Category Archives: The Journey to Publication

Progress

Despite having worked on hardly anything else this year, I have embarked on yet another draft of Novel 6. I just couldn’t stop myself. It was that new idea for the first three chapters that I mentioned in my last post. That inner-editor of mine just wouldn’t let it go, especially as the only reasonContinue reading “Progress”

Summer Update

Ok, so it’s been five months since I last posted, and I’ve been feeling somewhat guilty about my lack of content. I also don’t want people to think this site has gone completely dormant, so I thought I’d write a quick post to keep things up-to-date and prove that I am still active – thoughContinue reading “Summer Update”

One Year On

It was one year ago that I blogged about beginning the process of submitting to literary agents in the hope of moving beyond self-publishing. I had a spreadsheet of agents to approach, a meticulously crafted begging letter with the all-important elevator-pitch, a carefully thought-out synopsis and highly-edited first three chapters of my novel. And beginContinue reading “One Year On”

Losers

One of my favourite films is Little Miss Sunshine. Its story of an odd-ball, dysfunctional family driving across America so the young daughter can take part in a beauty pageant is so funny that it makes me shriek with laughter – Uncle Frank’s running, the inappropriate dancing, the manhandling of Grandpa out of the hospitalContinue reading “Losers”

Things I will never have to worry about if I don’t get published!

This time last year, I was busy using Lockdown to write a new novel and getting on really well. This year, Lockdown 3 has been very different. I have been in school almost full time, working with those students who were entitled to keep coming in. I also volunteered to be on the Test andContinue reading “Things I will never have to worry about if I don’t get published!”

The submission process – a story within a story within a story…

So, I have made a start on submitting to agents. While it’s far too early to comment on the results of that (because there are no results!) I can write about the process in practice, and the things I have learnt so far. Because, to my surprise, it has been the proverbial steep learning curve.Continue reading “The submission process – a story within a story within a story…”

The First Three Chapters

The first three chapters of a novel are very important. Apparently, they are all an agent or publisher need to decide if the novel is any good. It is certainly all they want to see in a submission. Unfortunately, they are also the hardest chapters to write. Any new story needs exposition, introductions of charactersContinue reading “The First Three Chapters”