This week I posted my submissions for the Winchester Writers’ Festival. Three agents from three very well respected agencies and the editorial director from one of my favourite publishers will be reading my work, ready to give me a brutally honest assessment next month, face to face. But something else happened this week, and it… Continue reading Goodbye panic, hello euphoria!
Tag: #amwriting
The less romantic truth about my writing….
I spend so much time wondering, hoping, despairing about how good a writer I am. I have to stop this. Why? Well, with four one-to-one appointments looming at the Winchester Writers’ Festival next month I have realised that it’s really not worth dwelling on. These people will read my work, they will decide for themselves.… Continue reading The less romantic truth about my writing….
The enigma of the first three chapters
With the Winchester writers’ festival just around the corner it’s time I got my house in order, so to speak. And nothing requires more maintenance than my submission material: the first three chapters of my novel. We all know submissions have to sparkle, that the first chapters have to be perfect to hook that vital… Continue reading The enigma of the first three chapters
Hooray for the rewrites!
A common question people ask me when I tell them I’m writing a novel is whether I get frustrated rewriting the same story over and again. The simple answer is: No. I find it fascinating how, by making a few changes, you can alter the quality of the story so dramatically. A few extra sentences… Continue reading Hooray for the rewrites!
Call me…Super Dooper Chapter Hooker!
This shall be my superhero name. Hmmm, maybe it’s a tad inappropriate... The hook. That jazzy little nugget that keeps your reader reading past the first few pages. But you can’t just stop there, oh no no no! You have to keep on hooking until your book is like the scratchy side of Velcro and… Continue reading Call me…Super Dooper Chapter Hooker!
A sofa of one’s own
Office, study, a room of one’s own. This space, call it what you will, features heavily in my daydreams at the moment, particularly those “winning the lottery” fantasies. A light room with high ceilings, bookcases on each wall, a window with a view. A space to write. But is it really necessary? Do you have… Continue reading A sofa of one’s own
PICK ME! I’ll make all your dreams come true….
Aaaah, agent hunting. The weird experience of trying to find someone who likes my work enough to sign me up to their agency. It’s the publishing equivalent to internet dating. The agents all smiling their most beguiling smile, with bios that sound attractive, listing what they’re looking for in prospective authors. Choose me, they cry,… Continue reading PICK ME! I’ll make all your dreams come true….
Writing even when you don’t want to
The turning point in Agatha Christie’s career was the moment she stopped writing for pleasure and started looking at it as a job, writing even when she didn’t want to. Like most aspiring authors I have to fit writing into my normal day, which is already pretty full. There are days, though few and far… Continue reading Writing even when you don’t want to
Happiness is…finishing the novel
I’ve finished it I’ve finished it I’ve finished it I’ve finished it. There is little else for me to say this week, other than: I’ve finished it! It’s still too long, and there is the odd tweak here and there that I will, erm, tweak in the coming week, but apart from that it is… Continue reading Happiness is…finishing the novel
Aaaah, my fictional babies
Today marks two years to the day that I first sat down and began writing this novel. Today is also, coincidentally, Mothers’ Day (in the UK) and, this week, I have celebrated my son’s third birthday. All these birthdays and reminders of motherhood have got me thinking; writing a novel is a lot like parenting.… Continue reading Aaaah, my fictional babies
Rebecca Tinnelly 