Draft, the Second – by Nicola Vincent-Abnett

Nicola Vincent-Abnett

Yesterday, I reached another milestone along the road to having my novel published.

I wrote “Naming Names” almost three years ago. I wrote the first draft very quickly, and then I shelved it.

When I heard about the Mslexia novel writing competition, I went back to my little novel and read it. I was surprised at how good it was... how good I thought it was. It moved me. I had written absolutely what I intended to write.

At that point, it took a couple of deep breaths and a pep talk from my more confident self to get the novel printed off and in the post, but I did it.

A year after I sent the novel, during which time I heard that “Naming Names” had been long-listed for the prize, and then shortlisted, the winner was finally announced. Rosie Garland won the inaugural Mslexia novel writing prize with “The Beast in all her Loveliness”, which was subsequently bought by Harper Collins in a two book deal. Huzzah!. That was fine by me, especially as my novel took one of the runner-up slots, alongside Rebecca Alexander’s book, now called “The Secrets of Life and Death”. I for one hope to read both books as soon as they’re available.

My real prize, as far as I’m concerned, is that I now have a lovely agent. 

Naturally, the first meeting with my lovely agent revolved around rewrites. 

I can’t tell you how glad I was that I’d left the first draft intact. Much easier to work with the source material, I thought, than to have to cobble something together from any number of previous drafts.

The novel was pristine... Not perfect, but, at least, virgin.

What’s more, my lovely agent didn’t want to impose her ideas on me. We talked, and she invited me to solve the problems that my original draft threw up.

I very quickly saw what my lovely agent was talking about, and I was lucky enough to have input from an extraordinary woman, who is also a wonderful writer. The three of us were in agreement about just what I needed to do to get the best out of my manuscript, and I think I’ve gone some way to achieving the results we were all hoping for.

Yesterday, eight weeks after beginning, I finished those rewrites. 

The second draft is done. Now, it only remains for me to read it, and pack it off to my lovely agent, and to my wonderful critic, and then we can begin the process all over again.

Writing is a thrill, always. 

Who’d have thought that rewriting could be so rewarding? 

The well-behaved novelist gone bad – Emma Purshouse

Emma Purshouse

Anybody who has read my previous two posts will know that I’m blogging about the progress of my novel since being shortlisted for the Mslexia unpublished novel prize.  But what I’ve also started doing is using my blog as a tool to chivvy myself along, and highlight things that might need addressing.

Since my last post on this site, which was partly about procrastination, I have done two pro-active things relating to my first novel….

I’ve mentioned previously that I’d sent an extract of Scratters and the regulation synopsis to a small publishing house.  I also mentioned that it had been over a year ago when I did this (a year and four months actually – but who’s counting?)  Another writer responded to my post via a facebook message, to suggest that I should drop the company a polite email, so I did!  I mentioned in the title of the polite email that the novel I had sent in to them had now been shortlisted for the Mslexia unpublished novel prize 2012.  It felt rather good to be able to say something positive about my work.  “Have I heard anything?” I hear you cry.  Nope!  Not a sausage.

The second pro-active thing was that a few weeks ago I sent an extract of my novel off to another publisher who has already agreed to look at it and is expecting a submission from me.  Well, no, I haven’t heard anything from that either but in the big scheme of responses it’s very early days.

So my novel is currently out with two publishers as I type…Yes, I’ve broken the rule   of no multiple submissions that I was mithering about in my first ever post.  OK, so it’s not really multiple is it?  It’s only two submissions, but it’s a start.  I might even send it to a third publisher, if I can find one that takes unsolicited manuscripts.

The long haul of writing a novel by Catherine Simpson

Catherine Simpson

I’ve started writing my second novel. I’ve been planning it on and off for six months and I’ve used three of my precious mentoring sessions on my MA course to help me through the preparation stage. I’ve thought about who must tell the story, what the story is really about, and the language I need for the different voices in the book. I’ve drawn mind maps and diagrams and written character sketches and monologues and considered how it all fits into a five-act structure. I’ve plotted individual character story arcs.  I’ve carried out research (although not too much – I’m planning on making most of this stuff up) and considered where my book would sit in a book shop.

And now I’ve started writing it.

By 10^th August I need the first 20,000 words of the novel, as polished as I can get them, to hand in as my MA Major Project. That’s twelve weeks away. 

For the past fortnight I’ve been aiming to write 1,000 words a day. I have nearly managed it – I now have 13,000 words down. By 10^th August I would really like to have the entire novel drafted. Is that mad? It could be a bit mad – but it’s also theoretically possible.

I need pressure. Last year I drafted my first novel especially for the Mslexia Novel Competition. I was meandering along at 500 words a day until I realised I needed to step on it or I wouldn’t make the deadline. I upped it to 1,000 words a day. The book eventually came in at 86,000 words, with a week or two to spare. 

One of the down sides was that I spent weeks sitting still. To stop that happening this time I’ve joined the gym and I’m going for 45 minutes a day on the way back from the school run. 

But every day the 1,000 words are torture to write. Sometimes I draft them long hand, sometimes I go straight to the screen, sometimes it takes me an hour, and sometimes it takes me five hours. 

I feel good at the end of the 1,000 words but terrible at the beginning. So there’s no point in prolonging the agony. It’s a long haul and the sooner I get to the other end of it the better.

Novelty in Schools by Kate Fox

Kate Fox

“I want to marry a nice wealthy man who will protect me”.

A line written by a thirteen year old girl in a performance poetry workshop I was running. Unable to stifle my dismay, my usual “Accept everything they say so they won’t be afraid to write” mantra went out of the window and I exclaimed “Couldn’t you make your own wealth?!”. She put her hand up a bit later and said “I’ve taken the word “Wealthy” out of the line”. “Good” I harrumphed, but moved on to a boy who wanted me to read his poem about enjoying going into battle and didn’t get to have a more useful conversation.

The moments of insight that a poem provokes are echoed by surreal, moving and downright weird moments of insight that come from working on poems in a classroom. I’ll never forget the lad who wrote; “I wish I could die every morning at school and then come back to life at the end of the day”. I haven’t yet found a way to bring the slower process of being a novelist into any of my work in schools. It’s still a new thing for me anyway- I’m an established performance poet but an unpublished first time novelist. I can’t help being curious about whether there’s a way to do it.

There are generally more poets than novelists doing hands on workshops with kids. Children’s novelists are more likely to go and do readings and question and answer sessions but for economic and practical reasons, it tends to be the poets who are involved in longer projects and getting children to work towards anthologies and shows. 

I remember the recent case of a teacher in Hebden Bridge engaging some hard to reach boys by writing a novel with them. She was sacked amid much kerfuffle over “Inappropriate” language and writing;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2011/nov/04/teacher-employment-tribunal-victory

I wonder if there are more risks involved in working on novels than in parachuting in with poems and being able to dip out again? Plus, of course, it’s easier to give an idea of a poet’s process in a single classroom session than that of a novelist. Perhaps a true picture would involve inviting a class to come and watch a writer at work in their office for a morning, and follow them from kettle to biscuit jar to Twitter and back. 

Novels seem to be about mess and pruning unrestricted growth, weaving several strands together and being able to hold contradictory ideas without tipping over. They’re to do with patience and persistence, multiple voices and getting to the nub of prejudices and beliefs. All things I would love to get the chance to work on with children. Maybe in writing a classroom novel, we’d have had more time to interrogate a happy ending that involved “Getting married to a nice wealthy man who’ll protect me”. Hopefully I wouldn’t get the sack in the process.

More Competitions by Rebecca Alexander

Rebecca Alexander

I was wondering if anyone else was going to have a go at the other Mslexia competitions for the rest of the year? I’m not a short story writer, so I didn’t try the short story competition, but the poetry deadline is coming up, and I know there are several poets out there. 

I have had poetry published, but I’ve never put a pamphlet together before, so I’m trying to fit a little poetry in between edits and rewrites. One of my weak points is titles:  books, poems and the collection. I’m also finding the process of arranging the poems almost as difficult as editing them. They broadly tell of the relationship of three sisters. I am the middle one, the other two have both died. Poetry is so much harder work than fiction!

I’m also wondering whether to have a go at the children’s book competition. I wrote most of a kids’ book for my MA, and although it has a huge problem—the main character is less visible than the smaller characters around her—it could be rewritten, if I had time. My youngest child has been involved from the outset and is pushing me to finish it, but this year is already one third gone, and the summer will be busy. 

So, I was wondering if anyone else is entering one of the above competitions, would they be interested in sharing the process and swapping work for critiquing? As my writing has improved, I’ve left some of my beta readers behind, and I find a critical eye over a poem will pull out the weak word or awkward phrase much better than I could. I realise we could be seen as competitors, but this group feels more like a collaborative team. If anyone is interested, feel free to email me. And of course, if anyone is entering any competitions, the very best of luck!   

Poetry competition and pamphlet competition: 18 June

Children’s novel competition: 10 September