As you know, back in March I attended Southbank Centre's Women Of the World festival. The pièce de résistance was acclaimed author Kate Mosse's 'how to get published masterclass'. I thought I'd share all her words of wisdom that I captured in my notepad that wonderful afternoon - just in case there's any fellow budding writers amongst us!
As I said, these notes were written in haste and are mostly in shorthand/power phrased - sorry in advance for any grammar errors!
I call bullshit, Cal
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“Every writer I know has trouble writing.” - Joseph Heller
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If you're writing, you're a writer
published = lucky
2 different things: 1. pride 2. readers reacting to your work
The power is in your hands. You can't let someone's who has accepted/declined your work influence how proud you feel of what you've made.
You will be disappointed often, with others, but more often yourself.
Laura Bates, founder of Everyday Sexism, was alongside Kate and offered her advice on how she came to be a published writer. She said that in order to make the task of writing a book less daunting - she broke it down in her mind the following way. "I know how to write articles (1000 words). Chapter's are approximately 8000 words. I'll dedicate 8 ideas to one chapter, and work through them like articles. Once I've written these 8 articles *cough* chapters, Ill bridge them together = one chapter, done and dusted!" Doing it this way made the entire process for her more enjoyable. Rather than sitting down at her desk with the scary mindset of "I'm going to write a book today", she'd instead think "I'm going to write an article".
Pablo Picasso quote: Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.
Don't succumb to writers block. In the morning when you wake up for school/uni/work you seldom want to go, but you do. Treat writing with the same respect.
We're all writers. Published writers are no better than unpublished.
Writing a book is like building a wall - you have to build it brick by brick. Kate, on average, spends four years of research per book, then dedicates 18 months on writing it.
Writing a book is like building a wall - you have to build it brick by brick. Kate, on average, spends four years of research per book, then dedicates 18 months on writing it.
The best thing about your profession is that there are no rules. You just need to make sure that you have something burning inside you, that you must write. The rest (getting an agent/published) can be taught.
Once you have the general blue prints / architecture of your story, the words will come to you - you just have to catch them!
Hippie philosophy: Plan, but don't plan your plans.
There's a confidence and self esteem unbalance when it comes to the writing mantra of boys and girls. Boys will buy themselves a swanky computer and call themselves a writer. Girls will write an entire novel and not call themselves a writer.
Don't get too caught up in whether your commas are in the right place (your editor will take care of that).
Every writer is different.
Don't sweat the small stuff, try to focus on the chapter you're on. Don't fret if you don't know who's going to walk through the door in chapter six.
JUST KEEP GOING!
If you can't finish chapter three, move on to chapter four. It doesn't matter if you're not writing chronologically.
Laura (Everyday Sexism) was first approached by her agent via email as she was impressed with her blog. It's a testament for how blogs create visibility for writers in this day and age. (Whoop whoop! haha)
If you're loosing your mojo writing tedious chapters, it's okay to skip and write the final battle scene, instead of dealing with pesky chapter four. By the time you actually finished the battle scene, the book will probably have shifted but it doesn't matter as you've regained your joy of writing!
Key advice = Don't get a cynical publisher who is just in it for the $ chose a feminist agent who really wants to shout about your campaign. Try and establish your key themes from the get-go. I instantly knew there'd be a chapter on virtual women / women in video games / women in politics... the process should feel organic. I was often told, which I resented, to "make it funny", as many of the stories shared were graphic and crude. I waited until an editor and publisher came along that I was confident with and whom supported me fully. I refused to compromise my writing as I was dealing with such a profound and important topic. - Laura Bates' advice
Once you've written your first draft, be brave enough to read it and be subjective. Question whether there is an actual purpose to it? Imagine you're the reader. Do you deliver to the reader what you promised? (A murder story needs a murder.)
Bookshop = Where you find something you didn't know you were looking for.
There's something magical about a story being printed. It becomes a physical object - there's a permanence to it.
The internet give us lots of access into the market, which is enormously dominated by white male middle class / privileged men.
Never underestimate how immensely important the beginning of the book is. It informs the way you read the rest of the book and instils automatically your attitude. Most of the winners of the Bailey's women prize for fiction, Kate knew they'd be winners from the first page. Also, when you send your manuscript to publishers, it's unlikely that they will read the entire thing. Many moons ago, Kate worked at a publishers and hates to admit that there was a "slush pile" of manuscripts that were sent from people without an agent - which is why Kate recommends an agent! Publishers won't lie, if they say they've read it, they have. They're honourable - there's not much $ in the field, they do it for the passion!
Before you send publishers your work, quickly email first asking whether they read unsolicited work = if they don't read them, don't send - simple. They'll only go into the slush pile if you do!
Also research publishing houses first to find out what type of books they like, don't approach someone who specialises in children's books, if you write horror! &, if on there website that say "when sending manuscripts do this, that and this... do EXACTLY what they say. They've specifically requested it for a reason - even if that reason is to check how engaged you are!
If you're writing a book about a very serious topic, don't send a picture of you and your cat - no, look serious! Set the tone and understand appropriation! You'd be astounded - although this nugget of advice sounds obvious, people often skim read and miss vital information.
Publishing = needs more range. It used to be about idealism, now it's about the markets. We're tiptoeing back slightly, thanks to the power of the internet.
You don't necessarily need an agent to get published = Laura's publisher emailed her directly, she came to her. However there are many benefits to having an agent. Ask yourself: do you want to sign a contract in a world you don't understand - you'd be very vulnerable. It's also very scary handing over something so precious. Do you want to be the one saying "I want more $"? If not, get an agent! The relationship between the agent and author is the most enduring relationship, as a pose to editor and publisher. Over 25 years, Kate has had numerous editors but one one agent. They're the first person to reda your book/ hear your suggestions, before your editor does - they're always at your side. They'll drink champagne with you when things go well, and whisky when things go sour.
How to get an agent?
- remember they're trying to impress me. Remember that without us, they wouldn't have a job. Don't feel inferior (or superior).
- DON'T accept the first person who comes your way.
- Do you have to have a big following before you go to an agent? A following helps, but it isn't mandatory! If you check out famous writer's twitter accounts (eg Kate's!) you'll notice that there is absolutely no correlation between their followers and best seller records!
- How do I know choose which agents to approach? The internet is your friend! Do your research!
- When sending emails to an organisation (i.e: you're unsure of exactly who it will be received by), remember that there's nothing worse than addressing an email "Dear Sir"!
- Gage from their online presence their character and whether or not they're playful - from that, decided how to approach them and which tone to use.
- Younger agents would probably appreciate a photograph of yourself when you email them, which has a lot to do with marketing. HOW SAD IS THAT?! :-( Kate said that she personally wouldn't attach a photo of herself as it encourages the idea as a woman that "you are what you look like". Also, she believes that it's all about taking control from the get-go. Be bold when you first present yourself.
- Kate's top tip for finding an agent: go to a bookshop and write down the name of the books that are broadly in your genre. Research who the agents are of the authors and go from there. Quick version to do this, is to open the book and go to the acknowledgement page. If the same agent comes up repeatability, that's a good guide/sign! Discover who is buying what and what they feel affection to.
If there's one theme you like, read other books with a similar theme. Does the book patronise? Does it present something stereotypical?
Be original. Present things in a way people have never seen it before. See mundane things with a fresh pair of eyes. Turn things upside down. When it came to picking winners for the Bailey's women prize for fiction (which they are both judges for), Laura concentrated on the voice/glue of each book, as opposed to which had the most battle scenes and epic chapters. EG: One book had mind blowing metaphors which were super original. That was the magical glue that stuck the book together.
Sometimes planning suffocates the book and characters.
You might read loads of fantasy, But you might not be a fantasy writer. You might be a romantic writer. Listen to your writing voice, let it guide you. We might be one person as a writer, but a different person as a reader.
You can't be a good writer unless you're a good reader. You again something from every book/poem you read.
If a reader is reading a book they don't enjoy, they stop reading the book, When a writer reads a book they're not enjoying, they wonder why - dig, Lazarus, dig!
Non - Fiction: You have exclusive access eg: what writing a book about growing up with Walt Disney as your brother. Only you can write that story (unique), sell the idea, then write the book! When it came to a brief discussion on non-fiction, Kate recommended checking out Anthony Beaver's Stalingrad.
Fiction: Before approaching an agent, make sure you've write nit first. It's easy for your idea to become hijacked, so make sure you're written it first exactly how you want it! Don't let your book be edited, before you've even finished it!!
The biggest difference between fiction and non-fiction (generally speaking) is: Non-Fiction: Buying the idea Fiction: Buying the text
Funnily enough, I actually bumped into Jessica Hynes outside Southbank centre
last year at a networking event called 'we are not a feminist tribe'!
Marketing:
- Before you worry about publishers and how you're going to market your book, you need to write it first! Unless you've written it, there's nothing to publish/market anyway!
- Marketing isn't integral, it's about the actual book 1st and foremost!
- Here's Kate's thoughts on self-publishing: It's brilliant, although too many are published too soon (and are littered with spelling/grammar errors). Never publish anything closer than a third draft. Be rigorous with your editing process!
- Just because you can press send/publish, the second you've finished writing your book, doesn't mean you should!
Kate's schedule: Throughout the year when she isn't writing, she is the deputy chair at the national theatre. When she is writing a novel, however, she doesn't allow any other work commitments, as they're distractions. When you're pulled away from writing, your characters become ghosts. When your characters come to life, it's hard to engage with real day-to-day life as your writing can suffer and become marred. 4 years = research / 18 months = writing. She wakes up very early to write, 7 days a week - until she has her first draft, which takes between 4/5 months.
Kate's advice is to get your writing out of the way. Either wake up at the crack of dawn and write vigorously before the day has started, or treat it like a nightcap. Kate begins writing at 4am, writes for 3/4 hours - that's her most productive time of the day. That's the time of day when her imaginary friends are the most real. & If something important comes up during the day, she already has 4 hours of writing under her belt.
Laura writes on a treadmill. She feels like there aren't enough hours in the day, so she tries to multi task. Although writing as she exercises may seem extravagant, it's necessary. It has often been said throughout the ages, that the best ideas come to you when you're moving.
Some writer's don't actually write by hand, they use a voice recognition. (Basically, where there's a will, there's a way!)
Top tip from Kate to all writers = look after your back.
Kate is known for her commitment to extensive research and at one point was asked about her process. When a writer approaches a scene that needs research, how long should you dedicate to research? the answer, is basically how long is a piece of string? Kate personally makes sure that she has researched everything before she begins to write, as it drastically impacts momentum, pace... - also, particularly as her novels tend to be period pieces. & as Kate's novels are all about action, she can't stop in the middle of writing, as the plot/characterisation will be jeopardised. Kate needs to know every detail about the shoes, make up and corsets (constriction) that the women used in that century, as it effects how the character walks, runs and speaks! On the odd chance that she does come across something she needs to research when in mid-flow, she uses a little asterisk which symbolises that she needs to return to this passage. Kate likes to create the stage and props before she puts her characters in.
Characters pull the plot forward.
If you come across any hurdles when writing your novel / or in the process leading up to writing your novel (eg: whilst researching), for a small fee you can pay the society of authors who will give you their advice. For instance, if you need legal/ contract advice, or are worried about who owns the rights to something.
If you ever don't feel like a character is authentic or right, you're right. When you're sure, the problem goes away.
Every word must earn its place. There needs to be an element of spareness, even if you're writing a huge book. Treat your words as a poet would, who only has five lines.
- In every other art form, it's universally accepted and acknowledged that practise makes perfect. It's no different when it comes to writing! Writing is a muscle - stretch it! There's a silly idea that writing is a precious/rare skill and comes naturally - the truth, and overall bottom line, is that 5 minutes of writing a day is better than nothing. What you write in those five minutes may never make it in to the book - or even be read by anyone other than yourself - but you practised, that's what counts.
- Sometimes you have to accept that things often don't sounds as good on paper as they do in your head. Some days you delete it all, some days your on a roll.
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Yup, I somehow managed to miraculously scribble all of that down during the workshop. I hope this helps anyone out there who's in the same boat as me. If you are, drop me an email or tweet me - the unknown's less scary when someone's plodding along with you!
Here's a video of the beautiful (& badass) Anne Rice sharing some of her writing pearls of wisdom. Definitely worth a watch if you're a writer, particularly if you dabble in fiction. I watch this on days when I need a lil boost - best part? "Go where the pain is. Write about what hurts."
Finally, remember that it isn't going to write itself and in the words of E. B. White: Writing is both mask and unveiling.
