Lessons for a Writing Life

One of my friends in writing is having trouble finding an agent. They like her writing very much, but they say the market is difficult and they just can’t take a risk on someone new at the moment. This must be really tough to hear – that you’re good but circumstances beyond your control are conspiring to prevent you from being published. I told her to keep going – that the writing’s the thing. That if she can afford to, to give herself some more time and maybe work on a new book, a book that she HAS to write, more than anything else in the world. A book that means so much to her that she can’t not write it.

She’s so close but it would be so easy to give up at this stage. But I have every confidence that she’ll keep writing, because she is a true book lover and adores the writing life.

If you are in a similar situation, hang in there. Keep writing – don’t stop. Even if you have to write at night or early in the morning or in snatched work breaks, you are still a writer.

I’m not usually one for chain email type things, but one struck a chord with me this week. It’s by a 90 year old woman from Ohio called Regina Brett and was originally one of her newspaper columns. As I read it, I realised how many of her maxims for life were relevant to a writing life. So I’ve updated some of them. My additions are the ones underneath Regina’s lines.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Life Lessons Lessons for a Writing Life

Life isn't fair, but it's still good. Publishing isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

When in doubt, just take the next small step. When in doubt, just keep writing.

Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Life is too short to waste time worrying about other writers and how brilliant/critically acclaimed/famous/rich they are.

You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. You won’t always agree with your editor or agent – pick your battles.

Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. Save when you can. Writing is a precarious business.

When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. Nothing I can add there!

Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. Use your regrets and mistakes to fuel your books. It’s all material.

Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don’t compare your writing or publishing career to others. You have no idea how many unpublished manuscripts are sitting under their beds.

When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. Amen to that.

Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special. Give it all away, every day. Don’t save a brilliant idea for another book. Use it, right now.

Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. Show up to the page, every day, and write with passion.

Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. Walking is a great way to start a writing day – get outside – ideas are everywhere.

All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. (And that you wrote!)

How a Book Advance Gets Paid

The news from the London Book Fair that Irish writer, Kathleen MacMahon has received £500,000 for her first book, This is How It Ends is very cheering for writers and the book trade alike. Little, Brown are clearly madly in love with the book, describing it as ‘literary commercial fiction’, ie a perfect book for book clubs to savour, but also a novel to get lost in on the daily commute. The Help would be ‘literary commercial fiction’ for eg. I would argue that Bridget Jones’s Diary is also ‘literary’ in its own way – an argument for another day.

The book sounds to me like an Irish ‘Bridges of Madison County’, a book (and film) I love. It’s billed as a love story between an American man and an unemployed Irish architect. ‘You close the book, you want to bawl your eyes out, and then you want to tell everyone about it,’ her agent, Marianne Gunn O’Connor told today's The Irish Times - Marianne is also Cecelia Ahern’s agent.

Anyway, I was at a meeting this morning and I was asked how the advance would be paid – would Kathleen be handed a cheque for £500,000 as soon as she signed the contract? Not exactly.

So here’s how it works:

Usually a book contract will say something like ‘The publishers shall pay to the Author as a non-returnable advance on account of all monies that may become due to the Author under this Agreement a sum of – in this case - £500,000, being £250,000 per title, to be accounted separately.’

The money might be split up and paid as follows (ballpark figures only):

A sum on signing the contract – say £100k (£50k per title) (could be slightly more, depending on each publisher – some build it into delivery/publication etc)

A sum on delivery of each work (if book 1 of the contract already written, as in this case, part 1 of this payment would be paid on signing also for the first book) – say £50k

A sum on first UK publication of each title in the contract or eighteen months after delivery of the manuscript (whichever happens first) – say £50k

A sum on first US publication of each title in the contract (in this case, Grand Central in the US). Say £50k

Marianne Gunn O’Connor, Kathleen’s agent will take 15% of the overall deal. This would be the standard rate for a literary agent.

At present, Irish writers can earn e40,000 a year before tax. You do have to pay PRSI however.

The advance is usually non-returnable – which means it’s a gamble for the publisher. If it doesn’t sell, they can lose a lot of money. But publishers are smart and know a good book when they read one, and this one sounds great!

Apparently Kathleen will also earn more if the novel makes the bestseller lists – and obviously if film rights are sold, this will be extra income (film rights I believe are taxable as they are not book royalties as such).

So Kathleen may get a figure of say £150,000 up front – of which Ms Gunn O’Connor will get 15%, and the writer will pay tax on anything over £40k. Which is a fantastic, dream sum for any debut writer, and was the highest advance of the Fair. But also remember that her book may be the product of many years of hard work – plus a lifetime’s worth of reading, and living – you can’t write without a lot of experiences to write about! (Unless you are Emily Dickinson perhaps – again, a subject for another day.) Plus she may only write a book every two or three years – so that may be her book income for several years, not just one year.

Overall, it’s GREAT news for Irish writers – UK and US publishers are actively looking for great books by us. In fact, it’s the best news I’ve heard all week.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

No-one at Home Understands

Does Ben Read Your Books? (Ben being my long suffering partner-type person). I'm often asked this and the answer is no. Ben has read a few of my adult novels – When the Boys are Away for example, mainly because he remains convinced it is about him. Well us really. It’s about Meg and Simon. Simon is a professional sailor and travels a lot, leaving Meg at home keeping things rolling. Which understandably she grows to resent after a while. Ben used to be a professional sailor I should add, before I met him. And after I wrote this book he took 2 years out to do an Olympic campaign. But it really isn’t about him/us!

He’s also read Always the Bridesmaid and the first Ask Amy Green book. He’s a sci fi reader mainly. Sci fi and Jeremy Clarkson books. Oh and popular business books – The Tipping Point, that kind of thing. I write books mainly for myself (now and as a teen), so it’s hardly surprising that he finds them ‘interesting’ (a little baffling).

But here’s the thing – he’s very supportive of my writing. He understands when I switch on the light in the middle of the night and start scribbling into a notebook. He puts up with my questions about men and their ‘feelings’. He doesn’t take offence when I put my hand in the air like a traffic warden and say ‘don’t talk to me, I’m thinking’. So rude, I know! But when I have an idea running in my head, I need to concentrate on it. It happens mainly in the car or out walking. He just lets me think away, sometimes muttering to myself and scribbling on my hand. He goes on research trips with me, lately to Paris and Budapest (he was hardly complaining – but he did have to go to the Hungarian Ballet which was a first for him!).

He rarely complains when I write late at night, again ignoring him. He knows I have to read a lot, go to talks and events, look at art, walk, and generally mooch around to get ideas. Writers must live to have things to write about. They must have space to think and mull things over – which is damn hard for anyone with kids, pets, friends, partners etc. Or a job. Especially a job. At least I get to write full time now.

You need a supportive other half to write. You need someone who understands your creativity and your urge to write.

You need a space to write – and the ‘permission’ to retreat there, ignoring your family.

You need time to write – and this may impact on family time. But I think it’s best to find some low-impact times to write at first – early in the morning, late at night – not during the kids’ bedtime for eg, leaving your other half to do it! Commuting time is also good – when I worked for Eason I used to write on the train a lot.

If your partner is not a book person, find someone who is to share you work with if you feel the urge. I rarely share my work with anyone other than my agent, editor and one close friend, but some writers need feedback.

Show you are serious about your writing. Getting something published helps – then your partner has proof that you are not delusional, that someone professional likes your work too. If you get paid for your work it is no longer a ‘hobby’ (I dislike that word – writing is a way of life, not a hobby!).

I hope you all find the writerly support you need.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Writing When You Don’t Want To Write

'Being a real writer means being able to do the work on a bad day'. Norman Mailer I read this Norman Mailer quote on Sheila O’Flanagan’s Facebook page yesterday and it’s been ringing in my ears ever since.

I’m not feeling great this morning – I’ve spent the last few nights working on an Arts Council Funding Application, after a day’s writing and other things. My lower back is at me, from lifting Brownies over logs in the forest on their Indian Tracking Day yesterday (don’t ask!), and I don’t really feel like writing at all. But here’s the thing – it’s my job. And I know once I actually sit down and get on with it, I’ll be just fine. So that’s what I have to do.

I’m working on the second Shoestring novel – for 2013 – and I need to get it finished before the summer, so I can take my family holiday without feeling guilty or stressed. I’ve written 25k so far and plotted the whole book loosely, so I’m doing well so far. As the setting and the characters are the same (although it’s a different voice telling this one – Pandora rather than Jules), it has been easier to get into than other books. Then it’s straight back to the 5th Amy Green book. I’ve also got plans for another adult book which I think has a really great and very simple hook. More about that soon.

But sometimes it does take a huge amount of will to get me sitting down in the first place. I have books to review for Monday, two of them, and I could be curled up in bed reading them. But right now, I have to write (yep, still trying to talk myself into it).

Mailer is right. I’ll be teaching a popular fiction workshop at Listowel Writers’ Week in June and the first lesson will be – you got it, bum glue. Sitting down and getting on with it. So I guess I’d better take my own advice. And GET ON WITH IT!

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

PS Well what do you know? I managed 2,544 words this morning after all the procrastination and moaning. Just goes to show, sometimes the worst writing days turn into the best writing days.

Dream Editorial Feedback

Dear Fellow Writers and Readers,I got the most wonderful email from my editor today - the kind of feedback that makes all the hard slog so worthwhile. So I wanted to share it with you. I've taken out any spoilers, don't worry. I got an equally lovely one from my other editor too, a fab young editor I'm having such fun working with. I do hope you all get emails like this some time in the future. Yours in writing, SarahXXX

Dear Sarah

I just wanted to let you know how much I loved THE SHOESTRING CLUB. It's a really terrific, engaging and totally unputdownable read with wonderfully drawn characters. While it's incredibly warm and the humour is well done, there are some very dark moments which you've executed brilliantly. Julia is a complex character with whom the reader sympathises in every way - urging her on to find the right man in the end and to forget about . . . (spoiler) The scene where she confronts her. . . is so moving, and her Dad, Pandora and Bird are such a terrific support to her. It's so heartwarming Sarah, and has much about it which reminds me of Marian Keyes without being in the least derivative.

I've always enjoyed your books Sarah, but I really feel this one is a big step up and we're all confident that it will bring you the success you so deserve. I know . . . is really enjoying working with you on the book. We'll be doing proofs for this one so we'll be sure to get them for . . . in good time.

So let us know when you're over here so that . . . and I can take you both to lunch.

More on Titles

The title for the next Ask Amy Green book – book 4 in the series – has recently changed from Party Drama-rama to Love and Other Drama-ramas. And it was difficult enough to find a new title. The story changed quite a bit at editorial stage, so the old title didn’t really fit anymore. Originally Sylvie’s hen party (Amy’s mum) was a big part of the book, but now it plays a less important role. So ‘party’ didn’t work. Back to the drawing board.

The book is mainly about a boy called Bailey Otis who is Mills’s new boyfriend in the first few chapters, but (spoiler alert!) something happens and he changes utterly and lets her down.

So it’s about family ties, boys, the nature of friendship, and loss. Here are some of the titles I came up with:

Friends and Other Drama-ramas (from the start we were all keen on the word drama-rama) Double Drama-ramas Dublin Drama-rama The Friendship Drama-rama Dates and Other Drama-ramas Disaster/Dizzying Dilemma (and a lot of other d words!) Double Dilemma Friends and Frenemies Boys and Other Drama-ramas

But none of them were quite right. So then my lovely editor, Annalie came up with Love and Other Drama-ramas. And I breathed a sigh of relief. It just seemed . . . right. The book is – at its heart – about love and all the drama that goes with it. The search was over.

Some titles come easily. From the very start the first Amy Green was Boy Trouble, simple. The next one – Summer Secrets – again, easy. Although the word ‘Summer’ can be a tricky one as sometimes bookshops won’t stock ‘summer’ books in the depths of winter. A discussion for another day. And Bridesmaid Blitz – again easy!

Books 5 and 6 are (at the moment) called Dancing Daze and Wedding Belles. But book 4 was always a sticky one for some reason. Sometimes titles are just difficult. Doesn’t mean the book isn’t brilliant of course. And I ADORE Amy 4. Hope my readers will do. It’s out in September so we’ll have to wait and see. With a brand new cover look for all the titles.

I think the best titles are simple, catchy, easy to remember and either sum up the book perfectly or give a taste or a mood of the book.

My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece is a recent example of a memorable title. It’s about a teenage who literally lives on the mantelpiece – in a jar – as she was blown up by terrorists. No, not subtle, but very, very strong image don’t you think?

Wuthering Tights – another good one.

Billionaire Boy – simple yet effective.

Names work well – especially unusual, funny or odd names – Skulduggery Pleasant, Judy Moody, Coraline. Alliteration can also work well – Bridesmaid Blitz.

For romantic comedy, song titles or well known sayings can be good – Always the Bridesmaid, The Loving Kind (yep, I borrowed them both!). My latest adult one (out next spring) is called The Shoestring Club. It’s about two sisters who run a second hand designer shop called Shoestring (designer clothes on a shoestring is their slogan). It’s simple and I think it works.

Above all, make your title interesting and make it say something about the book. The one title I’m not all that keen on of my own titles is Some Kind of Wonderful. It doesn’t really say anything about the book. I should have put more thought into it to be honest.

So do think carefully about your title, it’s important. And if you’re having problems coming up with something good, ask for help. Sometimes us writers are too close to our own work to see the wood for the trees.

Good luck with finding the right title for your own book.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

What Makes a Good Book? An Editor's View

Right, a quick blog on what makes a good book, prompted by an Irish Pen meeting last night. The following comments were made by the panel - Ciaran Carty, Patricia Deevy, Bob from The Gutter Bookshp and Margaret (a reader):

Ciaran Carty, ex film critic of The Sunday Tribune, has moved New Irish Writing to a new home at the Irish Independent. Good new for short story writers. He's looking for original stories with something special at thier heart - he said their is no 'type' of story he wants in particular, anything goes!

The stories will now appear on the last Sat of every month in the Irish Indo. New Irish Writing has been running since 1988 and it’s great to see it continue. It's a good shop window for new writers and people like Martina Devlin and Joe O'Connor and John Boyne are past 'New Irish Writers'.

He believes good books are made by good readers.

Patricia Deevy from Penguin Ireland was also most interesting.

She spoke as her role as an editor and what she is looking for in a ‘good’ book to publish. ON editing - she said that good writers are keen to be edited as they know it makes their work better – very true.

‘Writers must believe in what they are doing,’ she said. ‘They have to express clearly what they want to say and their book has to come from somewhere deep inside them.’

She suggested that the best books give readers an immersive experience – which is an excellent way of describing it. She also said that popular fiction is the result of a lot of hard work (hear, hear!) and that writers need to be ambitious and to push the boundaries. Above all she wanted to see original books. And no copy cat books please, or books written to a formula.

Patricia only took on one new novelist last year – one! Scary statistic!

Bob Johnson from The Gutter Bookshop said reading gives writers an understanding of how books work. He also said that originality is vital and he only accepts one in every ten books he is shown as a book buyer.

And a reader, Margaret shared her loved of Little Women and a book called South Riding. She said a good book is like falling in love – you want to spend as much time as possible with the object of your affection.

All in all, an interesting evening.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Romcom Cliches and Why They Work

A few weeks back I posted some YA clichés, this time it’s the turn of the rom-coms. This goes for books mainly, but also movies. Please feel free to add some of your own in the comment box! Some romantic comedy conventions:

1/ A chase – especially an airport chase. 2/ The ‘cute meet’ – the main characters meeting somewhere sweet – pet shop, zoo etc etc 3/ boyfriend/hubby going off with a best friend/sister – a la In Her Shoes 4/ Arguments in restaurants or other very public places (so much more interesting than arguments in private!) 5/ Girls who work in publishing/bookshops/magazines 6/ Girls who are florists, event managers, wedding planners, cooks/bakers 7/ The Mr Darcy syndrome – hate turning to love 8/ The gay best friend – more in movies than books funnily enough 9/ The quirky best friend (often with red/pink/bleached hair) 10/ Meeting while walking dogs – see no 2 11/ Interrupted conversations/kisses 12/ Guys who are doctors or lawyers 13/ Ugly duckling turned into swan girls 14/ Mean girls who get their comeuppance 14/ Embarrassing/whacky families 15/ Awkward heroines – Bella Swan syndrome 16/ Cinderella stories – tough past, rosy future 17/ Boy next door love stories 18/ Geeky boys who grow up to be Love Gods

Now I’ve used many of the above – Chases – naturally Cute meets – certainly Public arguments – hell yes! And more besides.

Sometimes clichés are clichés for a reason – they are used time and time again because they work. But I do try to give my rom-com conventions a twist to make them original. And none of my leading men to date have been doctors or lawyers – the latest is an animator. Are you making the rom com conventions your own?

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Extra Skills Modern Writers Need

I’ll have to be quick today as I have a book waiting to be line edited, another which needs a first edit, and yet another which needs to be written. But I’ll do this first (see how much I love you, people!).

There was an interesting piece in yesterday’s Sunday Business Post about journalism – Romantic journalism is dead and gone by Aileen O’Meara. In it she says: ‘To be on top of the game, an newspaper journalist now has to be effectively be a multimedia producer . . . surf the net, update a Twitter account and a blog, offer an audio version of breaking news and self-podcast what happened, and carve out a career as a good performer on both radio and television panels.’

It got me thinking about writers, and what they are now expected to do.

Multimedia – check. I’ve written about this before – websites, blogs, social networking – all useful ways to stay connected with your readers.

Surf the net – looking for ideas for blogs and to keep up to date – check (along with reading the newspapers, keeping an ear on the radio and an eye on the television).

Update a Twitter account – check – along with Facebook if you write for children and/or YA, or if you write popular fiction.

Offer an audio version of breaking news – no. But writers are increasingly posting audio or video clips of themselves reading or talking about their books. In Ireland, O’Brien Press are taking the lead her with short, snappy, to camera pieces by their authors, posted on their website (and on Facebook).

Performing – check – CHECK I should say. You need to be able to engage with your audience live – children, teens or adults. It is no longer good enough to stand in front of any audience and simply read your work (unless you are J K Rowling or Roddy Doyle who both read so wonderfully). You need to be able to perform. And for people who spend most of their time behind a desk, inventing characters and scenes in their heads, this is pretty darn terrifying. But with a lot of work and practice, it can be done. It’s only taken me 15 years to be comfortable in front of an audience – adults still make me a bit nervous, kids not so much.

Radio and television – check – you must be able to promote your book for it to stand out. You must also be able to write newspaper columns and articles when publication time comes around.

And you must do all this while writing your next book and editing your previous book!

See, being a writer is a doddle. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

And later this week I’ll talk about what characteristics writers need to be successful.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Should Writers be On Facebook?

(A short piece written partly in the form of notes – sorry, busy week! But the info should be of use I hope!) Recently I’ve been asked this question a lot by new or about to be published writers: should I have a Facebook page? What’s the point of Twitter? What should I blog about? Should I have a website?

And the answer is yes – but only if it suits YOU as a person.

Here are the pros and cons of each as I see it. This is mainly for newbies to all this – it’s all pretty standard and I don’t pretend to be an expert or even proficient at any of it (as David Maybury will attest). But I do my best – and if I can do it (and I’m useless with computer stuff), then the good news is – you can too!

Facebook

Seems to suit children’s authors and popular fiction writers the best. It’s a heady mix of personal bits and bobs, funny stories, jokes, photographs and general information. It tends to be less political (or work related) then Twitter. A lot of children and teenagers are on Facebook and love being a ‘friend’ of their favourite author, or liking an author’s fanpage (which is another type of page – you can have both a personal page and a fan page. I have a Sarah Webb page and also an Ask Amy Green fanpage.)

Pros: easy to use, fun, very sociable. Perfect for posting quotations, jokes, bits about your books, links to songs on You Tube, and giving people an insight into your life. Can be run from an iPhone, although is easier to manage from a PC. Fantastic way of connecting with readers after an event – you can just ask them to Facebook you! You can put up new book covers, competitions, links to review of your books, launch details, even launch invites – it’s great for writers.

Cons: you have to be yourself. Lots of authors pop up on Facebook when they have a book out and then disappear for the rest of the year. This is not what any kind of social networking is about. It’s about making regular connections with other people, treating them as you’d treat a friend. It’s addictive – once sucked in you can easily lose an hour reading other people’s links and looking at your friend’s pics and photos.

If you join Facebook, make Philip Ardagh a friend – he’s the Stephen Fry of Facebook and never fails to make me laugh!

Must for: children’s authors and popular fiction authors. I love it!

Twitter

I’m only a recent Twitter person – I starting tweeting in January and I find it very different to Facebook. For a start you can only use 140 characters – but this does make you think about what you want to say. It’s more political than Facebook and more grownup. I’ve yet to meet a young reader on Twitter – it’s mainly adults. Teenagers in particular don’t get the ‘point’ of Twitter. (Yes, gross generalisation I know – but the teens I know all feel like this.)

Pros: Good for connecting with other writers and journalists. It’s like a freelance journalist’s water-cooler at times. Good for posting links to your blog or You Tube clips. Judy Blume is on Twitter! There are a lot of agents and publishers on Twitter and it’s most interesting to read their tweets. Gives you an insight into their work (and their clients!!!).

Cons: Tends to be more serious than Facebook. And it doesn’t have Philip Ardagh! Not as visual – you have to click on links to get the pics/photos.

Must for freelance journalists or anyone who likes to get insights into book trade matters – eg publishing.

Blogging

I’m a huge fan of good, well written, targeted blogging. I don’t want to know what people like about kittens. I want to read something interesting and informative, and sometimes funny or sad or punchy. I have two blogs – on www.sarahwebb.ie and on www.askamygreen.com The sarahwebb.ie one runs on WordPress and I write about writing, books, publishing and children’s books. It’s written for older teenagers and adults. The askamygreen.com blog runs on Blogger. I find it easier to post photos on this one. I write about the Amy Green books and also things that might interest young readers – music, fashion, book reviews. I also answer problem letters that readers have sent in (with their permission, not using their real names obviously and changing some details). I enjoy writing both, but do more sarahwebb.ie blogs as I have a lot to share about writing and it’s a subject I enjoy discussing. I get a lot of traffic to the site because of the blog and I get regular comments from blog readers.

Whenever I blog, I post a link on both Facebook and Twitter – in fact my Twitter account is linked to my Facebook account (you can’t do it the other way around as yet), so when I post a Tweet, it appears on my Facebook page also.

I would suggest picking something you are happy to write about and you think would be of interest to people (and if possible that hasn’t been done to death before) – travel, sailing, climbing, books, writing – and blog about that.

Pros: It’s fun, makes you think about subject and lets you connect with readers on a variety of topics.

Cons: Time consuming.

Must for: writers in general – but only if you have something to say.

Websites

You must update your website on a regular basis to make it relevant. You can do this by running a blog, or a link to your blog on the home page. A static website isn’t great. You can also link your Tweets and your Facebook page to your website.

Pros: Great place to gather together all your book bits – interviews, book covers and information, press pics, reviews, contact details. It’s your online calling card. When people google you, it’s what they should find. You can decide what goes up on the pages. You have control of what you want to tell people.

Cons: Can be expensive to set up – shop around. You don’t need fancy graphics, you need a clean, easy to use site with lots of good, up to date content.

Must for: writers in general – but only if you are prepared to update it regularly.

Remember – as with all writing, the more time and energy you put in, the better it will be.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Date A Girl Who Reads

One of my lovely readers, Amy F, found this on a blog and I thought I'd share it with you. It's by a writer called Rosemary Urquico. Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads. Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

Hear, hear! Yours in writing, Sarah XXX

My Book Just Isn't Working

Just Like Starting Over – Knowing When Your Book Just Isn’t Working (and what you can do about it) Last week I was going great guns on my new book, The Shoestring Proposal, the second book about two sisters called Julia (Jules) and Pandora Schuster. So there I was, typing away happily, 10,000 words in when I started to get this niggling feeling that something just wasn’t right. I soldiered on and finished my day’s writing. Then I read it over and started swearing under my breath. Nope, it really, really wasn’t working.

So I spent all evening thinking about it. Why wasn’t it working? And then I figured it out. I’d planned to book to revolve around Jules, the younger sister. But when I was plotting it in my notebook (yellow naturally), I realised that Jules was on the outside, looking in at the problems and tribulations of her sister’s life and not in the thick of action, which is a no no. So I started again and threw some almighty problems Jules’s way instead.

But the problems I’d given her didn’t quite sit right. And besides, I’d given her such a rough ride in the previous book that it seemed unrealistic to give her such big problems in book 2 also. Yes, I know she’s only a fictional character, but she’s pretty darn real to me. So I was basically throwing a rather random (if good and well thought out) problem at Jules that didn’t quite fit her character. And that’s why it wasn’t working – I was trying to cram a square problem into a round character.

Novels work best when your main character is in major trouble. And if that trouble only gets worse and worse, good! Put your character up a tree and throw stones as at her as the old saying goes. So I started thinking about the original storyline – where Jules is watching horrible things happen to her sister. And then I had a thought. What if I make book 2 Pandora’s story, not Jules’s at all? What if I put her in the thick of the action, and use her as my main character? She’s a really interesting character, a complete control freak with a 9 year old daughter and a lot of unresolved issues in her past. Her family have no idea who Iris’s father is, and when Pandora has a cancer scare, she decides to travel to Paris to find him. But that’s a complete disaster too. (See, lots of stone throwing going on!).

So I’ve started again – using Pandora as the main character and now I’m flying along. I know exactly where I’m heading, plot wise (I plotted the last book carefully and it seemed to work well for me, so I’ve done that again) and I’m happy out.

I’ve lost about 5,000 words but in the grand scheme of things, that’s nothing. I once wrote pretty much a whole book, only to realise it wasn’t good enough. In fact, I have 2 almost complete novels sitting on my computer that will never see the light of day. But I learned a lot from writing both of them and in the case of the second one, the ballet research and the setting have been pinched for the 2012 Amy Green book, Dancing Daze, set partly in a ballet school. So nothing is ever wasted.

As Beckett once said ‘Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.’

Oh I’m failing better all right! And learning as I go along. And today – today I made my editor cry. Yes!!!

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

Motivation

Today I have no heating. We ran out of kerosene over the weekend. The nice Topaz delivery man arrived this morning and filled the tank, but for some reason I can’t get the boiler to re-light. So the house is pretty cold and Ben (my partner) who is the practical one in our house is working in Chicago at the moment, so I can’t ring him yet and ask his advice ‘cause of the time difference. But we’re lucky it hasn’t happened during one of those cold snaps. I keep thinking of that poor girl who died from hyperthermia recently in a council flat in Dublin – it really is like The Little Match Girl. May she rest in peace. Appalling stuff.

And today my daughter is off school with a virus. She’s currently sleeping in my bed behind me (I work in my bedroom as there’s no distracting internet connection up here.), snoring lightly. None of this is very interesting, but there is a point to it all I promise!

I’m very, very tired. She didn’t sleep at all well last night – insisted on climbing into my bed and tossed and turned all night. So I got very little sleep.

But here’s the point – I’m at my desk, about to write my 2,000 words for the day, because I have a busy week ahead with a school visit, Brownies (I’m Tawny Owl), and other things. I have to put in 50 full days of writing to finish my new adult novel, and I can’t afford to miss a day just because I’m tired and my fingers are rather numb (they’ll warm up if I type fast enough I reckon!).

That’s the thing about being a writer – without self-discipline you’ll never get a book finished. You have to ignore the world falling apart around you – and at the moment with Ireland in the state it’s in, that can be difficult. You have to shut out the noise of sick children snoring, you have to close the door on the mayhem that is the overflowing washing basket, the mess in the living room, the muddy footprints the oil delivery man left in the hall. Just shut it all out – close the door on it and write.

Yes, it’s hard. I’d love to snuggle in beside my daughter and have a snooze. I’d love to switch on the radio and listen to Ryan Tubridy, read David Maybury’s latest blog, read Department 19, a new YA vampire thriller that was delivered this morning. But I can’t. Because I am a writer and I have a book to write. Two this year in fact. And if I keep on target, 50 days writing @ 2,000 words a day, I can actually take a decent summer holiday this year. A whole 2 weeks, maybe 3 if I’m lucky.

I have a fantastic year ahead, full of school visits, festivals, workshops and fun writing related things. But I won’t enjoy any of them unless I know I’m on track writing-wise and not worrying about not hitting deadlines (my own self-imposed ones as well as my publisher’s ones).

So back to the writing . . .

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX PS I got my word count done today - plus a 300 word book review. 1 down, 49 days to go . . .

More on Literary Agents

I was prompted by a feature by Catherine Heaney in today’s The Gloss (The Irish Times magazine) to write about agents. The piece is mainly about Irish agents and I’ve often been asked why I don’t have an Irish agent. I’m represented by Lucas Alexander Whitley, LAW, and in particular Philippa Milnes-Smith and Peta Nightingale. They are based in central London.

Catherine’s piece mentions the Irish agents Faith O’Grady, Marianne Gunn O’Connor and Jonathan Williams who was the first agent in Ireland (he set up in 1986) and last year received over 2,800 submissions. He says ‘the standard hasn’t necessarily improved. I think the sad fact is that there are more people writing than reading.’

Claire Kilroy is also interviewed. She said she went to London to meet with several agents before deciding on Simon Trewin at United Agents. She says ‘I went with the one I felt I could speak most openly to, and who spoke most openly back.’ Simon also represents John Boyne.

Also mentioned are agents Peter Straus (who represents Colm Toibin and Hugo Hamilton), Ivan Mulcahy (Hugo Arnold and Domini Kemp), Ed Victor (Edna O’Brien and John Banville) and Derek Johns (Sebastian Barry and Paul Murray), all based in London.

So why, like many other Irish authors, did I chose an agent based in London?

1/ They represent authors who write for children and for adults (and who write for both). As I write across the age groups, this was important to me.

2/ They have an amazing stable of authors – Sophie Kinsella on the adult side, Chris Riddell and Paul Stewart on the children’s. Not to mention Justin Somper, Linda Chapman, Steve Cole and . . . you get the drift.

3/ Philippa used to be the MD of Puffin Books, London. She knows her stuff. As does Peta.

4/ They were recommended to be by an author I know well and trust. And he very kindly gave me an email intro to Philippa.

5/ They are based in London. My publishers are based in London. A lot of launches, meetings, and book fairs take place in London. It makes sense to have an agent also based in London if you want to make writing your career.

6/ I met Philippa and Peta in person before signing with them and really liked them both. And they keep me on my toes writing-wise. I’m working harder on my writing than I’ve ever worked before. Which is great.

What you need in an agent:

1/ Someone who knows what they are doing in Ireland, the UK and internationally.

2/ Someone who does not gush about your work and your ideas (unless they really are brilliant of course!). You need honesty. You need to be able to rely on their opinion and their opinion needs to be consistent.

3/ Someone you can trust. They will be dealing with your financial affairs after all.

4/ Someone who is in London a lot for business or is based in London. Or if your main market is New York, is based New York. Or someone who is willing to travel to all the major book fairs to sell your work and keep in touch with the larger publishing world.

5/ Someone with a track record of getting good deals for authors. Ask an agent who they represent. This will tell you a lot.

6/ Someone with proven experience in contract law – book contract law – this is a must.

But here’s the thing – it’s very, very hard to find a good agent. They already have a lot of writers on their books. They only take on people they know they can work with and are serious about writing as a career.

The good new is this – if you book is good enough and if you are dedicated to writing in the long term, and if an agent thinks there is a market for your book/books - you will find a good agent. And agents do take on writers who show great potential but haven’t quite got to the publishable stage yet.

So take heart – there is someone out there to represent you.

How to find a good agent:

1/ Ask any authors you know for a recommendation. A caveat – never use their name on a letter to an agent unless they have given you the go ahead to do so.

2/ If you write popular fiction, there are generally acknowledgements at the front or back of the book. This will tell you who the writer’s agent is – as most people thank their agent. Make a list of these agents, find out where they work - what agency - and approach them.

3/ Any up to date Writers and Artists’ Handbook will list agents – check out the websites and they will tell you how to submit. Only submit to agents who deal with your genre/age group. Otherwise you are wasting your time.

4/ Go to How to Get Published talks that agents are speaking at and approach them. Politely of course. Introduce yourself. Ask can you send them your manuscript. If you join Irish Pen (google it), they hold twice yearly getting published events for writers.

5/ Try some newer or up and coming agents. Find this info in The Bookseller magazine – you can find it in your local library - or google it – it has a website and news pages. If you write for children join Children’s Books Ireland and go to some of their events. Ditto Irish Pen. Talk to other writers – find out a little about the publishing world and new agents that way. (As always, the writers who do their homework win in the end!)

And do meet an agent in person if possible before you sign with them. And don’t be afraid to ask them questions. Be yourself but your best self when you meet them! (And yes, it’s nerve wracking - I was very nervous when I met Philippa and Peta for the first time – it’s natural to be nervous!). You need to know you can work together. You don’t have to be best friends, but you do have to get on and like each other!

15% is the standard rate agents charge. And yes, it is worth it. I often hear quibbles about this from (funnily enough) unpublished writers. Good agents earn their money many times over – believe me.

Best of luck finding a good agent!

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

The Most Overused Things in YA Fiction

As promised, a look at the most overused things in 9+ and YA fiction - with thanks to Joelle Anthony (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Bulletin) www.joelleanthony.com In the latest SCBWI magazine Joelle Anthony talks about the most common things in fiction for children and teens. She reads about 100 YA books a year (impressive!) and has created a list of overused things. Here are some of them:

Do feel free to add to this list in the comments box below.

1/ Boys with long, lush eyelashes 2/ Main character who can’t sing 3/ Fingernail biting 4/ Dead mothers

Here are some others:

1/ Main characters who hate maths (or math in the US) 2/ Guys with green eyes – green is the new blue 3/ Clumsy characters 4/ Main characters who are the only people in the world without a mobile 5/ Gorgeous, popular younger sisters 6/ Poor girls who are scholarship students 7/ A main character with only one best friend 8/ Female characters who are obsessed with Jane Austen 9/ Hot, young looking mums 10/ Characters who like retro music – generally of the era when the author was in school 11/ Irresponsible parents 12/ A red haired best friend

Joelle wrote this list because she wanted to encourage authors to stretch themselves and to point out areas where they may think they are being original, but they really are not!

So, am I guilty of any of the above?

Yes – green eyed boys; a main character with only one best friend; and irresponsible parents. But I love green eyes; Amy Green has only one best friend, Mills, but she also has an aunt and a boyfriend; and irresponsible parents are so much more fun t write than sensible ones! Boys with long eyelashes – Guilty! Fingernail biting – Guilty!

What about YOU? How do you fare?

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

My Favourite Books on Writing

I just did this short piece for my friend's new website - www.writing.ie which will go live very soon - more news on that anon. But for now - some of my very favourite books on writing and some quotes - one mine, one by E L Doctorow.

Enjoy! Yours in Writing, Sarah X

PS Some interesting stuff coming up next week blog wise on the most overused things in YA fiction - triggered by a great piece in the latest SCBWI magazine - including irresponsible parents (Jackie Wilson), characters who like 80s/90s music (of the era when the writer was at school - very common all right!), and clumsy characters (a la Bella in Twilight). Are you guilty? Lots more next week . . . stay tuned!

Books

If you want to or do write popular fiction, or kind of fiction really, the best book I’ve ever read on the subject is without doubt On Writing by Stephen King. It’s funny, inspiring and honest.

The best book on getting published is From Pitch to Publication by Carole Blake, an invaluable guide from an agent who really knows her stuff.

And the best book on living a writer’s life is The Right to Write by Julia Cameron Succinct, direct and truthful, a book I come back to over and over again if I’m in need of a little writerly pick me up.

Others I’ve found useful are:

The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner (American - get on Amazon or order in your local bookshop!) A fascinating book described as ‘a riveting safari through the wilds of a writer’s brain.’ Ever wondered what exactly editors think about when faced with a manuscript, then this is the book for you!

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is more memoir than writing guide, but is very entertaining. And finally, Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, billed as how to ‘free the writer within’ is another good writerly pick-me-up.

My favourite writing quote is this one:

Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. E L Doctorow

The true secret of writing: bum glue. A good dollop every day, no excuses, no exceptions. It’s the only way you’ll ever finish a book. Bum glue and damn hard work. Sarah Webb (moi!)

What Children Have Taught Me About Writing

My New Year’s Blog Resolution This year the focus of this blog from now on will be WRITING for both adults and children. It will be aimed at writers of all kinds and all ages – new, old, experienced, just starting out. Those interested in getting published and those hoping to stay published!

It will also cover marketing and promoting your book, author interviews, book trade interviews and reviews. When I work out how to do it, I will a/ come up with a good name for the blog – it is currently The Launch Lizard but as there are less and less of these happening it is due for a change and b/ when I can nab my lovely webguy and get him to change it, along with a lot of other website updates – note to self - must find time, must make time, must get on with it!

This is the first blog of 2011 – so Happy New Year and I hope 2011 is a good writing one for you all. If anyone is interested in guest blogging, do let me know. Laura C? Claire? David M? Luisa? I know you’re out there, you can run but you can’t hide!

If you like this blog, please tell your friends about it. It will also be posted on my Facebook page and Twitter page. Yes, I’m attempting to Twitter this year as I have adult readers and I’m told by David Maybury (www.davidmaybury.com) that I must!

So to: What Children (and Young Teens) Have Taught Me About Writing

As always I must prefix the following post by saying I write popular fiction, and proud of it. For all ages - young and young at heart. But most of this relates to all kinds of writing (but maybe not poetry!).

I met over 3,000 young readers in 2010 and this is what I found out:

1/ The importance of character over plot If I wrote crime fiction or thrillers this might not be the case - but it’s what all young readers remember most about a book – the characters. Make them memorable Make them realistic Make them BIG and have BIG problems My new adult novel (not out until 2012 – sorry, it took a lot of thinking and work!) has some huge but realistic characters. The main character, Julia, is hard work in the ‘If you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure don’t deserve me at my best’ mode.

2/ The importance of getting to the point – quickly No waffling around No over long descriptions No sub plots that go nowhere fast and detract from the main story Story, story, story – and no getting distracted

3/ The importance of using words readers can understand and relate to Yes, be clever with language Yes, of course stretch your readers a bit by using unusual words in the right context so they can work out the meaning Yes, be creative with your descriptions But don’t alienate the reader by using a big, complex word when a simple one will do Even in books for ‘big’ people!

4/ The importance of making your dialogue sing Children like dialogue – when it’s realistic and funny and fast and snappy They hate boring, pointless dialogue – don’t we all?!

5/ Make it FUNNY Number one thing young readers love is funny – a good old belly laugh.

6/ Make it SAD They also love sad (esp the girls) Who knew? Young readers like a good cry just as much as older readers. Don’t be afraid of strong using strong emotions.

7/ The importance of having something to say Sounds simple – well it’s not. Young readers are pretty sophisticated. They pick up on themes, mood, atmosphere pretty quickly. Use this.

8/ Make every word count Children’s books (the Amy Green kind) are 30k to 50k long. There’s no room for messing about. If you’re not sure of a scene, cut it. Cut, cut, cut! If a book works without a scene, it shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

9/ Boring is bad, exciting is good Claudia Carroll’s first commandment of popular fiction holds true for all ages: Thou Shalt Not Bore!

10/ The opening is VITAL If a young reader doesn’t like the first page, she or he won’t read on. Simple as that. They don’t care that their parent has spent good money on a book. They don’t care how many awards the book has won. They have better things to be doing with their time, than reading a sub standard book. Don’t lose your reader on the first page!

11/ Young readers are very loyal and love revisiting characters For young readers, characters are friends. And they love revisiting friends. Which is why they love series. Adults aren’t all that different – look at Marple, Scarpetta (when she was good!), Harry Potter, the Shopaholic books. Maybe adult writers should write more series too! Funnily enough my new adult books are in a series – fancy that – The Shoestring Club, The Shoestring Proposal. And if they do well, there may very well be more Shoestrings in the pipeline. Who knows?!

12/ They love meeting or connecting with the people who write the books they love – that would be me and maybe you (if you’re also a writer). In fact they expect to be able to contact writers, plain and simple and they take if quite personally if you don’t write back. I’ve been told exactly who does and doesn’t write back to readers, folks – the children and teens love telling me this - but no, I’m not going to out them. So be a non-replier at your peril!!! There is no excuse not to have a Facebook page, blog, website, Twitter account (for adult authors – children and teens don’t get Twitter) and to connect with your readers. Besides, it’s fun. And great when you’re looking for a distraction or a water cooler moment when you’re supposed to be writing . . . ahem, that would be me! Better get back to my Amy Green 4 edits . . .

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX

How I Write a Book – Step 2

As I’m snowed in with the kids – no school - I can’t write fiction or edit as they are too distracting and keep asking me daft questions about food (daughter’s obsession) and trains (son’s), but I can blog! Lucky you, eh?! This is the second in the occasional series on How I Write a Book – part 1 was on ideas, characters etc. This one is on plotting and getting started. I’ll use The Shoestring Club as an example as it’s the book I’m working on at the moment.

Darn, my fingers are so cold I can hardly type – OK, quick hand heat on the aga and here we go.

Now first the disclaimer: Every writer writes in a very, very different way. This is just the way I do it. And I’m certainly not suggesting it will work for everyone. It doesn’t even work for me sometimes! So take everything I say with a large sea rock of salt.

First comes 1/ The Initial Idea and 2/ The Characters or sometimes 1/ The Characters and 2/ The Idea I will also know my genre and age group – easy choices for me – but maybe not for everyone. For more details see the previous post ‘How I Write a Book Step 1 – you will find it in This Writer’s Life’.

So once I have my initial idea and characters, I start plotting the whole book. Before I start writing chapter one I will have a good idea of the date the book starts – yes, the actual date – 1st May, 3rd June etc – I use a calendar for this to make it accurate and I’ve taken to writing the date of the particular scene after the chapter number – it helps with the editing process and my editors appreciate it. It makes sense really, don’t know why I didn’t do it before. The dates come out for the final edit and book of course.

I then decide how long the book will span – a month, a year etc. Then I pick my starting point – usually this is bang in the middle of the action. I sometimes open with dialogue, mainly involving my main character. But don’t worry about openings yet, get your first draft down, that’s the nb thing!

Back to plotting. I grab my yellow legal notebook – always yellow – and start at chapter one and map out the different scenes. Now, these always change when I write the actual chapters, but it gives me the confidence to start writing. And then I update the plot plan constantly as I go along.

Think about your characters and your plot as often as you can – when walking, commuting, showering, in bed etc. The more you think, the easier it will be to write. KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS. I can’t say it often enough. You will get to know them even better during your drafts too.

In the case of The Shoestring Club I knew exactly how the last 1/3 of the book was going to play out as I’d thought about it so much, and knew the characters backwards, and when it came to writing the scenes, they played out in my head and I just wrote what I was seeing happen. It’s a hard thing to describe, but if you know your characters and know how they will act and respond to different situations, it just flows. Sometimes my plot notes are vague and short, it’s just a quick sketch of a scene – here are the notes for the early chapters of The Shoestring Club. I’ve added bits in brackets to explain a bit.

Chapter 1 In the shop – Shoestring Pandora and Jules (Jules is the main character, Pandora is her sister) Flashback to what happened to Jules at Ed and Lainey’s engagement party (Ed is Jules’s ex and Lainey is her ex best friend) Chapter 2 Arietty comes into shop Arietty and Jules conspire over coffee to set up the Shoestring Club to share the dress The Shoestring Club is a time-sharing club for designer dresses. (Shoestring is the name of Pandora’s shop where Jules works. It’s a second hand designer shop.) Chapter 4 Ed comes into the shop – Jules upset – Bird (her granny who also works in the shop) sees how upset she is Flashback to Jules and her mum – Kirsten – dies when Jules is 9 – background of her relationship with Pandora etc

This all changed a lot and the early chapters are now completely different – but it gave the first draft a structure and allowed me to start writing in the first place.

The Opening

For the first draft, just start writing. Don’t agonise for weeks over your opening, just write. Fix the opening later.

So now you have 1/ your idea 2/ your characters 3/ some sort of plot plan (not everyone plots – if you are the kind of person who likes to know where their passport is weeks before a holiday, you may be a plotter!). The next step is writing the first draft. And to be honest, it’s just hard graft. But next time I’ll deal with motivation and the sticky half way point. Until then, happy writing.

And Happy Christmas and New Year’s of course. I hope all your writing dreams come true in 2011.

Yours in writing, Sarah XXX

On Making Yourself Cry

On Making Yourself Cry (While Writing I Mean!) – Tales from a Blurry Eyed Writer

I often make myself cry when I am writing – and no, not because I’m stuck, or the writing’s not all it should be on that particular day (both which happen sometimes I’ll admit) but because I genuinely upset myself.

Writing Amy Green 4 was a tissue-fest. One of the main characters, Bailey, has a très sad back story and telling his tale got to me sometimes. And yes, I’m a bit softie most of the time anyway, I cry at a lot of things – films, telly, sad things people tell me. I think a lot of writers wear their hearts on their sleeves to be honest. You have to be able to emphasise and really feel what your characters feel on a daily basis or you can’t write good characters, it’s as simple as that. And life can be pretty tough sometimes – and even in books for young readers, you have deal with some seriously sad stuff. So no wonder we’re all so emotional, us writerly people.

This morning I wrote a chapter of The Shoestring Club, my adult book for 2012. It’s nearly finished now and I’ve been dreading writing this scene since I planned the book. I don’t always plan books so carefully, but this one I did as I have a tight schedule next year writing-wise – another adult book to write and an Amy Green, plus another children’s book (possibly), so I wanted to keep tight reins on the book, hence the detailed chapter by chapter plan. And actually, in this case it’s worked really well. And no, I don’t think it has taken from the spontaneity of the book. There are still plenty of surprises in this book, both planned and unplanned.

Anyway my main character, Jules (Julia) is talking to someone about her childhood and the death of her mother (Jules was only 9 at the time) and I found myself sobbing, wiping my eyes with my sleeve and trying to type through the tears. Not easy I can tell you. Then once I’d finished the scene I went back over it several times, deepening the dialogue, giving some of Jules’s thoughts as she’s sitting there, crying herself, and adding some back story snippets of her talking to her dying mother. It’s still not perfect, it needs work, but emotionally it’s pretty strong stuff. And it’s only taken me fifteen years of writing to get to that point! Nothing really. My books are going to be so amazing in another fifteen years! Seriously! Because these days I don’t shy away from scenes that are difficult or upsetting or intense – I just go for it. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t and then I cut the scenes and rewrite, or leave the scene out altogether. But when it works, it’s magic.

So pour your own emotion all over your page. Image you are your character, let their feelings wash through you and make yourself cry. Go on, I dare you!

I wish you all, as always, good writing days.

Yours in writing,

Sarah X

How I Write a Book - Step 1

I’ve just realised I haven’t really blogged about how I write a book from start to finish – from the very first idea to the actual final manuscript. So using the book I’ve just finished, Ask Amy Green: Party Drama-rama (Amy 4) I’ll try to explain how I do this. It might take a couple of weeks as I’m talking details people! ‘Cos I’m that kinda gal. And ‘pologies if I come over all Amy while I’m writing this – she’s 13 and she loves twisting the ole Hiberno English to make it fun. Which is fun to write too. But more of that anon. Now first the disclaimer:

Every writer writes in a very, very different way. This is just the way I do it. And I’m certainly not suggesting it will work for everyone. It doesn’t even work for me sometimes! So take everything I say with a large sea rock of salt!

1/ The Initial Idea This is the number one question I get asked at events and in schools – ‘Where do you get your ideas?’

And it’s a very hard one to answer. If I’m talking to younger readers and writers of say under 14 I tend to tell them about my crazy, mad thought-filled mind and how it never rests and is always spewing up ideas. Like today – I was stuck at home with the kids (snowed in) and thinking about how that might feel if it happened for more than a week – how would we cope. Then – being a writer – I thought, hey, that’s an interesting one for a book. It could be a/ a comedy about a family muddling through and being resourceful and learning to work together after practically killing each other or b/ a Hunger Games type dystopian teen novel where the family really do kill each other – I’d have to throw in some sort of reality tv show then maybe or c/ a romance where 2 neighbouring families are thrown together – maybe a widow and a single mum – and they bond over show shovels. See, my mind works in mysterious ways and there is always, always something cool to write about.

Where was I? Ah yes, ideas. And the idea for Amy 4 in particular.

For me, largely the characters come first. In the case of Amy 4 I already knew all the main characters – Amy, Clover, her crazy 17 year old aunt, Mills, Amy’s best friend, Sylvie, her mum, Art, her Dad, Dave, her step dad and so on.

Before I think about plot, I tend to do a lot of work on the characters. For Amy 4 I had a new character to concentrate on, Bailey Otis. He has a small walk on part in Amy 3 but I needed to flesh him out a lot more. So I grabbed my character note book and started writing pages and pages – what I knew about him – from where he was born, to his childhood, his parents, schools, music he likes, talents, hates, likes etc etc.

Actually – REWIND – the very, very first thing I do is decide what age group I’m writing for – adult, young teen, early reader etc. Sometimes the character or story dictates what age the book will be for – if the character is 13 the readership is likely to be 10+ etc. But for the Amy Green books (Amy is 13), I knew I wanted to write for young teens – about 10/11+.

Oh and genre – for me the genre chooses me, not the other way around. I write the way I write – lots of dialogue, not too much description, fast paced story lines, characters readers can relate to but are still ‘big’ and interesting (I hope) – and I can’t change that. ‘Tis just who I am. It generally fits into the broad ‘popular fiction’ genre. More on that another day but for now . . .

Back to characters. Once I’ve got the main characters firmly in my head I think about the plot and the setting.

Plot

Plot is an interesting one. Some writers – especially crime writers apparently – start with plot. But I do have an idea of the type of thing I’d like to write about before I put pen to paper. It tends to swirl around in my head, picking up momentum and speed, before forming into anything coherent.

I knew I wanted to make Amy Green a problem solver. I also knew I wanted to give her an older side kick who could drive and had a job and some money. Clover was originally going to be 21 until my very wise friend, Liz, said that that was too grown up and younger was better. So I made her 17 instead which worked much better – thanks, Liz!

Once I decided to make Clover a journalist, and an agony aunt for teens, I found my ‘in’ to the problem solving. Basically Amy is brilliant at solving other people’s problems, but not so hot with her own problems.

So then I had my premise and my characters, and I just had to fill in the plot. Which has never been hard with the Amy books as my characters have a lot to say and live very eventful lives!

The Shoestring Club

I’ll use the new adult novel, The Shoestring Club to say a little bit more about ideas. First of all I knew I was writing an adult novel, but I wanted to make the characters younger – 20s as opposed to 30s or 40s. I wanted them to be full of hope, lively and funny – making huge mistakes and still finding out who they are. I find it a very interesting age. I missed out on a lot of my 20s on account of having a baby so young – but that’s another story.

I chose a main character – Jules – deeply flawed but very funny and likable most of the time – a real larger than life character. And her sister, Pandora, and her mad granny, Bird. At the centre of the book is a dress time sharing plan – I wanted Jules to meet and become friends with some very different women in an unusual way. So she finds a girl called Arietty in the second hand designer shop she works in (Shoestring – Pandora’s shop), and this girl falls in love with the same dress Jules wants desperately to wear at her ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend’s wedding (Ed and Lainey) but can’t afford on her own, and they strike up an agreement to share the dress – and hence they become friends. Arietty is very beautiful and it’s been very interesting writing about a character who feels very much an outsider in Ireland.

Friendship and making new friends is very much at the heart of this book.

Where did the second hand clothes shop idea setting come from? I adore this second hand place in Dun Laoghaire called Stock Exchange. I buy and sell lots of stuff in there – it’s a real treasure trove. Some of my favourite wardrobe bits have been someone else’s cast offs! And I like the whole idea of going to people’s houses and checking out their clothes – which Pandora does and Jules will do in the second book – as I’m frightfully nosy. So it was the ideal job for my characters. A lot of the book is set in the shop too which is fun. As I’ve worked in shops before (mainly bookshops) I know all about tills, staff rooms, customers etc – so that bit was easy enough. And I’ve spent so much time in Stock Exchange I know how that works too! And the rest – I researched or made up.

Right, enough for one night, better get to bed now.

But basically – ideas come from everywhere – keep your eyes open and one will bite you on the nose. Now, I wonder if that family getting snowed in idea would actually work? Or a YA novel about a Lockdown in a school . . . my son’s school had a Lockdown drill recently, a new one on me, but common now in the US . . . now that’s an interesting one . . .