A Moment With…Paige Toon
Paige Toon worked at various magazines before becoming Reviews Editor at Heat Magazine. Her novels include The Longest Holiday and One Perfect Summer. Her new book, Thirteen Weddings was released in May. Today, Paige shares her five writing tips with us.
1. Write what you want to, not what you think you should.
2. If you’re stuck on a tricky scene, move on to something you want to write about and come back later.
3. Make sure your grammar and spelling is perfect before you even think about sending your book off to an agent. Ask someone you trust to check it over.
4. Consult the Writers & Artists’ Yearbook to find a few agents that are right for you – there are tips inside to help you draft a letter.
5. Don’t feel too disheartened about rejection – you can always self-publish your book and spread the word that way. It might just be that what you have written is not quite right for an agent at that particular time, but that’s not to say you won’t ever get a book deal. Don’t give up!
You can find out more about Paige by visiting www.paigetoon.com
Follow Paige on Twitter: @PaigeToonAuthor
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A Moment With Marianne Kavanagh
Marianne Kavanagh is the author of For Once In My Life. She shares her writing tips for new writers.
- Read a lot, and think about how other people write.
- Find a writers’ organisation that suits you. I went along to seminars and events organised by Spread the Word in London, which I really recommend.
- Find a good plot. Most novels tell a story. It’s not enough just to write well.
- Remember that writing a novel is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.
- Don’t give up.
Buy For Once In My Life from Amazon.
For Once In My Life is published by Text Publishing, 29th May 2014.
by A Moment With Lilian Carmine
Lilian Carmine is the author of The Lost Boys. The second in that series, The Lost Girl, was recently released by Ebury and is available in paperback and e-book.
Lilian, do you have any writing rituals? Do you prefer silence when you work?
I must have music to inspire me when I’m writing and a lot of coffee too. Those are the two essentials I must have before I begin to write anything.
What’s your best writing moment so far?
I love Tristan’s letter in The Lost Boys, it was a special emotional moment for me. And the ‘Without a word’ chapter in The Lost Girl was also very special to write.
by A Moment With Talli Roland
From My Head to the Page: Creating Main Characters.
Every book is different, but when it came to developing the main character for THE NO-KIDS CLUB, the ideas just flowed. Clare was there, waiting inside my head, already fully formed and biding her time under I finally sat down at the computer and started typing.
As with many of my characters, Clare contains a little piece of me. Like Clare, I never wanted to have children – for many of the reasons she outlines in the novel (although it’s fair to say I didn’t feel quite so vehemently about it!). I’d watched many of my friends become parents, marveled at how their lives changed, and wondered if having a baby really was worth all that upheaval. When Clare spilled out onto the page, a lot of my own sentiments did, too.
Of course, it’s never that easy. In any story, characters need to inhabit a world beyond their creator. I needed to figure out why Clare felt so strongly about not having kids, and how her character would transform and grow over the course of the novel. With each book, I ask myself what the main character wants in the beginning, who will stand in their way, and how their desires will change by the end. From there, I come up with ideas and scenarios that will either hinder or help the character’s development. I won’t give away the plot here, but let’s just say Clare’s notion of the life she thinks she wants is severely challenged!
by A Moment With Janey Lewis
Janey is the author of The Sweetness of Liberty James, released by The Book Guild in March 2014. Her book is about Liberty deciding to open up her own patisserie after going through a traumatic life changing event.
Today, Janey shares her five writing tips.
Only write for yourself.
Write about something you are passionate about. Books, like food, show if you put love into them.
Only write if you feel like it.
Read.
Read more.
The Sweetness of Liberty James is available to buy in hardback and e-book.
by A Moment With Renita D’Silva
Renita D’ Silva
Renita D’Silva’s novel, Monsoon Memories was released in 2013 and her second novel, The Forgotten Daughter was recently released by Bookouture. Renita talks about the books that she’s read that have made an impact on her.
Oh there are so many. I am reading constantly and I try and read as variedly as I can. While writing ‘MonsoonMemories’, some of the books that made a huge impact were Julie Myerson’s ‘Something might happen’,Chimamanda Ngosi Adichie’s ‘Purple Hibiscus’, MaggieO’Farrell’s ‘The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox’ and Rose Tremain’s ‘The Road Home’.
While writing ‘The Forgotten Daughter’ I read Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Blind Assassin’ and was blown away by the sheer beauty of her prose.
The book that made a big impact on me growing up was Arundhati Roy’s ‘The God of Small Things’. I obsessed over it – the plot, her prose, her beautifully evocative descriptions, Continue reading
by Novel Kicks Chats With William Thacker
Charm Offensive was published by Legend Press in March 2014.
William is an author and scriptwriter and this book is his debut novel. We chat with him about Charm Offensive, his writing rituals and his favourite word.
Can you tell us about Charm Offensive?
It’s a contemporary novel about a retired politician’s recovery from a scandal. It contains tragedy and comedy – two of my favourite bedfellows.
Which authors do you admire?
I admire many of the novelists and playwrights who are closely associated with the 1930s and 1940s – the likes of Steinbeck, Orwell and the neglected-until-recently Patrick Hamilton. I admire the moral integrity to their works which came amid economic depression and war. They had soul as well as style. I once wrote my dissertation on the great American playwrights – Arthur Miller, Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams – for the same reasons.
by A Moment With…Michelle Scott
The author of the Lilith Straight series, talks about writing urban fantasy.
I’ve always liked books that take me away from the humdrum of everyday life and into a world of monsters and heroes, demons and angels. My first introduction to these books came in the form of my mother’s old copy of Grimm’s Fairytales. Mind you, these weren’t the sanitized, Disney versions, but the raw, scary tales. There was a murder in nearly every story. Fingers were cut off. Eyes gouged out. People were eaten…
Fun times.
Yes, I was drawn to the scariness of the stories as much as I was the incredible world of fairies and giants and talking animals. I liked to think that one day I might run across something as rare and wonderful as a magic horse or a house made of sweets. I guess, in some ways, I’m still waiting for that day.
As I matured, so did my tastes. As a teenager, I fell in love with Anne Rice’s vampire novels. Instead of dreaming about knights and princes, I started dreaming about the vampire Lestat and his friend Louis. After those books, it was Sunshine by Robin McKinley. And then Mercy Thompson and Sookie Stackhouse.
Years have passed since then, but I’m still as into the supernatural now as I ever was. Of course, I’ve upgraded to werewolves and vampires and demons, but still. The same principles apply. Scary is good and the fantastic is awesome.
by A Moment With CL Taylor – Five Writing Tips
CL Taylor’s novel, The Accident, was released in April by Harper Collins.
Today, she shares with us her five tips for new writers…
1.Don’t write what you know, write about something you feel passionately about. When I wrote THE ACCIDENT I wanted to explore how an abusive relationship continues to affect the victim long after it ends. I think readers can sense when the writer feels passionately about a theme and it makes the novel a more powerful, compelling read.
2.Wait for the voice of the character to appear in your head before you write a word. It makes writing your novel a million times easier. Don’t force it, just wait. She or he will speak to you when you least expect it, just make sure you write down whatever they say as quickly as you can.
3.Don’t compare yourself to other writers or assume that they have it easy or are brimming with confidence. Published authors blog and tweet about their successes and keep their failures to themselves. I know so many authors who’ve had books rejected by their agents and their editors, even after they’ve been published to critical acclaim. EVERYONE, even multi-published and award-winning authors, feel insecure about their writing ability at some time and we all reach a certain point when writing a book where we’re utterly convinced that it’s rubbish and we should ditch it and start something new. The secret is to keep writing through those insecure periods (and stock up on chocolate and wine).
by A Moment With Pippa Croft
Pippa Croft is the author of The First Time We Met.
What was that first moment that you realized you wanted to become a writer?
I can tell you exactly. I was watching a BBC period drama called North & South in November 2004. Although I’d always worked as a journalist and copywriter, I’d shied away from writing fiction. I was worried that I’d be rubbish at it and I didn’t have any inspiration. North & South suddenly – and out of blue – inspired me to have a go at writing some fan fiction, which was quite a new thing back then. I shared my story on an Internet forum and haven’t stopped writing since. In my role as a journalist, I also actually got to do a phone interview with the sexy star of North & South, Richard Armitage.
What authors, books, or ideas have influenced you most?
Jane Austen, definitely, Continue reading
by Two nations, divided by a common book cover
By Michele Gorman.
I’ll never forget the day I first saw the cover for my debut novel back in early 2010. My editor emailed it to me while I was waiting to meet with my agent. I was sitting in a beautiful café on Piccadilly on a sunny February day (a rare thing in London). Excitement, tinged with nerves, fizzed when I opened that image. For months I’d wondered how Penguin would package the book that I’d spent years writing and rewriting until it was as perfect as could be. Would they take the same care over the cover? Would it reflect the story, about a young American woman named Hannah who moves to London only to find that she’s completely ill-equipped to live there?
It did, and I loved it. The cover fit perfectly with the story and perfectly with the romantic comedy genre in the UK – a pretty illustrated pastel cover. It reflected Hannah’s uncertainty, swept along and buffeted by London.
Then, about a month later, my agent took me out for dinner. “You’re not going to like what I have to tell you,” she said, pushing the cake we were sharing in my direction. “Penguin wants to change the title. To Single in the City. They feel that it has broader appeal.”
That explained why she’d been plying me with wine for two hours.
by My Advice: Anna Stothard
Anna Stothard offers her five writing tips.
I often imagine I’m dying. It stops me from Googling pointless things.
When you’ve finished a first draft, put it away for a month before showing any one.
Read your book out loud, or at least some of it. How things sound, the rhythms, make a difference.
You can’t please everyone and shouldn’t aim to. Write for yourself, but ideally with humility (don’t be boring!).
Keep a notebook and record overheard Continue reading
by Portia MacIntosh
My Constantly Changing Writing Space.
I started writing novels as a way to tell the world about my experiences touring with bands – something I have been doing since I was fifteen-years-old, and I’m in my mid twenties now. I wanted to tell my stories anonymously, so using them to inspire works of fiction seemed like the best way to do it.
The thing is, when I started working on Between a Rockstar and a Hard Place and How Not to be Starstruck, I had no idea that one day a publisher like Carina would pick them up, so I had to keep up the day job, and I had to keep myself in material. This meant touring with more bands (I’m not complaining, I love it) and trying to fit writing in around that, which was tricky at first.
When Novel Kicks asked me about my writing space, I realised that I didn’t have one. I hadn’t give it much thought, but soon realised that most people have their desk or place where they write and that’s where the magic happens – one thing I can say for certain, I haven’t ever written at a desk.
by Lynne North
Lynne North
Lynne North’s Best Writing Moment.
That has to be having my first book accepted by Ghostly Publishing, and having it launched at Earl’s Court Book Fair in London. You don’t get much bigger than that for a launch, do you?
Lynne North is the author of two children’s books, Caution: Witch in Progress’ and ‘Zac’s Destiny. For more information on Lynne and her books, visit her website.
by Book Club
