisbrown.co.uk

Sarah Webb is represented by Peta Nightingale at LAW (LAW also represent Sophie Kinsella – Irish name, but not actually Irish!)

Contact: All submissions should be sent, in hard copy, by post to: LAW, 14 Vernon Street, London, W14 0RJ www.lawagency.co.uk

Clare Dowling is represented by Darley Anderson

Contact: Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency Estelle House 11 Eustace Road London SW6 1JB Tel: 00 44 (0)20 7385 6652 Fax:00 44 (0)20 7386 5571 Email: enquiries@darleyanderson.com

Marita Conlon McKenna is represented by Caroline Sheldon

Contact via: www.carolinesheldon.co.uk 71 Hillgate Place, London W8 7SS

Patricia Scanlan is represented by Lutyens &  Rubenstein Literary Agency

Contact via: www.lutyensrubinstein.co.uk 21 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2EU

Other Recommended Popular Fiction Agents:

Madeleine Buston at Darley Anderson

Contact: Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency Estelle House 11 Eustace Road London SW6 1JB Tel: 0 44 (0)20 7385 6652 Fax: 0 44 (0)20 7386 5571 Email: enquiries@darleyanderson.com

Lizzie Kremer at David Higham Contact: David Higham Associates 5–8 Lower John Street Golden Square London W1F 9HA Switchboard: 00 44 (0)20 7434 5900 Fax: 044 (0)20 7437 1072 E-mail: dha@davidhigham.co.uk

Write That Book - Week 6 - Editing

shoestring trade pbk cover to use

Welcome to Write That Book, the free eight week online writing course. If you've missed weeks one to five, covering getting started, characters, plot and lots more, it might be helpful to read them first.

This week we’ll be taking about editing. Once you’ve finished the first draft, then comes the hard bit, the edits and the rewrites. Yes, plural. The first draft is just the beginning. Have patience. Rewrites make the difference between a published writer and an unpublished writer.

Before you even think of sending your book out to an agent or to a publisher, you must make it as good as you possibly can. Some people are excellent at editing their own work, others need help. Here is how I edit a manuscript before it goes anywhere near my agent or editor:

I print out the whole manuscript, read it and make notes as I go along in a (yellow) notebook. If you read this blog on a regular basis, you’ll know that I’m addicted to yellow legal pads.

Some authors suggest waiting a little while before reading. William Trevor puts his writing in a drawer for a year before taking it out to work on it again, and although it is good to get a little distance from your work if possible, I quite honestly don’t have the time for that, so I tend to get stuck in to the editing process straight after finishing the first draft.

For me, there are three stages of rewriting (and I’m sure I got some of this from a book on editing once upon a time, but apologies, I can’t remember the title):

1/ The first rewrite – structure

Step one - I read through my (printed) manuscript carefully, focusing on the overall structure of the book. I use a notebook to jot down thoughts, I scribble on the pages, I put lines through scenes that don't seem to work. Once I've read the whole thing through on paper and made all my notes, I start working on the computer again - I may add scenes, or delete any unnecessary ones. I may even get rid of characters at this stage - kill your darlings as they say. Or I may combine three small characters into one – say a teacher, neighbour and babysitter – they could become one much stronger character rather than three bit players. And many people do more than one job after all!

I re-arrange chapters, and I work on making the opening of the book more dramatic and the ending unforgettable. I add as much drama as possible and cut anything that slows down the action.

This takes a few weeks (sometimes a couple of months, depending on the book) and I find it tough going, but also very satisfying, watching the book’s structure take shape and improve as I chip away at the raw material and re-form it, scene by scene.

2/ Rewriting for meaning

Step two - I make sure everything in the book is clear to the reader. Sometimes I am so close to the characters and the plot that I leave vital information out. I make sure the book runs logically – especially if the time shifts around. And I make sure my characters stay ‘in character’.

I add ‘colour’ sometimes, a couple of lines here and there to enable the reader to imagine the setting; and I take out anything that is not vital to the plot or my characters’ journey.

3/ Rewriting for style

The final step - I work on making the prose as strong and as full of life and vitality as I can. I also work on the dialogue, making sure it’s as good as I can make it.

I make sure every description is strong and not over-written, and I delete any lazy descriptions – ‘white as snow’ etc – and replace them with something more original.

And of course I clean up any typos, spelling or grammar mistakes as I go along – that goes without saying!

After I’ve done the above between two and eight times depending on the book, I finally send it to my agent and editor for their notes. Phew!

If you find self-editing very difficult, or just want another opinion, ask someone you know and trust to read your work. A word of advice, don’t give it to your mother to read – it’s her job to love it!

Ask your reader to be honest. Ask them which parts they liked and which they found slow or boring. Ask them to comment on the characters, the plot, the writing and the pace. Once they have given you their honest opinion, listen to what they have say and try to work out how you can make your book better. Does it need a stronger opening scene; is the action bogged down with irrelevant detail; are there too many subplots vying for attention? Has your reader picked up on the overall ‘theme’ of your book, on what you are trying to say in your work, or not?

If your friends or family can’t help, you could try asking a local librarian or bookseller to read your book for you. If you still can’t find anyone to read your manuscript, never fear. There are professional readers out there who are willing to help you. Cornerstones (UK based) and Inkwell Writers (Dublin based) are two highly respected companies that may be able to help. I've mentioned them before, but they are worth mentioning again.

This is one of my favourite quotes on the editing process:

At one time I thought the most important thing was talent. I think now that the young man or the young woman must possess or teach himself, training himself, in infinite patience, which is to try and to try until it comes right. He must train himself in ruthless intolerance--that is to throw away anything that is false no matter how much he might love that page or that paragraph. The most important thing is insight, that is to be--curious--to wonder, to mull, and to muse why it is that man does what he does, and if you have that, then I don't think the talent makes much difference, whether you've got it or not.William Faulkner, Paris Review interview

Stay Positive

If you get some negative feedback (from outside readers or an editor) try not to get disheartened. All professional writers have to deal with editorial comments and suggestions, it's part of the job, and yes, some are negative. Pick yourself up and get on with making your book even better. Rewrite and keep rewriting until you can honestly do no more. You’ll never be totally happy with your book - even when it’s published - but it will come to a stage when it’s time to let go. And then begins the scary and nerve wracking part - letting go of your baby and sending it to an agent or a publisher, which we will talk about in weeks seven and eight. For now I will leave you with this quote:

Writing is a hard way to make a living, but a good way to make a life. Doris Betts

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

PS After fifteen years of writing, the last manuscript I sent to my editor, Ask Amy Green: Dancing Daze, came back with only three editorial comments - less than a page. Which is a miracle. Maybe I'm finally getting to grips with this writing life!

Write That Book - Week 5 - Staying Motivated

shoestring trade pbk cover to use

Welcome to week 5 of Write That Book. If you're new to the blog, I'd recommend reading weeks 1 to 4 first. This week are are talking about motivation.

Sometimes writers get to around 30k or 40k words and then they hit a wall. They say ‘There is so much more to write, so much more work involved, I don’t think I can do this.’ It’s important to note that all writers have off days or weeks, published or unpublished, and it’s important to develop a ‘writing habit’ if you want to finish a whole book. As Clare Dowling says in this week’s excellent writing tips (below) ‘writing is a craft and the best way to learn it is to practice.’

But how do you stay motivated?

All writers find writing a book tough going. The average novel is 100,000 words long after all. I often hit a difficult patch roughly half way through a book, knowing that I still have a lot of work ahead of me. It’s perfectly normal to feel a bit overwhelmed at any stage of the writing process. You are writing a book after. And if you are a huge reader like me, you have a responsibility to both yourself and the future reader to produce something worthwhile, something special, something original.

Woody Allan once said that ‘90% of success is just showing up’. And for writers, showing up at the page day after day, week after week is vital. For some, the effort proves too much, and the book never gets finished.

Here are some of my favourite quotes about motivation and staying the course:

The mere habit of writing, of constantly keeping at it, of never giving up, ultimately teaches you how to write. Gabriel Fielding

The only certainty about writing and trying to be a writer is that it has to be done, not dreamed of or planned and never written, or talked about, but simply written; it's a dreadful, awful fact that writing is like any other work. Janet Frame

The way to write a book is to actually write a book. Anne Enright

And I particularly like this one, also by Anne Enright –

Remember if you sit at your desk for 15 or 20 years every day it changes you. It just does. It may not improve your temper but it fixes something else. It makes you more free.

She is quite right, it does change you. It does make you more free.

If you’re finding writing difficult and need some encouragement, here are some suggestions:

1/ Keep a writing diary

Every time you’ve finished writing, jot down how many words you’ve managed and how you feel your work is progressing. If you respond well to deadlines, keep deadlines. For example: Monday - write 500 words, Tuesday - finish Chapter Two. If you’ve stuck to your deadlines reward yourself with some television or a bar of chocolate.

2/ Attend writing workshops, readings and talks

Many libraries host regular events for writers. Check your local library for details. I love hearing other writers read their work or talk about their work, and I always learn something valuable or that makes me think. It’s a real treat to be around fellow book lovers too.

3/ Read books about writing:

On Writing by Stephen King

Inspiring and full of good advice – worth buying

The Right to Write by Julia Cameron

One of the best books about being a writer and living a writer’s life I’ve ever found. Succinct, direct and truthful, a book I come back to over and over again if I’m in need of a little writerly pick me up.

If your writing has come to a standstill and you need some practical assistance the following might help:

1/ Ask for advice and/or encouragement from a respected friend or work colleague; someone who loves reading and who will give you an honest but kind opinion. Explain that you need honest feedback, but ask them to be kind. If you don’t know anyone suitable, see number 3.

2/ Join a writers’ group

Many libraries host regular writers’ groups. These are not for everyone, but many writers swear by them. Many published writers are in writing groups, others have writing friends who they talk to about their work and any problems they are having. I have several writer friends and they are a Godsend. Writing can be a lonely old business, and having someone to talk to who understands is very important. Seek out fellow writers on the internet or in person.

 3/ Contact a writer’s advisory service

For a professional opinion on your work, the following advisory services are recommended – www.cornerstones.co.uk/  and www.inkwellwriters.ie

Inkwell are based in Ireland, Cornerstones in the UK and both are excellent, well respected professionally run organisations.

On the Practical Side of Things

Even if you don’t feel like writing try to do something writing related: research, editing, making notes. Sometimes you may be simply too mentally tired or out of sorts to write, never force yourself, take a break and come back to it the following day instead. Try to approach the page with optimism and enthusiasm, not dread! Sometimes you will have to talk yourself into a positive frame of mind, but you’re a writer – you are smart, creative and powerful. If you can create a whole world on paper, you can certainly cajole yourself into a bit of writing.

As I’ve said before never use ‘I’m too busy’ as an excuse. Your house will probably be less tidy, the loo seat won’t get fixed in your life time and sometimes the dishes will sit in the sink for the evening, but these are the sacrifices a writer has to make!

Once you’ve set your writing time aside try to sit down at your desk regularly so your story will stay fresh in your mind. If you can’t write every day, think about your characters and your plot when you can. Agatha Christie once said she did her best plotting while washing the dishes.

Try to write at a desk or table in a well lit and if possible quiet area. Buy yourself nice notebooks and coloured pens - these small things make writing more of a pleasure.

If possible get your hands on a computer. Typing directly onto a computer takes a while to get used to but it makes writing and most especially editing so much less painful - plus you have spell check!

How long does it take to write a book?

The old expression ‘how long is a piece of string’ springs to mind. Each writer is different. Popular fiction writers are often contracted to write a book a year. If you can manage to write 2,000 words a week for example, it will take you just under a year to write a whole book. Try to find a writing pace that suits you and your lifestyle.

The honest fact? I can’t motivate you to write. No-one can do that but yourself. If you want to write badly enough, you will do it . . .

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Tips on Staying Motivated by Clare Dowling

1/ Get into the habit of writing. This doesn’t mean you have to knock out a thousand words of a novel a day; it can be emails, letters to friends, or a description of your cat. Writing is a craft and the best way to learn it is to practise.

2/ Get yourself a proper writing space. Some people can write a book on the kitchen table amongst the dinner dishes but most of us can’t. It really helps if you have a special place for writing and when you arrive at it, your brain clicks into writing mode.

3/ Don’t wait for genius to strike. It probably won’t, and you’ll achieve tonnes more if you spent your time practising your writing, developing interesting characters, and thinking hard about what you’d really like to say. Most successful writers aren’t published because brilliant ideas visit them on a daily basis, but because they work very hard and stay motivated.

4/ Read, read, read. We can all learn from other authors’ work - how they construct a plot, how characters are effectively drawn; how they manage to make a scene in a supermarket the most memorable you’ve read all year. Don’t be afraid that you’re going to copy their style; you won’t. But you might find that that you learn lots of new techniques that will lift your own writing up a level.

Find out more about Clare here.

Write That Book - Wk 4 - Plot

shoestring trade pbk cover to use

Welcome to week four of Write That Book. So far we have covered motivation and getting started, genre, ideas and creating characters. This week we will talk about ‘plot’, or story.

The first question I am always asked regarding plot is how do you come up with a story in the first place, and the second question is how do you plan a book, and indeed, should you plan at all?

I’ll answer the second question first - there is no right or wrong way of plotting a book. Many writers - the crime writer James Lee Burke for example - never use plot outlines. They just write blind. At the other extreme the author Jeffrey Deavers outlines are almost as long as his books, and J K Rowling spent months planning each Harry Potter book carefully. For most people, plotting is a process of trial and error and it may take a while to find what suits you as a writer. Using a plot outline is a method that works for many writers starting out.

What’s a plot outline?

A plot outline is simply an outline of how your story is going to progress. There’s no need to stick rigidly to your outline once you are writing if you’d prefer not to; think of it as your safety net, a document to refer to when you’re a little stuck or need a reminder of where your story is heading.

So now to the second part of the question - how do you come up with the story?

That’s a difficult one to answer as the story tends to build organically. For me, it starts with a major problem or dilemma. How the character deals with this problem, that’s my plot.

I’ll give you an example. At the beginning of The Shoestring Club (my latest book for adults) the main character, Julia is bombarded with problems – her best friend announces her engagement to Julia’s ex-boyfriend, Julia loses her job, and then she starts binge drinking. How she deals with all these things, that’s what I’m interested in dealing with in the book, that’s my plot. A book (popular fiction) is roughly 100,000 words long, so make sure you have to have enough drama to fill it the pages. Take some time to really think about your plot before you start writing your novel. The more work you do on both character and plot beforehand, the better your book will be.

I would suggest that you at least need to know the beginning of your story and have a clear idea of how your story ends. As for the middle – if you’re a planner in life, by all means plan the middle, if you are not a planner, you might prefer more freedom. Some writers produce detailed chapter-by-chapter outlines, and if this suits you go right ahead. But remember that your characters may not stick to your outline and if this happens, just go with it. Never force characters into doing things in your book just because your plan dictates it. For the record, I’m a planner but if my story veers off in different directions, I go with it, see where it takes me.

How should I open the first chapter?

As dramatically as possible. Your first scene is vital, it must pique the reader’s interest. Try starting the book just before something attention grabbing/interesting/different happens - a murder, a wedding, a marriage break up, an accident, a birth, a funeral. This incident is your narrative hook. Starting your book just before this incident means that the reader will have some idea what impact the incident will have on the characters.

Always open with a strong and attention grabbing sentence to draw in your readers. For example:

 ‘It is a truth universally known that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.’

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Or try this for impact:

‘They said I was a drug addict.’

Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes.

Over the next week study the openings of some of your favourite books and think about why they work.

What next?

Once you have opened the book (hopefully with a bang) and introduced your main characters it is vital to keep your readers interested. Present your characters with problems to solve and difficulties to overcome, and make them take action. Keep the dialogue snappy and realistic, and keep descriptive passages to a minimum (especially if writing popular fiction or children’s books) - they can slow down the pace of the book. Also try to avoid too many flashbacks where possible for the same reason while starting out, this isn’t as relevant for seasoned writers (in fact, in some novels the flashbacks make the book). And throw in lots of surprises and twists along the way to keep your readers on their toes. Ideally the action should come to a heart-gripping climax, and then a satisfactory and well thought out resolution or ending.

Every scene in your book must have meaning, it must tell the reader something about the character, or move the story along. If it doesn’t, it has no place in your book. Write your book scene by scene and take infinite care each time you sit down at your desk to craft the best scene you can. Give it your all, every single writing day.

Next week we will deal with endings and staying motivated. After that, editing and getting published. Until then, happy writing.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

 Writing Tips from Cathy Kelly

(More great tips on her website here)

1/Write the sort of book you'd like to read. I considered writing a 'clogs and shawl' book years ago and never did it because I didn't like reading that type of book. The moment I began writing what I enjoyed reading, I was hooked and couldn't stop.

2/ Be true to yourself. This is a bit like hint 1. Don't try and copy anybody or write the Booker Prize winner if that's not you.

3/ Enjoy it. Writing can be hard work but if you don't love it and have fun doing it, you'll never finish a book.

4/ Plot-wise, know roughly where you're going but I've never found that a detailed plot-plan in advance helps as it stops the novel developing in its own way. If your characters come alive on the page, then they will move the plot themselves and if you keep rigidly sticking to a pre-ordained idea, you will lose something. Treat your plot like a living thing that grows and changes.

5/ Show don’t tell. Telling means narrating the story endlessly instead of actually showing what happened via scenes. Telling is easier but less interesting for the reader. Showing can be a couple of lines of dialogue relating to the past, but it brings the reader back to a real moment in time and that can be more powerful than four pages of narration explaining what happened.

6/ Have courage. If you write for days and think it's rubbish, then join the club! All writers are riddled with self-doubt. Just don't throw out the stuff you hate, because in a month, you might re-read and think it's not so bad after all.

Write That Book – Week 3 - Creating Characters

shoestring trade pbk cover to use

My Latest Book (UK, Sept)

 So now we’ve reached week 3. The question is, have you been doing your homework? Good! If you've just joined us, it’s probably best to read weeks one and two before going any further.

In week 1 we dealt with motivation and starting to write, then we covered ideas and settings in week 2. This week we are dealing with characters. If you cannot write vivid, believable characters, then you cannot write good fiction, it’s as simple as that. Characters that linger in the mind long after you’ve read the last page make a book truly memorable. Think of Rachel Walsh in Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes, a highly flawed character, but a character readers identify with; or Bridget Jones in Helen Fielding’s wonderfully funny book (and film). Like her or loathe her, Bridget certainly continues to touch a universal nerve.

Creating believable characters is one of the most exciting and rewarding elements of being a writer. To write great characters you must know them as well as you know yourself. In her excellent book, From Pitch to Publication, agent Carole Blake says ‘To make the reader care for your characters and storyline, you must certainly care for them.’ And she's right.

So by now you have your general idea and your setting – next you need to create authentic and compelling characters. How? Read on.

Your characters must be three dimensional, and you, their creator must understand them and their motives for doing things, their passions, their fears, their dreams. Ponder real people’s motives. Why does your friend excuse her ex husband for regularly forgetting to ring his young daughter? Why does your sister think her husband is having an affair? Question why people do things all the time, make the world your laboratory.

Before you begin writing chapter one, here’s a practical tip that might work for you if you’re starting out. Get your notebook out and write character sketches for each of your main characters. Start off by giving them names. Choose these carefully. Try the phone book or a baby names book for ideas if your mind goes blank, but remember, the name must suit the character. Make the names interesting and memorable. No Mary or Jane Smiths please, unless you are making a point (maybe you want your character to feel anonymous – with apologies to any Marys or Janes out there!).

Here are the names I chose for my latest book, The Shoestring Club. I came up with the central book theme first – two sisters who run a second-hand designer shop, one sister going through some pretty awful things – losing her best friend, breaking up with her boyfriend, losing her job (we will talk about plotting next week); then I fixed on the setting, the second-hand designer clothes shop (Shoestring) in Monkstown, and the girls’ house in Dalkey.

Here are the main characters:

Julia Schuster (Jules, or Boolie) – she’s artistic and can be difficult

Pandora Schuster (never shortened) – she’s loyal and stubborn

Bird Schuster (their 70 year old granny) – strong and a little crazy

Arietty Pilgrim (their zoo keeper friend) – regal, clever, different

Lainey Anderson (Julia’s ex-best friend) – traditional dresser, but would like to be as quirky as Jules

Iris Schuster (Pandora’s 8 year old daughter) – sweet and bright

Remember – pick strong, memorable names that suit the character.

For more on naming characters in children’s books see here

One you have the names pinned down, build up a detailed character sketch or biography for each main character. You need to know everything. For example, their age and birthday (so few books have birthdays in them – I don’t think most writers think of giving their characters an actual birth date!). What type of person are they? Their height, hair colour, eye colour, size. Can they dance, play any instrument, sing? Do they have parents, siblings, friends?

What are their hopes, dreams, passions, disappointments? Do they have a dream job? Did they attend college/university? What did they study? What do they read, watch, listen to?

Here’s another tip: if you are finding it difficult to form a strong picture of what your character looks like, make her/him look like a real person but make modifications to suit. Give her/him the girl in the video shop’s curly hair, the milkman’s nose, the librarian’s smile. I wouldn’t suggest using friends or family for obvious reasons. Magazines are excellent for inspiration. If you see someone in the magazine you like the look of, tear the page out and keep the picture beside your character’s biography.

Continuity is another reason for keeping detailed character sketches (and this is vital if you are thinking of writing a series - this is called your 'Character Bible'). You don’t want your character’s eyes changing colour half way through the book; by keeping detailed physical notes, you can check back and get it right every time. Your editor will love you for it. Don’t have too many main characters. More than six and it gets confusing for the reader and for you.

And remember, your characters must be memorable. Make them BIG, larger than life. Make them feel things deeply. Don’t be afraid of making them too big, you can always tone them down at the editing stage (much more on editing later in the course).

In the Ask Amy Green books (age 10+), I have a character called Clover Wildgust. She’s brave, strong and completely wild; she has long white blonde hair and thinks more in terms of costume than fashion. She has a musician boyfriend, Brains, and she works in a teen magazine as the agony aunt. She’s a HUGE character and she’s also most of my readers’ favourite character. They identify with Amy but they want to be Clover.

Now get working on your own characters, because next week your characters will get the chance to tell their story as we move on to plot. And finally, some tips from another Irish writer, Cecelia Ahern.

If you have any questions or comments, please do post them below.

Happy writing!

Sarah X

 Writing Tips from Cecelia Ahern

(Read the full 10 tips from Amazon here)

1. Write about something you feel passionate about. You must write about something that evokes genuine emotions within yourself and not a piece of work you think other people want to read.

2. Listen to what your characters are telling you. If you're becoming bored with your story and are rushing by one part to get to another, then that means the reader will feel exactly the same. This means you're heading in the wrong direction in the book, you're taking the characters to a place that they don't want to go to. This is when you need to listen to your characters, I find that even though I'm trying to steer a story in one direction, the character is dragging me in another. When you listen to your characters it helps you stay away from going down the predictable route and you want to have your readers hanging on until the very last minute.

3. Always carry a pen and paper with you. You never know when an idea will jump into your head while you're out and about. I find that it's best to write while the idea is fresh in your mind as the words will flow more freely.

4. Keep a notebook of ideas. Even if you begin a story and it doesn't work, keep it for another time and it may work in the future when your mind has had the opportunity to think it over.

5. Give your work to somebody to read while you're writing. It's a good idea to choose someone who is open minded and willing to accept different ideas and not just one style of book. There's no point asking someone who loves only romances to read a book on crime. It's good to have a critical eye view your work, someone who is not attached to the story as you are.

More writing advice from Cecelia in Woman and Home here

Visit Cecelia’s website here

Write That Book - Week 2 - Genre, Ideas and Inspiration

shoestring trade pbk cover to use

Welcome to week two of Write That Book.  This week we will talk a little more about ‘genre’ and also ideas and where they come from.

If you missed week one (and I’d recommend reading it before you go any further – you can find it on this blog), we talked about motivation, making the time to write, and ‘genre’, or the kind of book you’d like to write, for example: romance, romantic comedy, family/relationship drama, historical fiction, saga, crime, thriller, science fiction or fantasy. These are pretty broad genres and within each one there can be many sub-genres, like paranormal romance (Twilight). This course is useful for anyone who would like to write a book, but is most especially suited to those who are interested in writing popular fiction. I have published ten popular fiction novels, the latest being The Shoestring Club (out on 1st February in Ireland, UK in September), as well as many children’s books, so it’s a genre I know well.

While you are thinking about book ideas this week (more on that in a second), I would also advise you to get reading the best novels in your chosen genre, the award winners, the ‘word of mouth’ books your friends and family recommend, and the bestsellers. This may sound like a contradiction - but most great writers are also great readers. And where better to discover what works and what doesn’t work than between the covers of your favourite books? Stephen King says in his excellent book On Writing: ‘If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time or the tools to write’.   

While reading, pay attention to the types of characters, the dialogue, the use of descriptive passages (if any), the length of the book, the style of writing. Is it written in the past or present tense? Is it first person (I woke up), or third person (Sarah woke up)? Let the books that you read inspire you but don’t try to imitate them in your own work unless you are writing fan fiction (fiction directly influenced by a particular writer, not for publication and mostly posted online on special fan sites). It is most important to be original and to have an original writing voice. It is your own unique writing voice, like your own speaking voice, that will make your book stand out from the crowd. More about voice later in the course.

Ideas and Inspiration

‘Where do you get your ideas?’ This is the most common question that writers are asked. It’s a difficult one to answer, as ideas come from all sorts of places: from magazines and newspapers; in shops and on buses; from people chatting; from travelling; from trying to imagine what would have happened if you had made a different choice in your life; from books; from plays and films; from dreams and daydreams. Ideas are all around you, just waiting to be soaked up. The core idea for a book could stem from something that has happened to you or to someone that you know. Many of my books are based on personal experiences, changed to fit the plot and suit the characters. I’d suggest that you start to keep a writing notebook right now and to jot down ideas as they pop into your head. Carry it with you at all times, you never know when inspiration might strike!

To give you an example of a practical way of finding inspiration I picked up Saturday’s Irish Times Magazine and here are some ideas I gleaned from its pages – these are settings/ideas/characters that might suit a romantic comedy: 1/ A girl who runs a vintage clothes store and what happens on her buying trips – inspired by an article on a shop in Kilkenny called Shutterbug (brilliant name!). In fact, my latest book, The Shoestring Club is set in a similar shop. 2/ The life of a young Irish fashion designer and fashion illustrator – great piece on rising stars of the Irish fashion world in the magazine. Some fascinating people with most interesting jobs. And we’ll be dealing with creating big, interesting characters next week. 3/ There is also a piece about two young Irish women who are working for a gourmet food store in New York – now a story using that bakcground would be brilliant, what a setting!

I also love finding unusual names in magazines and newspapers – in the same magazine there is a model called Danielle Winckworth – what a fantastic surname to borrow for a character. More on naming next week too – naming characters is so important. 

It’s vital that you chose something that you are passionate about and find fascinating to write about. Your subject must consume you. If it doesn’t, if it’s something that you decided to write about because it sounded like the kind of thing readers/agents/publishers might like, stop right there, the reader will quickly sense this and move on.

It is a bit of a cliché, but it’s often best - when starting out - to write about what you know - that way you’ll be more confident about your subject. Or to focus on something you’ve always wanted to find out more about. For example I know a little about ballet and I wanted to include a young Irish ballerina in my next teen book (Ask Amy Green: Dancing Daze, out in September), so I interviewed two ex-dancers, read lots of books on ballet and ballerinas, watched Romeo and Juliet several times on DVD (the ballet my character was starring in), and travelled to Budapest to attend the ballet there, as the book is partly set in Budapest – ie I did my homework!

Even if you think you know a subject well, research is vital to make your book realistic and authentic. Read all you can about your chosen subject eg ballet. Take out library books and study them and make notes. Scour newspapers and magazines for interesting articles and keep them in a research folder. Use the internet. Research is particularly important for historical novels and your local library will prove invaluable. I’ve always found talking to someone who does the job I want to write about is the most useful research tool of all, and all kinds of people have happily given me their time – zoo keepers, female politicians, Olympic sailors. Most people love talking about their job (especially if it’s a particularly interesting one). They can provide the tiny details that will make your book authentic and ‘real’.

You will probably find that you use a small fraction of your research in the actual book, but it will give you the confidence to create your book’s world and its characters. Think of it as an iceberg - only the tip shows but without the mass beneath it would sink. Hemingway once said: If a writer knows enough about what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one ninth of it being above water.

So you’ve chosen your genre and you have an idea, what next? Now select your setting. This could be somewhere familiar to you, Dublin, London or Cork for example. Or it could be a fictional town or village - you decide. People do love reading about unusual and slightly different places. I love travel and I often put my trip locations in books – Budapest, Paris, Miami. Writers such as Marian Keyes and Claudia Carroll have chosen to set some of their books in glamorous worlds: LA and a movie set in Ireland respectively. In my books I have used lots of different settings that interest me - a kite maker’s loft, an art gallery, a wildlife park, and a children’s bookshop to name a few. If you can’t visit the place where you want to set your book, interview someone who has, read travel books and watch travel videos or programmes.

So your homework this week is this: select your genre, find an idea for your book (making sure it’s something that you are passionate about and fascinated by – and starting your research on the subject if needs be), and fix on a setting. Plus throughout the course, continue to read as many of the best books in your chosen genre as you can.

Next week we will talk about the most important (and fun) element of all, the characters.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Write That Book - Week 1 of a Free Eight Week Course

shoestring trade pbk cover to use

Want to finally write that book you've been talking about for years? Then read on. For the next eight weeks I’ll be telling you how and, best of all, it's absolutely free. From getting started, to creating characters, inventing plots, and how to catch an agent or publisher's eye, I’ll try to cover everything you need to know about the book world. My tenth adult novel, The Shoestring Club has recently been published in Ireland (Sept in UK) and after over a decade of writing and publishing books I'd like to share some of that knowledge with you. And maybe once you're published you'll pass on what you know to other new writers. Just think of me as your own personal Writing Coach! So without further ado . . .

Week 1: Getting Started It’s terrifying, isn’t it, staring at a blank sheet of paper or a blank computer screen? The writer Gene Fowler once said ‘Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.’ That’s where I come in. Over the next few weeks I’ll try to demystify the writing process and help you find your writing wings. I’ll also ask some experienced authors to give you some of their own writing tips.

Before we start, there are three general pieces of advice that I always give to would-be writers: 1/ Be optimistic, plan for a miracle - new writers get published every day, so why not you? 2/ Work hard, but never let writing become a chore. If you’re not enjoying writing, your reader is not going to enjoy reading. Try to write with joy every day. It’s not always possible, to finish a book you must write even if you don’t feel like it, but it’s something to aspire to. 3/ Develop a thick skin and never take no for an answer. Get used to rejection, it comes with the territory. Think of it as book matchmaking, you just need to find the right person for your book, someone who truly loves it. More on that later.

The first thing you need to be a published writer is motivation. You have to really, really want to write. It may sound obvious but many people have a vague idea that they’d like to write some day, but few people actually sit down and get on with it. So first, motivate yourself. Tell yourself that it’s not going to be easy, but if you work hard and put your heart and soul into it that you will succeed, you will finish that book. Then make the time to actually write. This may sound obvious but being a writer means making sacrifices. ‘I’d write a book if only I had the time.’ ‘I have this amazing idea for a book but I’m too busy to write it.’ Does this sound familiar? How many hours a week do you spend watching television, on Facebook or Twitter, surfing the internet? Be honest. Switching off the television in the evenings is a very good place to start. Try inventing your own soap opera in your head instead and translating it to paper - soon you’ll keep yourself entertained and you’ll also have the makings of a book to show for it. The best way to actually finish a novel is by writing a little every day or as often as you can every week - there’s no real secret, you just have to stick at it. You must write on a regular basis, you must keep the story and the characters ticking over in your head, otherwise you will lose your connection with the book. And when you’re not physically writing, you need to be thinking about your book whenever you can.

Now that you’re mentally prepared and have made the time to write (and to think about your book), what do you need to get physically started? The good news is you don’t need the latest laptop; you don’t actually need a computer at all to begin with. All you need is a notebook and a pen. It’s that simple.

But before you put finger to keyboard or pen to paper, it helps to start thinking about a genre. What’s genre? It simply means the type of fiction you want to write. For example are you interested in writing popular fiction with bite like Marian Keyes, a warm, family/friendship based novel like Maeve Binchy, crime like John Connolly, thrillers like Dan Brown? (Children’s books are a whole different ball game and I’ll talk about these at a later stage.) I would suggest the type of book you like to read is a good place to start. More about genre next week, but in the meantime have a think about what genre might suit you and your writing. It makes things much easier when it comes to finding an agent and getting published. And it will make getting started a lot easier. Each genre has its own conventions/’rules’ and this isn’t such a bad thing for writers who are just starting out – it gives you something to work with. For example popular fiction tends to have a happy or hopeful ending; in crime the murder/crime tends to be solved by the end of the book.

So for your homework: make a positive start by getting motivated, making the time to write, firing up your computer or finding a pen and paper and, most importantly, thinking about what type of book you’d like to write, the 'genre'. Next week I’ll talk about inspiration and coming up with ideas.

Yours in writing, Sarah XXX

Tips on Getting Started from Martina Devlin:

1) Don’t give up hope, our greatest enemy is lack of self-belief. 2) If you feel you really, really want to write, then just keep plodding away. 3) Try writing something every day - even if it’s only a few hundred words. 4) Writing, and the imagination which fuels it, are like muscles - they benefit from being flexed on a daily basis. Keep them working regularly. 5) And remember to congratulate yourself when you do a good job. Martina Devlin is an award winning journalist and a novelist. Her latest books are ‘Ship of Dreams’ and ‘Banksters’

My Writing Resolutions

I made three writing resolutions this week which I’d like to share with you: 1/ To put 100% into my work every single day. To hold nothing back for another day or another book. To use it all, straight away.

One of my favourite writing quotations on the topic of putting everything into your writing every day is this gem from the American writer, Annie Dillard:

One of the things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes. Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

She’s so right.

2/ To write scenes that I’m insanely proud of and am itching, yearning to read out loud to anyone who  will listen.

While writing The Shoestring Club (out in February) I discovered two things – a/ that making myself cry while writing isn’t such a bad thing, it means I truly care about my characters, and if I care there’s a good chance that my readers might care too. And b/ that I can’t wait to read two particular Shoestring scenes out loud to an audience, really can’t wait. Luckily I’ve been invited to a literary festival in March to read, so I won’t have to wait much longer. I truly feel I’m learning more and more about writing and about connecting with readers with every single book. I’m not afraid of tackling big subjects or creating HUGE characters, in fact, I relish the challenge.

Speaking of which 3/ is to think elephant ENORMOUS for the next two books – a new series for children and a new stand alone novel for adults. I’ve blogged before about creating larger than life characters and it’s so important to make your characters memorable. I have two new books to create and I’m going to put my heart and soul into both of them. I have an Amy Green (age 10+) to finish and two books waiting to be edited and once that’s done, I’ll get cracking on the new ideas. I’ve already started filling two new notebooks with character and plot ideas (yellow paged legal pads naturally – if you’re a regular reader you’ll know I have a thing about them!) and I’ve started doing some research. More about developing a new book from initial idea to final manuscript later in the year.

So there you go, my three resolutions – do you have any writing resolutions?

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

How to Catch an Agent’s Eye + 9 Free Book Ideas

Yes, I’m offering nine free ideas for popular fiction novels (and a couple of longer book blurbs). The only catch – they’re ideas that never made the cut. My deleted scenes so to speak. But if you want to write successful popular fiction and catch the eye of a great agent, read on. I'm a firm believer in learning from mistakes (especially my own!). I recently gave a six week workshop on writing. On the last day we talked about book proposals, and how to ‘sell’ your book to an agent. I explained that a book (and I was talking about popular fiction here, but it goes for pretty much any fiction) must have a very strong, original story and brilliant characters to make an agent sit up and take notice.

Exactly how strong and original, they asked? How about a sweet story that’s nicely written, will that cut it? Absolutely not! I told them. It has to be brilliant.

To illustrate this I pulled out some of my old ideas that never made it – because the plot or the premise or the characters weren’t strong enough. It seemed to help them understand, so I’ve copied some of them below for your entertainment.

I’m lucky, I get lots and lots of ideas. Most of them end up never being written. Some of them are terrible, and some of the ideas below are ten years old, so please don’t judge my present/future books on these snippets. I cringed reading them, but hey, if it’s helpful, what the heck.

It’s really important to find an idea that excites you as a writer and down the line, excites an agent and an editor. But first of all, and most importantly YOU have to be so darn excited that you can’t but write the book. And if you can get that excitement across in your proposal, you’re in!

Remember – these ideas below never made it. Some of them aren’t all that bad. However others stink. Some are written in note format, so apologies for any roughness.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

PS I have given them all marks out of ten. Just because. Yes, I should have been a teacher!

The Last Man on Earth

“I wouldn’t go out with you if you were the last man on earth, Owen Scally!” “Really?” Annoyingly he just smiled. “We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”

Donna’s ex-marine boyfriend, Curtis, is putting pressure on her to get married. They’ve been engaged for two years but she’s not sure how she truly feels about him. Her friends and family think she’s mad - he’s good-looking, attentive and a hugely successful business man, but Donna feels there’s something missing in their relationship. And when she meets the infuriating house painter and artist, Owen Scally things begin to get complicated.

Poppy’s got the opposite problem. Her boyfriend, professional rugby player Ralph Driver, the self-professed ‘heart-throb’ of the Irish rugby scene, won’t commit to their relationship and she’s getting fed up and her life strangely feels empty.

Ellen knows all about feeling empty. She’s been trying to have a child with her husband, Colm for over three years now. Her job doesn’t exactly help. As one of Dublin’s most popular Doulas or birthing helpers, she has daily contact with pregnant women and babies. But she’s determined not to give up hope just yet. 

The three women have been friends since school and their weekly Saturday brunch keeps them sane. But things are about to change for them all in unexpected ways. But sometimes friendship is the strongest bond of all.

Why it doesn’t work: it’s been done before and none of the characters sound very exciting looking back at it! I’d give it a very lukewarm 2.

Wedding Belle/Never the Bride/The Wedding Planner/The Reluctant Bride/Planning for a Miracle

(Not bad titles actually come to think of it, some of them!)

Plot - weddings - different ones - the 3 friends lives change with each wedding

Belle is a wedding planner and very anti-marriage She was jilted at the altar and swears she’ll never do it again

Her best friend Chloe is living in wedded bliss with her husband and 2 children - seems too good to be true but is it? Chloe has an affair and her marriage is threatened Was in art college Husband - now lecturer in art college - has an affair with one of his young students Not working - artist - paints on silk scarves and sells them in exclusive boutiques at end - feels more fulfilled

David - their friend - holding out for the right woman - can’t see what’s good for him - and that he’ll never have everything in a woman Refuses to settle or to change his ‘wants’ in a woman - needs to be more flexible Property investor - buys up old houses and does them up and sells them on Ex architect

Belle - organises a wedding for a girl she thinks would be perfect for David - tries to change her mind but ends up changing her own

Chloe - does her table plans for her

David - looks at the properties to see marquee etc - good with houses and design

Why it doesn’t work – again ,not original and my heart wasn’t really in it. I’d give it 2.

Never the Bride

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride . . .

Or so Amy O’Sullivan thought before her boyfriend, Steve Jones, world famous children’s book author, pops the question. But, in a fit of panic, instead of getting married, Amy runs away and travels half way around the world to New Zealand to visit her sister, Suzi.

Suzi’s just opened ‘The Ruby Red Make Up Store’ in Auckland and has her own problems in the shape of her predatory nanny, Wilma, who has her eye on Suzi’s rugby coach husband, Matt.

In Auckland, Amy meets the dashing and impossibly good-looking English America’s Cup sailor, Gray, and just as life is looking up, unwittingly gets caught up in a huge yacht design scandal.

Meanwhile Steve has just finished his latest book and is about to embark on a world-wide tour, last stop New Zealand, to try and win Amy back. What he doesn’t know is that Amy has gone missing. And back in Dublin, alerted by Suzi, Beth and Jodie, Amy’s best friends, are so worried about her that they decide to travel to Auckland to find her.

Together Suzi, Beth and Jodie set out to find Amy and talk some sense into her before it’s too late. But fate works in mysterious ways.

A comic tale of love, lust and long distance adventure, as Amy discovers the truth about love in the most unusual places.

Might have worked – the first book, Always the Bridesmaid was very popular (no 1 in Ireland for 9 weeks!) – and it has some interesting elements, but I should have done a sequel straight away, not 5 years later! Marks out of ten – 4.

 Almost Like Being in Love

When it comes to love - anything can happen

What is it about unsuitable men? Meet Martha. She’s a Fine Art Auctioneer with an Egyptian mummy obsession and a history of falling for the wrong guy. When she meets handsome young celebrity gardener, Gavin Tynan at a charity auction she falls head over heels in love immediately. But Gavin also has a history of terrible relationships, not to mention a well-documented (by the Irish tabloid news) sex addiction, and a vindictive American ex-wife who wants him back at any cost. Has Martha has bitten off more than she can chew this time?

Martha’s best friend Holly hates her job as the interior design consultant for posh Dublin department store, Henna’s. She’d much rather pack it all in and work from home, restoring old furniture, but her husband, Ryan, a respected and feared food and wine journalist/writer, is dead set against the idea. Holly’s let him rule her life so far, so why should now be any different? But when the opportunity to change her life does come along, is she brave enough to take it?

And Olivia aka ‘Barbie’, a twenty five year old single mother with a sad addiction to designer sunglasses, has more than enough on her plate without taking on a new client. Her Private Investigation firm, Eagle Eye PI, specialises in spying on errant husbands, but she’s never come across anyone as bad as Gavin Tynan before. And, to top it all, her eccentric Great Aunt Hattie is convinced she’s Audrey Hepburn’s long-lost cousin and makes Olivia take her on a wild goose chase to find Audrey’s Irish roots. And boy, are they in for a surprise! If they could only let their heads rule their hearts this one time. A compelling tale about friendship, love and . . . life-changing surprises.

Actually this one isn’t that bad, I just never loved it enough to actually write it. The characters sound kind of interesting though. I’ll give it a 4 for potential.

Fortune’s Fools/You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger/Cross my Palm with Silver/Horoscopes and other Horrors

(Terrible titles for a start!)

3 women visit a fortune teller and she tells them things and they go off and change their lives

The fortune teller is an out of work actress and feels bad afterwards – she’s been having a bad day – tries to trace the women – sub plot

Bee Clancy – interior designer – almost marries the wrong man Mona Clancy – mum, goes off traveling on her own – leaving husband and Bee and Alice behind her Alice – other daughter

The problem – I’m not all that interested in fortune telling – so I lost interest in this idea pretty quickly! 1 out of 10

The Bonus Baby

Emma thought her baby days were well behind her – but she was wrong

Emma, 43, has a new baby girl, Leonie. For most people this would be a blessing, but Emma doesn’t feel that way. She’s a highly reluctant third time parent. Her sons are 20 and 22 and about to leave home she was looking forward to having the house to herself for a change.

She’s just been promoted at work (radio presenter on a morning show in RTE) and having a baby to look after just doesn’t suit her lifestyle, thanks very much.

Emma’s life spills over into her presenting, she’s so tired that she just doesn’t care what she says on air sometimes and with every honest rant she gets more and more listeners.

On her enforced maternity leave (she would have much preferred to hand over the baby and go straight back to work) she meets Rowie, a young single mum, and Juliette, an old friend of Emma’s from work (they have lost touch as Juliette left RTE, married and had children young and Emma was too busy with her career to make any effort to visit) and a stay-at-home mum at the mother and baby clinic. Rowie’s only 17 but she’s made to be a mother. But Rowie has her own problems including a less than useless boyfriend.

And when Juliette, 34, starts disappearing for long days, leaving her children with the two other women (mainly Rowie, but it’s Emma who’s most outraged), they decide they have to take a stand. But they aren’t prepared for the consequences. (Juliette has breast cancer, but doesn’t want anyone to know, because it makes it real)

Together the three women learn that having a baby isn’t easy at any age. But sometimes blessings and miracles can happen when you least expect them.

Yawn, 3 out of 10.

The Baby Moon

One last child free break – one life changing holiday

Younger woman, 32 Older man, 39 Told from each point of view Worries, betrayal, secrets – they make friends with other couples in this ‘baby moon’ resort – Blue Moon – and learn that all couples have their secrets Several interlinked stories within 1 book

Double yawn, 2 out of 10.

The Shared Holiday

3 very different women, 1 extraordinary holiday

Eva is 34 and feels every year of it. With three children under the age of five and another one on the way working would be pretty much impossible. She knows she should be grateful for her stay at home life, but sometimes she just doesn’t feel all that bloody grateful.

Her oldest friend, Rebecca, one of only two female partners in her solicitors’ practice, commutes to Dublin every day to pay the mortgage on her glossy new house in Greystones. Her children, Denis, 17, Ryan, 13, and Bee, 8, are besotted with their ultra efficient Polish nanny cum housekeeper, Paulina.

Tully has a different kind of life. A hugely successful and robustly single children’s author, she spends most of her time flying around the world to promote her books. But is all as it seems? In reality she’s addicted to a younger man who treats her like dirt. And her body has slammed her into early menopause, making her swiftly rethink her childfree life.

Throw in Eva’s eccentric eighty-four year old granny, Bax, five assorted children, one sullen teenager, and one leggy twenty-year-old Polish nanny, and two husbands and it’s a recipe for disaster. Or is it?

Better – throwing different women together is always a good plot device – 3 out of 10.

My Utterly Fabulous Nervous Breakdown/Mothers on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

What happens when your old life just stops?

Lauren, a working mum in her thirties who has a nervous breakdown and has to leave work to look after her own children and run her own house Previously she had a nanny and a housekeeper, now she just has a rather mad au pair She learns to be a good enough mother and starts to find out who she really is – previously work defined her

Yawn, yawn, yawn – 1 out of 10. Nothing original here!

The Suddenly Single Saloon

Dumped, betrayed, fed up with men . . . this is the club for you

Every week a group of women get together at an evening class – ostensibly to learn computer skills (from Vanessa) But they soon realise they have more than an interest in e-bay in common – they are all single Mona is 88 and has led quite a life – there’s a man in her sheltered housing who’s interested in her but she can’t be bothered – she’d much rather spend her remaining years in the company of other women Clare, a separated mum of three is 38 and spends most of her time and energy fighting with her ex-husband – she needs to stop fighting and start living Vanessa, 41, has never had much luck with men – she’s highly demanding and set in her ways. But she’s desperate for a child. The other women persuade her to try dating men she’d normally turn up her nose at. Rowie, 24, is a single mum who is fed up with meeting the wrong sort of men over and over again. But maybe she’s just looking for love in all the wrong places.

Again not very original and the characters sound pretty flat really. 3 out of 10. I did use that name again though, Rowie! So it wasn’t all wasted.

The End

(Boy am I glad to see the back of that lot – cringe-arama! But I hope it was helpful! Next time I’ll write about ideas and proposals that did make the cut!)

An Open Letter to All 2012 Debut Writers

Dear Writer, So your first book is coming out in 2012. First of all, congratulations! It’s a huge achievement. But no doubt you are rather nervous about what exactly is going to happen once your book is finally published.

Will it be available in Italy, America, Poland? How much will your publisher do to promote it and how much will I need to do? How does the whole publicity thing work? Do I wait to be asked to do things or do I make your own suggestions? Will my publishers get annoyed if I visit shops on my own? Should I move books around in the shop? Ask why my book is not in the window?

And these questions I’m sure are only the tip of your own personal book-related iceberg. And I will try to answer them honestly. If you have any other questions do ask in the comment box below.

Here goes - Let’s start at the beginning:   What happens on publication day?

The honest answer is not much!

The pr person in your publishing house may have contacted you some time in advance of publication to talk about your media contacts (if you have any – don’t worry if you don’t). This may not happen. Many things I mention may not happen – but in an ideal world they will contact you and you will chat about media possibilities, local and, if you’re lucky, national.

So you may have a few things set up pre-publication, media wise pre publication. You may not. If nothing is planned – see my previous post on marketing and promoting your own book here.

Publication day will be a non event unless YOU celebrate it in some way. Walker Books send me a Happy Publication Day card, signed by the staff, Pan Macmillan send me flowers and their lovely Irish sales rep rings me to say congrats – but I do happen to have rather lovely publishers and I know this is unusual. I’m sure J K Rowling gets flowers, and chocolates, and champagne etc, but don’t expect anything at all and then you won’t be disappointed. Celebrate the day yourself. Go for lunch or dinner with friends or a loved one, go shopping, buy something special to remind you of the day.

What are ‘informal signings’?

About a week after publication your sales rep may take you on a tour of bookshops in your region to meet booksellers and do what’s called an ‘informal signing’. This means there will not be any readers there. Don’t expect people! You are there to meet the booksellers. It also gives them a heads up as to who you are and why they should bother hand selling your book (which is vitally important if you want your book to do well – readers trust booksellers).

Be lovely to the booksellers. They are amazing, dedicated, hard working people. I was a bookseller for many years (and will be again) and I can tell you that we remember the lovely writers and the horrible ones. If we like you, we will go out of our way to hand sell your book, simple as that! If we don’t . . . Oh and if you bake, bring muffins!

Never move your book into the window, or onto a better table or re-arrange the shelves. Booksellers notice these things! We spend all day working with the shelves and displays. Never, ever complain about your book not being in the window. If they are out of stock of your book, don’t scowl, be gracious.

Always let your publisher know that you’d like to visit a particular shop – they will ring the shop and let them know to have stock in to sign. It’s only polite to give them due warning, they are busy, busy people!

Will I be in the newspapers or on the radio?

In the first two weeks of publication (or in the case of magazines, several weeks before this), you may be asked to do some media interviews. Do these with good grace – even small local radio stations on an island off Kerry. If you feel uneasy about telling journalists your secrets – like what you really have for breakfast – make it up! You write fiction after all.

Your book is only new for a month (or two weeks in busy publication months), after that time the next set of ‘new’ books will push your book off the tables and onto the shelves. Make the most of ‘your’ month.

So what about foreign rights? When will my book be available in France, Spain and Poland?

If your publisher has bought world rights, they have the responsibility for selling these at book fairs and to other international publishers that they deal with. If you have an agent (and they have not sold world rights to the publishers), she or he is responsible for these rights. If your book is really, really good you will hear about rights pretty quickly. Otherwise it might take a while. Or you might not sell foreign rights at all. Not all my books have been translated. My first book, Kids Can Cook – a cookery book with mainly Irish recipes – is only available in Ireland for example. Don’t worry about it, maybe your next book will be snapped up by lots of different publishers worldwide. Focus on writing brilliant books and it will happen in time.

Will there be a book launch?

If your publishers are keen to have a launch and you like the idea, great. In the current climate, they may not be keen however. You may like to organize your own launch party, in a local bookshop. Or have a party at home to celebrate. If it’s your first book, absolutely have a launch! First books are very special indeed.

Will my book be reviewed?

It might be, but don’t hold your breath. I review books for Inis magazine and The Irish Independent, and so many great books never get reviewed because of space restrictions. And don’t worry too much about the bestsellers charts either, or the Amazon rankings. If your book is good, it will sell. People will buy it and read it. No book has ever had zero readers!

I feel so helpless. What can I do to help my book sell?

Lots! But make sure to talk to your publishers about it first. Here are some suggestions: A Blog Tour (if you have friends with blogs – if you don’t blog, start!) Join CBI (Children’s Books Ireland) and go to their events to meet fellow readers and writers – if you write for children Set up a Facebook page and hold a competition to win copies of your new book Hold a Twitter competition Write a piece for your local newspaper/school newsletter/parish times etc

Remember no-one cares as much about your book as you do! Do everything you can to promote it.

What if someone gives my book a horrible review on Amazon?

Read it, learn from it and then forget about it. If you want to write for a living you will get many, many reviews, learn to deal with criticism and also praise. There will be good reviews too, I promise.

Will I meet other authors?

Yes, if you attend readers’ days, conferences, and other writers’ launches (often your publisher will invite you to these). Having a writer friend, someone to talk shop with, someone who understands, is important. You could chat to other writers on Twitter – say hi to me for a start @sarahwebbishere – I promise I’ll tweet back!

Why does Derek Landy/Marian Keyes/John Connolly get all the attention and the bookshop space?

Simple answer – they writing amazing books that readers love. Write an amazing book and you’ll get the same attention!

What if my book doesn’t set the world on fire?

Write another one. And keep repeating until you write one that does!

I'd love to tell you that it gets easier, but it doesn't - sorry! OK, maybe it does a little, as long as you know in your heart that you've written the best book you can, you don't worry so much about reviews and things that you can't control. And it is all worth it, honest!

Good luck!

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

How to Promote and Market Your Book and Get Results

The good news is that every writer can do a lot to market and promote their own book. The secret – and yes, there is a secret but like most things it’s this – hard work, organisation and determination. A lot of work can be done behind the scenes months before your book reaches the bookshop shelves.

When I started out in books, I had no experience in marketing or publicity, I just used my head, so what I did, you can do too.

But before that some general points.

First things first, don’t worry about any of this unless you have written a book worth promoting. Put your time and energy into the writing first and foremost.

1/ Marketing - Marketing means promoting your book to the market and in the marketplace, ie the shops. It means getting information about your book to the relevant buyers and booksellers, backing up that information with display material – such as posters and bookmarks. And keeping the bookshops informed of any publicity you have lined up for the book.

In general, your publisher should be on top of the marketing, but if they don’t intend to do posters or bookmarks – say for example they are small, your book is self published, or published in England or the US (this is directed at Irish authors of course!) and there is no marketing spend - think about doing it yourself. And dropping postcards/posters/bookmarks in to your local libraries, bookshops and schools.

Think of investing in business cards, stickers, thank you cards – useful things are good – pens, post cards etc. Chris Judge had some lovely postcards printed up for his debut picture book, The Lonely Beast.

Yes, it costs money. But think of it as money invested in your future as a writer.

The more booksellers know about your book the better chance it has of being recommended, restocked, put on a table, put in promotions. But there is a fine line between being pushy and helpful. Never be pushy, never be arrogant. Treat booksellers like royalty, they are the ones who put your books on the shelves and into adults, parents and children’s hands.

If your book is not on the shelf, it is nothing personal. See it as your problem. Send them some information on your book – or even a copy of the book with a friendly covering note saying you are a local author and would be delighted to see your book on their shelves.

Always check with your publishers before doing this or before calling into bookshops and talking to booksellers. They may like to ask your sales rep to go along and intro you. They may like to use it as a sales opportunity. Work with your publisher.

But remember, no one cares as much about your book as you do. Be passionate and talk about your book with enthusiasm – and as Patrick Ness would say, joy!

And no bookseller wants to hear you grumble about how little your publisher does to promote you – get on with it yourself (and over yourself) – take control.

But one thing I’ll come back to time and time again – be prepared to work hard and do things yourself. Do not leave everything to your publisher. They have a lot of books to market and promote. Your book is your baby. Once your book is published, your journey is just beginning.

There are over 8,000 children’s books published every year. If you want to make your book stand out, and especially if you want to earn living from writing or part of your living from writing, then you must do all you can to promote your book.

The reality is that it is not enough to just write a book and sit back and see what happens. You also have to connect with children, with booksellers, with librarians, with teachers, with parents – with anyone who buys books. You need to make them aware that your book is a/ in the shops now and b/worth buying.

Looks do not matter in the least bit, but personality and professionalism do.

Above all, be yourself. Maybe a glittery, happy version of yourself but still yourself. I call it being on – be the person you’d be at a party, or at a job interview. And think about the image you are projecting. Think about what you are wearing when visiting bookshops/schools/going to book conferences.

And get involved with your own publicity but keep your publisher informed of what you intend to do. It can be daunting at the beginning but having a plan makes everything easier.

Publishers are only too delighted to have help – well organised, professional help – talk to them about how you can help.

2/ Publicity - Publicity means using the media to tell people about your book: print, radio, telly.

4 to 6 months before your book is published set up a meeting with the publicity person in the publishing house (if possible) and bring a list of possible publicity angles - I’ll talk about angles in a few minutes - and any media contacts you might have.

In a moment I’m going to fly through the different stages of an ideal publicity plan.

But first – my first book – for my first book I started local. Everyone can do this!

Kids Can Cook – I had no profile at all

I rang Southside News and wrote a piece on cooking with children for them.

My church newsletter – I wrote a piece for them. I also did a piece for my sailing club newsletter.

The Evening Herald did a piece on me - the first cookbook for children in Ireland - I friend of mine worked in the Herald and she set this up. I had an angle, Dublin single mum gets kids cooking.

I did a lot of school events during the Children’s Book Festival that my publisher set up and that I set up. Because I did hands on cookery with the children during the sessions it was something different, and they really liked the idea. And I did several special needs schools also. Also library events. Mostly for free.

If I was bringing out a first book now I would certainly use the internet to reach readers – see below for details.

For Ask Amy Green: boy Trouble, my first children’s novel for age 10+, the publicity plans were a lot more elaborate – Walker Books created a special Amy Green website, and did some super posters, fanzines, pink leather luggage tags and hand outs, but I still did some of the publicity myself.

Here is what I call the ideal publicity plan, with all bases covered. If you can do even some of this great! I hope it will make you think and consider the possibilities. It is not meant to scare you, just to point out what can be done . . .

4 months before publication

Meet the pr person in your publishing house Draw up your pr plan with the pr person

Set up your website – I would advise every writer to get a website – and put the details of the website in your book so readers can contact you and also teachers and librarians can contact you (to book events if you write for children).

Set up a Facebook page and a Twitter account.

If you do not want people to know too much about you, invent a writing persona, a writerly version of yourself. I find it easier to just be myself, but not everyone is comfortable with this. But you must connect with people online these days. Especially if you want an international career.

3 months before publication

Submit feature ideas to magazines Now this many take months, years to get anything taken but keep at it, once you have one piece published, it is so much easier. Are there any specialist magazines you subscribe to? Try submitting an article to them, it's a great place to start. Or internet magazines/newsletters – again, good experience.

You could offer to review for Inis magazine (specialist Irish children’s book mag) – which is how I started reviewing – for free of course – but I got a/ experience and b/ some lovely books! (Contact their review editor here)

2 months before publication

Submit feature ideas to the magazines of newspapers

Set up your book launch if you would like to have one (organise your own in a local bookshop or venue, and yes, you may have to pay for the wine!)

Children’s writers - Set up some school and library events – use your contacts – your child’s school etc But make the events interesting, don’t just expect to go in and read to them. I spend several days a year working on new content for talks, workshops and readings and making it fresh and exciting. Work at it! Practice! Watch other authors in action and pick up ideas. Once these events are fixed, send the details to the listings of the newspapers and also local newspapers.

And on that subject, network, go to children’s book events, join CBI, join the Society of Children’s Writers and Ilustrators.

1 month before publication

Submit ideas to the features pages of newspapers – yes, you need to come up with these ideas yourself – depending on you and your life/book

Think of column ideas for guest columns (realistically this will be down the line when you have some experience of writing articles etc)

Write your press release for sending out with review copies (your publisher will probably do this for you)

3 weeks before publication

Send out the invites to the launch

2 weeks before publication

Send out review copies of your book to relevant newspapers and magazines with your press release, eg Inis, Book Fest etc (your publisher may do this, check with them), the Irish Indo, the Irish Times.

Set up radio interviews – using your press release (again, your pr person may do this) Don’t forget local radio – a great place to start – East Coast for eg. Send a book and a press release and then ring them politely, with the blessing of your publishers of course. Local radio stations love local authors! You could do a competition and give away copies of your book.

After Publication

Start your school events and library events

If you have any news stories, this is the time to use them – advances, film deals, winning competitions, your dog winning a dog show (for the local papers!).

Angles

An ‘angle’ is something that makes you stand out as a person for pr purposes.

Some of the ones I’ve used:

Single mum Parent of teens and toddlers at the same time Partner of a hopeful Olympic sailor

Other people’s angles: Teacher – Eoin Colfer Librarian – Patricia Scanlan Movie geek and ex screen writer – Derek Landy

Anything that makes you different is good – and that you are prepared to talk about!

Everyone has something - Do you keep bees? Can you shoe a horse? Do you dive? Travel a lot? If so, you can write about it

I hope I’ve given you some ideas to think about. You put 100% into writing your book, so why not put 100% into doing the best you can to promote that book? It deserves it. Writing for children, getting published and visiting and meeting young readers are rewarding and joyful experiences, and worth fighting lions and sweating blood for. I wish you all the best of luck with your own journey to publication.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

It's Not Enough to Write a Brilliant Book - You Also Need This

What Do Readers Want From Their Writers These Days? The answer is – as well as a brilliant book - connection!

Once upon a time you could write a book, then sit back and relax. You might get a few letters in the post from readers and you’d answer them in your own good time.

But things have changed - it’s not enough to write a brilliant book anymore, readers want more. They have high expectations. They expect at the very least a website, complete with some way of contacting the writer directly through a message board, forum or email address. If you are also active on Facebook and Twitter this is a bonus. They want to connect with writers, talk to them about their books, and ask questions; sometimes they just want to say ‘hi’.

But how do writers cope with all this extra ‘work’ on top of their writing commitment? At the Patrick Hardy Lecture recently bestselling teen and tween author, Cathy Cassidy spoke about this issue. She gets over 150 emails a day from her readers and responds to them all. That’s a huge time and energy commitment.

‘I get more e-mails now than when I was an agony aunt,’ she said. ‘They don’t all need to be answered immediately but it’s a lot and it’s growing all the time.’

‘I appreciate the input from children and their feedback,’ she added. ‘They share their life with you and ask for your feedback and there may not be other processes available for them to do that.’

Like Cathy, I get emails from children every day, in much smaller quantities however (I have no idea how she deals with 150 a day!). And like Cathy I try to answer one of them honestly and thoughtfully. Yes, it takes time, but if someone has made the effort to write to me, they deserve an answer. And as Cathy says, there may not be another outlet for them. And it’s not hard for people to find me.

Each of my Ask Amy Green books (for age 10+) has details of my Amy Green website – www.askamygreen.com, plus my direct email address – sarah@askamygreen.com and Amy Green Facebook page. As I also write for adults (plus younger children) I also have my own website for my other books – the website hosting this blog - and an adult Facebook page and Twitter account @sarahwebbishere. I have two blogs, one on the Ask Amy Green website and this one. I also blog on the Girls Heart Books collective website once a month. If you google Sarah Webb, you’ll find me!

Luckily I like social networking, I’m a chatty, open kind of person and I’m happy to share some of my thoughts on-line. And I genuinely enjoy meeting readers, in real life, or via email or Facebook messages. It makes me feel more connected to the ‘real’ world, whatever that is! After hours sitting at my desk, I like reading what people have been up to via Facebook or Twitter.

Social networking is also great for running competitions and for letting readers know about book events and festivals. It’s revolutionised the reader/writer relationship. Yes, writers have to work hard to answer all the messages, deal with all the requests, but it’s a small price to pay for all the benefits.

I limit the time I spend on Facebook and Twitter to first thing in the morning, and late afternoon, when I have my writing done, which I think is important. Otherwise large chunks of time could be chewed up and writing is my number one priority.

If you’re a writer, how accessible are you to your readers? If they google you, can they find you? Or does the very thought give you the heebie jeebies? If so, you may want to think again!

Here is an older post for writers about Facebook, Twitter, blogs and websites. And there's a useful piece on setting up a blog here by Michelle Maloney-King.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX