There’s been one factor surprising my friends and family more than any other recently and that is the reality of editing a book for agents. I have four editions of my manuscript; the one I use for my initial submission and three others edited in accordance with the advice from the agents I’m currently speaking… Continue reading Being objective when it comes to subjectivity…
Tag: #SundayBlogShare
Where’s the focus at?
I am worrying about my hair-band. Strange thing to worry about, you may say. It’s a very cheerful hair-band, borrowed from my daughter; pillar-box red with a bobbly, smiling Santa Clause dangling from a holly leaf. Bright, unseasonably festive, tangled with strands of Aoife’s titian hair. Not the most appropriate hair-band, however, for meeting agents… Continue reading Where’s the focus at?
The joy of having a mentor
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m lucky enough to have crime writer, teacher and BBC correspondent Simon Hall as my mentor. But what I haven’t done is express the difference having a mentor has done to both my work and my confidence. Last year I attended Winchester Writers’ Festival as another unpublished author. As a stay-at-home… Continue reading The joy of having a mentor
Preparing for my audience
I have accepted a challenge, courtesy of the evil genius Simon Hall. I have to read a section of my novel. Out loud. In public. And I am shitting myself. Any of you who’ve read this post know how difficult I find it letting my husband read my work, let alone reading it myself to… Continue reading Preparing for my audience
Community Spirit
Roll up, Roll up, who needs a pick-me-up? Who’s feeling lost in this world of writing? Who’s been worrying that it won’t happen, it will never happen, that no one is ever going to publish this book? I have just the remedy for you and it comes in the medicinal form of #WritersWise, courtesy of… Continue reading Community Spirit
Goodbye panic, hello euphoria!
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!
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!
Rebecca Tinnelly 