Confidence Archives - The Writing Coach

Words Away Salon: ‘Be Your Own Writing Coach’

June 25, 2017 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Authors, Community, Confidence, Events, Interviews, Motivation, Networking, Productivity, The writing coach, The writing life, Writers Leave a Comment

The Words Away salon is on Monday, July 3, 2017
7:30pm – 9:30pm at The Tea House Theatre, Vauxhall

Do you need some inspiration and motivation tips to get going and keep going this summer? What’s stopping you from finishing that book? Do you start but never quite finish? Would you like to be more confident in your approach to writing?

The Words Away Salon

This month, our Founder Jacqui Lofthouse is delighted to be the July guest at the Words Away Salon – the topic for July is ‘Be Your Own Writing Coach’.

The Tea House Theatre, Vauxhall

Words Away creative writing salons concentrate on the writing process. Run by writers Kellie Jackson and Emma Darwin, who every month invite a guest author to join you, the audience, in discussing a particular topic in writing, a genre, or a question of craft.

Emma and Kellie say:

Over tea, cake and a glass of wine, we’ll explore the challenges and opportunities, the difficulties and joys of writing, and the reality of being a writer. We hope you’ll come and join us. The Salons are held once a month on a Monday evening, 7.30pm at the Tea House Theatre, 139 Vauxhall Walk, London, SE11 5HL.

The Be your Own Writing Coach event is on Monday July 3rd and the guest is Jacqui Lofthouse, our Founder, a novelist, writing coach and literary consultant who has a wealth of experience and ideas for making the most of your writing time. The July literary salon is the last before the summer break and should equip you with some new ways to a more productive writing life.

What is Words Away?

Words Away aims to bring writers together in a creative environment to explore the writing process. They hold monthly salons at the Tea House Theatre Cafe, in London and host creative writing retreats at Rathfinny Wine Estate, East Sussex. Through their Salons they offer a focused exploration on a particular topic with a chance to exchange ideas and ask questions in a friendly setting.

Jacqui Lofthouse, this month’s guest at Words Away

Be inspired. Develop and nurture your craft. Meet other writers. Please join us, all welcome.

If you’re looking for other literary events in London, do take a look at our event at Waterstones, Gower Street on Wednesday 12th July: Literary Fiction, a panel discussion where Jacqui Lofthouse will be interviewing authors Roopa Farooki, Miranda Gold, Alice Jolly, Clare Morgan and Charles Palliser.

How the Bridport Prize kick-started my novel

November 21, 2016 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Authors, Competitions, Confidence, Events, Inspiration, Markets for your work, Motivation, The writing coach, The writing life, Writers Leave a Comment

Carolyn Kirby, a former Writing Coach client, reached the short-list of this year’s Bridport Prize award for a first novel. In this guest post, Carolyn writes about her experience of entering the competition.

Carolyn at the prize-giving ceremony talking to Peter Chapman-Andrews about his mother’s life and work. Photograph by Graham Shackleton

A new category in the Bridport Prize

Like many new writers I’d heard of the Bridport Prize. It is well known around the world as a short story and poetry competition with over £16,000 in prize money which has been running since 1973. But I hadn’t realized until this year that the competition is also open to novels. In 2014 the Peggy-Chapman Andrews Award for unpublished first novels was added to the other categories in memory of the inspirational founder of this prestigious literary prize.

I had previously had some success with an early novel, Cloud Cover, a wartime love story that Jacqui had helped me to get started. The book made it to several competition long-lists, including the Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize. But that was as far as it got. At the start of 2016, I had put the book away to work on a new idea for a Victorian-set thriller, Half Of You. This story follows a young woman’s search to uncover the dreadful secrets in her past through new ideas about nature versus nurture. I sensed that the opening to this novel was good, possibly better than Cloud Cover, but the work was at a very early stage, much too soon to submit it agents.

So I was excited to realise that the Peggy Chapman-Andrews offered a forum for novels in progress. Only 5000 words were needed to enter, so the competition could provide a wonderfully anonymous and impartial litmus test. I reasoned that if my entry was long-listed, I would have encouragement to keep writing. If it wasn’t, I could re-think of the story without having got too far. But either way, the prize would give me an incentive to write more chapters by July when the long-list was to be announced. At this point, 15,000 words would be required for the next round of judging. So I sent off the entry and got down to writing another 10,000 words. Just in case I was successful.

Making the Long-list

On 18^th July, when I saw Half Of You on the long-list, it felt miraculous that my work had been plucked from such a vast sea of words. There were 856 entries for the Peggy Chapman-Andrews award this year. Which added up to literally millions of words for the judges to consider and compare. I felt so grateful to the Bridport readers for the time they must have put in to this painstaking task.

So now I had to spend the summer preparing for the possibility that my entry would reach the short-list to be announced at the end of August. At this point 30,000 words would be required for the final stage of judging. The competition again gave me an excellent incentive to stay indoors at my laptop pressing on with the story.

I knew that in these latter stages of judging my fairly raw chapters would be subject to the intense scrutiny of professionals from top literary agency AM Heath, The Literary Consultancy and the Chair of judges, novelist and academic, Kerry Young. So, the day of the short-list announcement was, to say the least, tense. As I opened the e-mail from Kate Wilson, the Bridport’s lovely administrator, I was mainly focusing on keeping my heart rate within healthy limits. “Congratulations…” was all I needed to see. I instantly felt that I’d moved up to the next level in my writing journey.

Chair of judges, Kerry Young, makes the Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award presentations. Photograph by Graham Shackleton

Although my book didn’t win the overall prize, I was overjoyed to be a winner. The prize-giving lunch in Bridport Arts Centre was a wonderful occasion that gave me gave the chance to meet so many friendly, inspiring people including Peter Chapman-Andrews, Peggy’s son. Peter told me about his mother’s community work in Bridport and her visionary idea to fund a new Arts Centre through a creative writing prize. The prize continues to provide funding for Bridport Arts Centre to this day.

I am still in the throes of a first draft of Half Of You, but reaching the Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award short-list has given me a level of faith in the story that spurs me on. And I have written thousands more words than I would have done without the competition.

The 2017 Bridport Prize launches on 15^th November 2016 (to close on 31^st May 2017) and is open to residents of the Republic of Ireland for the first time. Any new writer looking for a way to energise their writing in the coming year should start preparing an entry. You never know where it might take you!

Non-fiction and its possibilities: a guest post by Glynis Kozma

November 7, 2016 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Authors, Books, Confidence, Inspiration, Literary Consultancy, Marketing, Markets for your work, Motivation, Publishing, The writing life, Writers Leave a Comment

Writing non-fiction can be every bit as creative as writing fiction and equally as satisfying. Our perceptions on non-fiction may be narrow and perhaps need challenging in order to be aware of how there are possibilities for our own creativity. Non-fiction includes everything from the instructional ‘how to’ guides – whether that’s cookery, gardening, restoring antiques, the latest diet – to social and political history, art, biographies, travel and professional textbooks.

Glynis Kozma, journalist and coach

You may think that non-fiction doesn’t allow your voice to be heard in the same way as fiction, but I’d like to invite you to reconsider this. The cookery books of Elizabeth David with their conversational tone, descriptions of the locations and culture drawing on all the senses, revolutionised cookery books in the 1950s, showing how a book of recipes could be so much more than an inventory of ingredients and how to combine them. Now, no one buys a cookery book just to follow a recipe: we’re buying into history, travel, personal memories and photographs to flick through; somewhere along the way there’s a recipe we will try.

How can one develop as a non-fiction writer?

What comes across in the best non-fiction writing is a strong sense of the writer’s passion and perhaps their expertise. You can have the passion but may need to develop your expertise. Or you may have the expertise and experience, but need to develop your ‘voice’ to engage your readers. I often suggest exercises to clients such as visiting old haunts to evoke memories :I find that this kind of sensory exercise really helps to deepen non-fiction work and to make it more personal. You may already have your ‘specialist subject’ which needs only a little research or your writing may be at an embryonic stage where you have an idea which requires research and much planning. Are you an expert, or could you become an expert? Have you the seed of an idea, associated with your own experiences which you could grow by talking to others, travelling, or researching?

Glynis’s previous clients

Cast Life by Natalie Trice

One former student’s book has taken her into areas she never imagined: founding a charity and sitting on the same panels as consultant surgeons. Natalie Trice wrote Cast Life – a parent’s guide to DDH (developmental dysplasia hips) – in 2015. When Natalie first enrolled as a student she wanted to write about the perils for parents at the school gate – fitting in, socialising and so on. I gently suggested this wasn’t that original but there were also potential issues around confidentiality. Given that Natalie was aiming for a self-help book for parents, she decided to focus on her son Lucas’ journey with DDH and her own lack of support in the UK for the condition. Natalie’s book covers diagnosis, treatment and recovery from a parent’s perspective. Initially, Natalie was uncertain about whether her book would have a wide enough appeal, because the condition is relatively rare. But counteracting this was the dearth of information for parents. A proposal was written and, after a few rejections, the book was accepted by a publisher, without having to work through an agent. Natalie is now receiving positive feedback from readers in Australia and the US, she has established the charity Spica Warrior.org where Paralympic swimmer Gemma Almond, born with the condition, is now the charity’s patron. Natalie is now an advisory member of the International Hip Dysplasia Institute, appearing at conferences alongside medical experts, and on television. From the tiny seed of an idea – which was not her first choice when writing non-fiction- Natalie has become the UK parenting expert on DDH.

Another student, Harriet Angel, had no such doubts about her subject. As an established Pilates and running instructor, she knew her book had to be Pilates for Runners. I helped Harriet with her chapter headings and summaries, ensuring that they included enough detail so a prospective publisher would be able to appreciate her expertise. We also had to work on the tone and style because this was a book that had to be easily accessible to readers who wanted to avoid or deal with a running injury, without necessarily reading it from cover to cover. There was also the issue of photographs or illustrations to accompany the text. Harriet was fortunate enough through her contacts and her business to be able to provide a publisher with testimonials from people in the field of sport; their names were included in the proposal. Having helped her to choose a publisher who might be interested, the proposal was sent and we waited for news. Within a matter of weeks a publishing offer had come from Bloomsbury and Harriet’s second book (under wraps at the moment) is in the pipeline too.

What makes writing non-fiction different?

The beauty of non-fiction is that unlike fiction you won’t always need an agent to land a publishing deal. There are publishing houses which will accept a detailed proposal and a couple of chapters and many non-fiction writers have had success with exactly those.

The vital requirements are confidence in your idea and one that has potential for sales unless you intend to self publish. If your readers can feel your enthusiasm, your genuine connection to the topic and your depth of knowledge, they will engage with your writing. It’s important that you look at existing, competing titles as part of your research before committing to topic, because you don’t want to produce something too similar. But at the same time, there are many books on the same topics but which have a slightly different angle. A good starting point is to think of perhaps three subjects that interest you then create a rough draft of the contents of your book, as short chapter headings. If you struggle with finding enough to say, that subject may not be your best idea, but there will be one that excites you. Dive in, have confidence and see where it takes you. Why not try it?

Glynis Kozma is a consultant for The Writing Coach. She is the author of two non-fiction books for parents – Secondary School and Leaving Home – and a freelance journalist who writes for The Times, Guardian, Daily Telegraph and Independent – as well as a wide range of consumer magazines. Glynis is a fully qualified coach and a member of the Association for Coaching. You can contact her here.

Branding Workshop for Content Creation at The Shard, London

July 2, 2016 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Character, Community, Confidence, Corporate, Events, Inspiration, Markets for your work, Networking, Teaching, Writing Exercises Leave a Comment

I had the great pleasure recently to lead a branding workshop for content creation at The Shard, London. What a wonderful venue for a workshop this was, with a glorious panoramic view of London. This short video put together by Tom Hewitson gives a flavour of the event.

The workshop for Tom’s Content Lab was entitled ‘Bringing Brands and Bots to life’.

Content Lab is a monthly get together for writers, designers, product managers and anyone else interested in making products and problems easier to understand.

Using creative writing techniques to lend character to brands

The workshop I led used creative writing techniques to lend character to brands. The aim was to enable participants to find new ways of creating characters which might then be used to encourage readers and consumers to better identify with brands. I began the content creation workshop using the same creative writing exercises that I’d use with writers of fiction. We studied paintings to inspire us and worked with props and cue cards with suggested sensory details, such as particular smells or locations. We worked using free writing techniques, and those attending were able to enjoy creating in such an open-ended way. Later, we applied these techniques more specifically to characters that related to products, working in teams.

Tom is particularly interested in ‘bots’ – the user-friendly robots such as Apple’s Siri – and how these bots can encourage consumer loyalty. Each of the teams came up with characters that might help a reader/user identify with a brand. For example, one of the teams came up with a ‘Farmer Bot’ with a very particular voice and character to engage potential customers of an organic fruit and veg. delivery service. The participants seemed to really enjoy this exercise. There was a lot of laughter and it was fabulous to witness how quickly they were able to use the techniques to invent really unique characters that helped us to understand the nature of the relevant product.

We had a hugely enjoyable evening and I was delighted at the feedback after the content creation event. Content Strategist Stephen Wilson-Beales, Head of Editorial at Global Radio, London, also wrote a lovely blog post about the event here: Using Creative Writing Techniques to shape Content Design.

A big thank you to Tom Hewitson for hosting the workshop. I definitely aim to lead more workshops of this nature and would welcome enquiries from organisations looking to encourage a different approach to creativity in their teams.

If you are a content creator, I’d love to hear whether you use fiction-related techniques in your work and how you might develop such ideas.

Join me at the Charroux Festival this summer

June 25, 2015 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Authors, Books, Community, Confidence, Events, Goal setting, Inspiration, Motivation, The writing coach, The writing life Leave a Comment

This summer, I’m delighted to have been invited to appear at the first Charroux Literary Festival in France – and I’d love to see you there! The Festival, a bilingual literary festival,will take place in the medieval town of Charroux in the Poitou-Charentes region of South West France from Thursday 27th to Saturday 29th August – the August Bank Holiday weekend.

This is a beautiful, tranquil area of south west France between Poitiers and Bordeaux. The area attracts many artists and writers and is renowned for the physical beauty of the valley of the Charente river as well as the splendid Romanesque architecture. As you’ll see from the image above, many wonderful novelists and poets will be taking part in the festival, including Kate Mosse, Sarah Harrison and the poet Katherine Gallagher, as well as my friends Barry Walsh and Diana Morgan. I feel sure that this will be a memorable and very special few days and as I know many of those involved personally, I also know that there will be a real warmth about the atmosphere and you will be made very welcome.

I’ll be running two sessions. On the Thursday morning, opening the festival, I’ll be giving a talk with readings: “Imagery and Impulse – on visual and historical inspiration”, followed by a workshop. Then on the Friday, I’ll be hosting a writer’s networking lunch and coaching session. The lunch/coaching session has only twelve slots and eight of them have been taken, so do book quickly if you want a spot. I’ll be sharing many insights on the writing life and how you can attain maximum focus and inspiration in your work.

You can find information about booking here. There’s so much on offer at Charroux, it’s going to be difficult to choose which sessions to attend: there will be talks, workshops and readings, as well as script-writing and theatre skills sessions. There are also events relating to biography, history, adventure and crime fiction. There will be a festival bookshop open throughout and opportunities for book signings too. A number of fringe activities will also compliment the main programme.

The Festival Patron, Susie Kelly, is a fellow Blackbird Books author (whose heart-rending memoir, the Amazon US bestseller ‘I Wish I Could Say I Was Sorry’ I’ve recently read and highly recommend). I’m so glad that she recommended me for this special event. The festival is being organized by Verteuil Verse, a not-for profit association. It will be staffed entirely by volunteers and supported by an able team of advisers and helpers.

I would love to have the opportunity of meeting you in Charroux. Do let me know if you are coming and be sure to get in touch. You can find the full programme for the Festival here.

On taking yourself seriously as a writer

February 10, 2015 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Confidence, Inspiration, Motivation, Publishing, The writing life 26 Comments

In those heady days, back in 1995, when I achieved my dream and had my first novel The Temple of Hymen published by Penguin, it was easy to take myself seriously as a writer. How could I not, when I had my name on an orange spine next to that iconic logo? Here I am, shortly after publication, onstage with the late Sir Malcolm Bradbury, my inspiring teacher on the MA Creative Writing at UEA, feeling every inch the serious writer (even if my legs are looking a bit wonky)

Speaking at the Dartington Festival with Sir Malcolm Bradbury and Louise Doughty in 1995 on the subject of ‘Can Creative Writing be taught?’

Yet the literary life is an unpredictable one, for all of us. I must admit, I never thought I’d be one to find the big publisher; it was a bit of a shock in a way, and whilst I felt confident in those days, I also felt a bit lost and insecure too. I wasn’t certain that I fitted into the glitzy publishing world. Indeed, I’ll never forget the day when I had my first lunch with my editor in an expensive Soho restaurant. Immediately before I left the house, my cheap IKEA writing desk collapsed underneath my brand new Apple computer. I mean literally, the desk keeled over and the computer crashed to the floor, just as I was about to leave the house for the most important lunch of my life. Naturally, I spent the whole lunch freaking out about my broken computer and the state of my hard drive, not daring to say why I was a bag of nerves, for fear of looking like a total prat.

On the surface, my social skills were just fine; after all, I’d had an earlier career in media training, I could do surface confidence pretty well. But there was always a part of me that felt like a bit of an imposter, an ordinary girl from Essex who had somehow walked into this exclusive world and was certain that at some point she’d be found out.

Luckily there was one area where I had a deep confidence. I knew that I was a serious writer. On my first day on the MA Creative Writing at UEA, Malcolm Bradbury said to our cohort of 12 students: “This year, you are writers.” It was genuinely life-changing. Here was this hugely respected man, telling me to take myself seriously; I decided to do just that.

My first professional author shot, for Hamish Hamilton/Penguin

I had wanted to be a writer for a long time; I had dreamt of this moment for years. I honestly believe that the seriousness I cultivated back in 1992 has endured over the last twenty-odd years as a writer. It has taken me through many stages of my career. When Penguin turned down my second book, I was serious enough about the book not to ditch it. I doggedly kept going, through the doubt and uncertainty. I took a job as writer-in-residence at Feltham Young Offenders Institution and one at City University teaching creative writing. And stubbornly I kept writing the book that Penguin didn’t want. Eventually, when I’d written a novel I was really proud of, I sent it out again and (a few rejections later) was rewarded by a deal with Bloomsbury.

Een Stille Verdwining (A Silent Disappearance), published by De Bezige Bij

Bluethroat Morning went on to become my bestselling book, with publication in six countries and 100,000 sales in Holland. Those were the headiest days of all. But it doesn’t stop there. Persistence is all. The rejections for my third book came hard and fast. I didn’t get a British deal for that book. But in a way, it didn’t matter. I’d already had one acceptance, from my Dutch publisher. I was buoyed up by publication of that book (Een Stille Verdwijning) in Dutch. I might have despaired. Instead, I celebrated my success in Holland. I was serious about my work and I no longer needed the world’s approval.

The publishing world is full of highs and lows. I’ve worked with so many writers who feel frustrated about the industry and I’ve experienced that frustration too, myself, at times. Indeed, I went on to satirise the whole creative writing world in my novel The Modigliani Girl. But I still believe, as I have always done, in my own talent – as well as in my ability to continue to grow as a writer. If I didn’t love writing, if I didn’t believe in myself, why would I do it?
I might be flaky about many things, but in my writing life, I’m serious. I take my professionalism seriously, I take my writing habits seriously, I take my writer clients seriously. And I hope that you will do the same.

Here are a few ideas that might help you in the process:

1. Only be a writer if you love writing and can’t imagine your life without it. If you don’t love it, you probably won’t have the stamina to keep going when the going gets tough. You have to want to create your book, you have to care about the world you are conjuring or describing, in order to make this journey worthwhile.

2. When the going gets tough, eat chocolate – good chocolate. (This Rose and Bergamot is the best I’ve ever tasted and I’m not on commission!). Then get back to your writing.

Good chocolate is essential for writers, don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise…

3. Write what you are passionate about, but also have an eye on the marketplace. Never write what you think the market wants. Follow your gut, your fascinations. But equally, be aware of what is selling. This sounds like a contradiction, but it’s not. It’s about balancing love with pragmatism; think about it.

4. Don’t allow yourself to wallow in self-doubt: it’s a waste of time. Don’t focus on whether you have an agent or publisher and how that affects your self-esteem. Focus on producing the best work you possibly can and your own love of the world you are writing about. When your writing is ready, you will find a way of getting it out into the world, whether by a traditional or an independent route. Think about the writing first.

5. Find a writing routine that works for you. Find out what motivates you to write. Never think ‘I can’t possibly write anything in half an hour’. Have you tried? I like to have a couple of long writing sessions per week, but I also pick up my laptop late at night or take it to a cafe to write a few paragraphs over a cup of Earl Grey. But make sure that you work on your writing project often – don’t put it off. The more you focus on the work, the more you will obsess about it, dream about it, and return to the page regularly.

6. If it helps you to do the maths, do the maths. 2500 words a week equals 130, 000 words a year.

7. Get really clear on what your writing aims are at any point in time. For example, at the moment, I’m working on a play and a young adult (YA) novel. It’s my intention to complete a second draft of the play by the end of April, whilst dabbling in the YA novel during the shorter writing sessions. In May, I’ll focus fully on that novel again and I intend to complete it by December latest.

8. Be professional. When your work is ready, send it out. Not just to one or two agents/magazines/competitions but to many. Keep a log of what you have out at any particular time. If you get specific feedback that suggests it’s not ready, then pause and re-evaluate. Take action before sending that work out again.

9. Get good feedback and always act on it. Find a select number of people whose opinions you trust. These might be friends who read widely, colleagues in a writing group or a professional reader.

10. Believe in yourself and don’t take any shit from people who tell you otherwise. There are a lot of people out there who think it’s not possible to be a professional writer or to get published. If I’d believed them, I wouldn’t be writing this now.

11. Consider how you will make money in ways related to your writing. Do you want to have a blog that makes money online for example? To write freelance articles or business copy? Or do you prefer to make your money elsewhere whilst you’re developing your professional writing? Be aware that seriousness as a writer does not necessarily equal being a wealthy writer. Most professional novelists also have other streams of income.

12. Wherever possible, invest in your training. I practice what I preach here. It didn’t stop with the MA. Two years ago I completed a PGCE in teaching secondary Drama and English, which I know will be a huge benefit when I go out there as a Young Adult writer later this year. It has also deepened my understanding of the young people I’ll be writing for. Immediately after completing my NQT year in a secondary school, I attended Blogcademy (pictured below). Last term I completed a course in playwriting at The Rose Theatre, Kingston and I’m currently studying screen acting at City Lit. I find acting a wonderful counterpoint to writing, enabling me to inhabit characters and it’s a great way of balancing my time at the desk.

Me at ‘Blogcademy’ London in 2014, investing in my business development, shortly after a two year ‘sabbatical’ as a Drama and English teacher.

13. Live a bit! Travel as much as you’re able, go to fantastic art exhibitions, take in the outdoors, visit interesting old houses, see plays, and laugh – a lot.

What ideas about seriousness and professionalism can you share? I’d love to hear your comments.

Looking for a Literary Consultant? Our new team is here.

February 4, 2015 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Authors, Confidence, Literary Consultancy, Motivation, The writing coach Leave a Comment

If you are looking for a literary consultant, I know you’ll be delighted to read about my new team of literary consultants, here at The Writing Coach. The demand for my Literary Consultancy service has grown and I have now formed a team of brilliant mentors and consultants to work with me, to help you create books that will capture the attention of agents and publishers.

: Gillian Stern

: Louise Voss

: Sara Starbuck

: Stephanie Zia

: Emma Darwin

: Dr. Sharon Zink

ANY CHARACTER HERE

I am so proud of the mentors and literary consultants on the Writing Coach team. These experienced consultants are all personally known to me and will give close attention to your manuscript. Two further consultants, Caroline Green and Sara Bailey will also be joining us soon.

If you are considering literary consultancy with us, know that I ensure that your work is seen by a mentor/coach/editor who is exactly right for you. All mentors are either published novelists, professional editors or university lecturers and all have broad experience of working with developing writers on their projects. Your work receives nurturing, individual attention, with a focus on positive, constructive but honest feedback.

To find out more about how Literary Consultancy works at The Writing coach, click here and click here to meet the team.

Between us, we have helped many writers to success. I would love to make yours the next story that we celebrate here.

The Observer – a writing prompt

February 2, 2015 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Confidence, Inspiration, Motivation, Productivity, Writing Exercises Leave a Comment

Reading Jane Harris’s wonderful historical novel The Observationsthis week reminded me of one of my favourite writing exercises which I call ‘The Observer’.

Here’s your writing prompt this Monday morning:

A character stands in the street, looking up at a lighted window. The character observes the person through the lighted window and reflects on the significance of what s/he sees and what actions s/he will take next. You can write in the first or third person, but the most important thing here is to remember that your character is observing the other. What does s/he notice? Think of the five senses – what does the street smell like? What about the quality of the light? What noises interrupt the observer? What is s/he afraid of?

We must sense the fascination. What will you reveal about the character in the street and the one at the window? What will be hidden?

I’d love to know how you get on with this exercise. Do let me know in the comments!

Alice Jolly’s experience of working with Unbound, a ‘crowd-funded’ publisher

January 8, 2015 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Authors, Confidence, Interviews, Markets for your work, Publishing, The writing life 1 Comment

When I first met novelist and playwright Alice Jolly, she was between projects, uncertain about her future direction as a writer. We worked together only briefly, but I have been so delighted to witness her recent success, winning the V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize – and also to see that she is so close to having her memoir ‘Dead Babies and Seaside Towns’ published by Unbound. This is her story, of how the book came to be written and her experience of working with Unbound, a ‘crowd-funded’ publisher; I do hope that you will find her responses to my interview with her as fascinating as I do.

1. Alice, your memoir ‘Dead Babies and Seaside Towns’ will be published by ‘Unbound’ books. For those unfamiliar with Unbound, can you explain how this works?

If you are a writer and you want to be published by Unbound you first need to send them your book and see if they want to work with you. It is not necessarily easier to have your book accepted by Unbound than it is to get your book accepted by a mainstream publisher. If you are accepted, then Unbound make a film about you and post the film, and other information about your book, on the Unbound website. You then start trying to raise subscriptions / pledges. This means that effectively you have to persuade people to buy a copy of your book before it exists. The money raised from the subscription period is then used to finance the production of the book which comes out both in hard copy and as an e-book. As the author you receive 50% of the profits, as opposed to the 10% you would receive through a traditional publishing deal.

2. When we worked together, you were at a crossroads in your writing career. What has happened in the intervening years?

Mainly I’ve just kept writing. Some things I have tried to do have worked out and others haven’t. The writing life is hard because it is, beyond all else, unpredictable. Sometimes you submit some work and you think, ‘I’m bound to succeed with that.’ But you don’t. Then something you never thought would happen does. I think, in a way, the most important thing is to find a certain steadiness in your mind. If you get too caught up in the external fluctuations, you can’t write. I do get too emotional about failures and I wish I didn’t.

3. What made you choose to take this publication route?

I knew that the memoir would be difficult to publish. The subject matter (part of the book is about a stillbirth) is not commercial. As soon as I spoke to Unbound I liked their approach. Everything about them felt dynamic and positive. I have such admiration for what they are doing. For years we’ve needed someone to find a new way of publishing books. I don’t know how well Unbound’s approach is going to work but I find it exciting to be part of something new and positive.

4. Tell me a little about your memoir and why you wrote it?

Originally I never really had any interest in writing about my own life. But then I lived through such a series of sad and bizarre experiences (a stillbirth, miscarriages, surrogacy) that I decided I had to put the story down on paper. Those experiences had come to feel like a road block. I could only clear the way ahead by writing. Also I wanted to tell my family’s surrogacy story because, in general, surrogacy is very poorly understood. I don’t expect people to support surrogacy but I would at least like them to have proper information.

5. What were the challenges of writing memoir rather than fiction?

Actually, I found writing the memoir relatively easy. It was hard to go back into painful periods of my life but the actual writing wasn’t difficult. The book had been in my head for some years. Fiction is so difficult because you’ve got to make it up. With the memoir I just asked myself, ‘What happened next?’ However, I do think that, without even thinking about it, I did use many novelistic techniques in writing the memoir. I probably couldn’t have written the memoir if I hadn’t written the novels first.

6. You have a beautiful, precise and poetic prose style. Reading the opening to your memoir, one might have thought it would be easy to find a mainstream publisher, especially given your publication history. What have you learned about traditional publishing during this part of your journey?

I think traditional publishing can work well for books which fit a clear genre or format and for books which will obviously be commercially successful. If you look at what is being published in the mainstream, it is the same kind of book again and again. I teach as well as write and I’m often really destroyed by seeing my students’ work being rejected again and again. It’s not bad work. It’s very good but it’s experimental, challenging. It needs a publisher with courage to take it on – and sadly they are in short supply. Often an editor in a publishing house really wants to take a risk. But editors don’t make decisions. The sales and marketing people do – and they are naturally conservative.

7. What have you learned through working with Unbound?

Unbound has been an amazing experience. I’m naturally rather reserved and I don’t like anything to do with publicity and marketing. However, in order to raise the subscriptions for the book I just had to get rid of all my inhibitions and take any promotional opportunities that arose. I thought I would hate using Facebook and Twitter but actually it has put me back in touch with old friends and also bought new friendships. I wish we lived in a world where writers could just spend all day writing – but sadly we don’t.

8. Articles about you have recently appeared in major National newspapers and you also won the V.S. Pritchett Memorial prize. How are you feeling about your commercial and literary success?

I think that people who are not writers themselves misunderstand the writing life. The idea is that you get your first book published and then its all onwards and upwards all the way from there. The reality is very different. I’m often shocked by well-known writer friends who have had a lot of success but then find themselves dropped by a publisher or an agent or unable to publish a book. I was absolutely thrilled to win the V.S.Pritchett Prize. I think that could change many things for me. It certainly gave a huge boost to my confidence. But the reality is that I still have a novel sitting in a drawer which took eight years to write and which I can’t publish. That’s hard but not uncommon at the moment. As I said, it’s just so many ups and downs. All you can do is keep going. Right now I feel confident about the memoir but nothing can be certain.

9. Your story is an incredibly inspiring one. What do you hope to achieve with your book?

Mainly I want to raise money for Sands who are the Stillbirth and Neo-Natal Death Charity. It is so important that they continue to raise awareness about stillbirths. This country has a really poor record for maternity care overall and I just find that unacceptable. I’m also interested in opening up the debate about surrogacy. I don’t want to say whether surrogacy is right or wrong but just to provoke honest discussion. Also, I suppose, for myself I hope that if the memoir succeeds then it will make it easier for me to publish another book.

10. What advice would you give to other authors considering publishing with Unbound or other similar publisher?

I suppose my main advice would be, ‘Go for it.’ I think as writers we’ve got to be prepared to try new approaches. However, I do think you need to ask yourself whether you can raise the subscriptions. It isn’t easy to do that. But that’s the only real problem with crowd funding. I’m still uncertain how the Unbound experience is going to work out for me. But I think it is very possible that it will prove better than the mainstream approach could ever have been.

If you’d like to read more about Alice Jolly’s memoir, you can read this article in The Independent.

Alice’s novel is now 90% funded! Do consider helping her to gather the last 10% of funding by pledging to buy a copy here. All supporters get a copy of the book (digital or ebook, depending on your donation) and their name in the back of the book.

Publishing success story – from the ‘virtual drawer’ to glitzy launch party

August 11, 2014 by Jacqui Lofthouse Filed Under: Confidence, Interviews, Motivation, Publishing, The writing coach Leave a Comment

We often hear of the novel that sits ‘under the bed’ for years, and in most cases, that is where it stays. I know that I have one of those (it really is under my bed, it’s called ‘The Age of the Fish’) and whilst mine got me an agent and was read by publishers, I have no idea if it will ever make it out into the real world as a book. But in Sharon Zink’s case, that novel sat in a ‘virtual drawer’ (that is, on her computer’s hard drive) for many years. However, it was this novel that led to her eventual publication by Unthank Books and this glowing reference in last week’s Guardian newspaper, as Zink was a close contender for the longlist of the Guardian first book award. Her novel is Welcome to Sharonville and no one could have been more delighted than me (or OK, perhaps Sharon) to see it published.

So how does a novel that has sat in a virtual drawer for years finally make it to publication? I’d like to explore how this happened for Sharon and to break down the elements of her publishing success story so that all writers can learn from her experience.

I first met Sharon online when she approached me via this site, seeking a mentor. I remember reading about her background and being immediately impressed with all she had already achieved. Zink describes the early stages of our working relationship beautifully in her recent article on the Unthank site: Everyone needs a Yoda – or why mentors matter. I am of course very flattered to be Sharon’s Yoda (not least because I’m currently enjoying re-watching the Star Wars films with my teen daughter and like to think that the force is with me) and the comparison always brings a smile to my face. If you’re interested in the mentoring process, do read Sharon’s article or check out how I work here.

So what can we all learn from Sharon’s success – what did she already have before we met and what did our work together enable?

Firstly, Sharon already had talent. At some level, she must have known this. Aged seventeen she won Shell Young Poet of the Year with her first collection ‘Rain in the Upper Floor Cafe’. Since that time, she had gone on to study for her M.Phil. at Cambridge University and to complete a PhD under Lisa Jardine in London. She had already written her novel, at the time simply entitled ‘Sharonville’. But why had ‘Sharonville’ been in that virtual drawer for over two years?

When I first spoke with Sharon, I don’t think she really believed that we would one day be standing outside ‘The Writers’ Place’ in Brighton, celebrating her launch – but it’s certainly an outcome that she would have wished for.

So why did publication of her novel seem like such a far off dream?

Well, like most writers, Sharon had already had her share of rejection. In her own words, the novel

“had languished in the notorious metaphorical drawer for over two years after contradictory editorial advice, knock downs from agents and various life events had beaten my confidence in it to the ground.”

Sharon had got to the point where sending out her novel had become difficult. Part of our work together was about enabling Sharon to truly believe in her own talent. As Sharon’s article explains, I was pretty impressed with her work! (I compared it to the work of one of my heroes Paul Auster.) This is a remarkable novel and one that I urge you to read.

This book contains an interview with John Fowles, which hugely influenced me as a young writer.

However, in our work together, Sharon and I discussed ways in which the novel could become stronger still. Sharon is a brilliant prose stylist, but this was such a powerful character piece that I felt sometimes we lost the thread of the story, so I encouraged Sharon to make several judicious edits to ensure that the storyline remained compelling.

If you’re wondering how you know which edits to make, given that you may receive contradictory advice, I’d say that in the end, you have to go with your own gut – ask yourself what advice resonates with you. Sharon was close to being ready to submit (in terms of the quality of the work) but there’s no point submitting before you are absolutely certain the work is as good as it can be. In Sharon’s case, there were twelve years between conception of the novel and her final publication, so it’s important we don’t kid ourselves that this is an easy journey. Rather, I believe it is vital that we take our writing and our development as writers seriously. It may not take you twelve years, but I do suggest that all writers take every possible opportunity to learn their craft, through creative writing classes and groups and reading great books about the process, including writers’ ideas on their work. I was lucky enough to hear some of the interviews in Writers in Conversation Vol.5 live when I studied creative writing at UEA and many of these ideas have stayed with me throughout my writing career.

So what did Sharon already have, besides genuine talent? In fact, though she might not have recognised it, she was already good at the persistence game. She had lost some confidence, yes, as many of us do along the way. But she had completed the novel, she had asked for editorial advice – and now, despite the hiatus, the urge to bring her work to a readership remained. She took another step and approached me as a mentor. Somehow, inside, she knew that her work and her identity as a writer mattered to her and she couldn’t let it go. In order to succeed as a creative artist, you have to have an absolute tenacity that never deserts you even when you have setbacks. You have to have a hunger to be the best you can possibly be and also to tell your story, to get your words out into the world.

In terms of our work together, I’d say I did three things for Sharon. Firstly, I expressed my true belief in her talent. If I’d felt she still had a long way to go with her writing, I would have told her that too and explained what she needed to do in order to improve. Secondly, we worked on the novel to make sure it shone – we looked at the importance of a compelling narrative, something that Auster excels at. In The Red Notebookhe writes,

When I write, the story is always uppermost in my mind, and I feel that everything else must be sacrificed to it. All the elegant passages, all the curious details, all the so-called beautiful writing – if they are not truly relevant to what I am trying to say, then they have to go. It’s all in the voice. You’re telling a story, after all, and your job is to make people want to go on listening to your tale.

Auster’s wisdom about writing is beautifully captured in this series of interviews and essays.

Finally, I got tough with Sharon about self-belief and the importance of submitting, submitting and submitting again. As my writing buddies and I often say to each other, ‘it only takes one’. Or two, perhaps. One agent, one publisher. Two people need to ‘get’ your work and want to put it out into the world. And if we hadn’t found those two people? I would have encouraged Sharon to self-publish brilliantly. These days we can take ownership of publication and make a huge success of it. If you are getting rejection letters that praise your work, you know you are getting close. Do they contain advice? Anything you can work on? An encouragement to return to that person with your next work? One of my clients famously declared that she intended to paper her bathroom wall with rejection slips. Suffice to say, she got some serious agent interest early on.

I am no stranger to literary jealousy and I’m sure that Sharon isn’t either. In this digital age, we are constantly bombarded with images of other people’s success. It is vital, however, that we see this successes as inspiration. Sharon waited twelve years for this launch party and damn well deserves to enjoy it. I wish I could have shown her this picture of the two of us hugging at her launch on the day that we first started work together. I couldn’t. But here it is.

I hope that it inspires you to do your best work, to believe in yourself and to persist with those submissions.

What is your dream for your own creative work? What do you need to do to make your work as good as it can be and to get it out into the world? Do share in the comments: I’d love to hear your thoughts.