Orange and Grazia writer's evening

In recent months, as you can probably tell from my heady mix of lack-lustre and barely there blog posts, I have fallen out of love with writing. There. I said it. When writing is good it’s amazing – getting excited over characters, striking gold with a lightning bolt of inspiration, and the lovely finished product filled with sweat and tears. But trying to make a living from the written word, whether it’s researching, editing or wiping the arse of the director general of the BBC it can be soul destroying. For legal reasons I’d like to point out the latter role does not exist (not since the cuts, anyway) but you get the gist. Writing is a hobby for so many people, and trying to turn it into a job only to be told over and over ‘no room at the inn’ or simply ‘you’re not good enough’ can make you forget why you don’t need to get paid to get satisfaction from what you create.

Last night I attended the Orange and Grazia sponsored writer’s evening at the Southbank Centre, London. Novelist Kate Mosse (who also founded the Orange prize for fiction) hosted a panel that included writer’s Sadie Jones (The Outcasts and Small Wars), Jean Kwok (Girl in Translation) and literary agent Claire Alexander. The panel were all encouraging, self-depracating and made for an enjoyable evening. Although much of their advice for wannabe writers was the usual: be patient, read like it’s going out of fashion, prepare for rejections but don’t give up, it is always inspiring to listen to people talk passionately about something they and you enjoy. A few nuggets stood out, and I’m beginning to understand more about the industry:

-When sending a manuscript to an agent always do a little research to find the name of someone to send it to. The personal touch can go a long way.
-When trying to choose an agent or a publisher read the author’s acknowledgements inside books you love. This will give you an idea of who is appropriate to submit your work to. If the same names are appearing again and again that should tell you something.
-Write a good letter to agents to go with your manuscript. Aim for something that stands out but doesn’t make you seem batty (my thought is that something like coloured paper might work. Try and link it with the manuscript you’re sending).
-In your letter you can include any details of a blog you keep, or your twitter/ facebook information. This can show you know how to self-promote using new media and social networking and thus potentially have a read-made audience.
-Saleability of an author has to be taken into account (although this never comes before the standard of the script) so if your personal story is something that resonates with the text don’t be afraid to include it.
-Claire Alexander claims she can tell if a writer is bad in less than a page. Bad dialogue, absence of craft and poorly constructed sentences are all immediate turn-offs.
-Most writers improve hugely by attending writer’s groups and having the input of other writers, not just friends and family. Although a friend may be able to identify a problem (if they’re brave enough to tell you) they won’t necessarily know how to fix it.
-Literary companies exist who, for a fee, will read and provide feedback on your work. (Nb, perhaps I could sign up with one of these for work? Just a thought.)
-Publishers and agents aren’t put off by length. Anything from 80,000 to 300,000 words is fine. Just make sure those words are carefully chosen and don’t submit your first draft.
-If you struggle with agents, Penguin Ireland accept unsolicited scripts though most publishers do not. Agents act as the first gatekeeper to getting published.

The evening was also in conjunction with the Grazia and Orange new writers competition, which I read the winning entry to in this week’s Grazia magazine. I don’t know if this is just sour grapes, but it’s absolute dross. Honestly. Any number of the writers I know (almost all unpublished) would be able to produce something infinitely better. I’m not sure whether the result makes me more confident in that writing is clearly such a subjective art, or if it depresses me to think that my piece is not even as good as this unstructured nonsense. I’ll try and go with my half full cup this time.

I once said two of my aims in life are to get a play produced and to publish a novel. These are goals with no time limits. Take a deep breath and keep going.