Lucy A. McLaren

Writing a novel can feel a bit like clutching at straws or… grasping at clouds? (Look, I had to make the picture relevant somehow).

Following on from my last blog post about finding a publisher as a debut author, I wanted to link some of the resources I found helpful whilst I was on my querying/submission journey when I felt a little bit like I was fumbling my way through a vast forest of possibilities and options and things I “should” be doing.

Writing Exercises

So you have your novel drafted but perhaps want to take a step back and learn more about the writing process; maybe you’re wondering how to fix a plot hole or make your characters more rounded, maybe you just want some time away from that manuscript and need something to distract you.

I found the following resources very useful as a way of getting ideas flowing, upping my skill as a writer, trying new exercises, and looking at my work from a new angle:

• Brandon Sanderson’s Writing Lectures are brilliant and incredibly insightful. He’s made the entire class available on his YouTube channel, ranging from exploration of plot, character, setting, worldbuilding to querying and publication, including a look at indie publishing.
• Shaelin Writes – YouTube. Shaelin has a number of fantastic advice videos for authors on her YouTube channel, ranging from creating complex characters to tips for short story writing.
• Ellen Brock has a number of amazing videos on her YouTube channel. She looks at topics from the perspective of a professional editor which can create a lot of clarity, including how to self-edit your book and how to plot your novel quickly.
• Jaime Dill is a professional editor at Polish and Pitch whose knowledge about the world of writing is just awesome. I was lucky enough to take part in the Polish and Pitch workshop at the beginning of this year and got fantastic feedback from her which really boosted my self-esteem. If you get the chance to work with Jaime, you won’t be disappointed. Her YouTube channel has a few videos with various pieces of writing advice, such as an examination of “show don’t tell” as well as aspects of editing.
• For writers of children’s books (YA or younger), check out Write Mentor. They have a range of resources available, including online courses, a blog and a mentoring programme.
• Indie author Jenna Moreci gives great writing advice on her YouTube channel. There are a range of videos to choose from depending on what you’re interested in, from examining tropes to formatting your book.
• Alexa Donne is a YA author who also has a YouTube channel that has many aspects of writing advice, including querying agents and looking at the pros and cons of traditional/indie/self-publishing.
• Meg LaTorre gives great advice on her iWriterly YouTube channel, ranging from publishing and marketing to discussing tropes or mistakes newbie writers make.

These are just some of many available resources that I found useful for improving my writing. Utilise Twitter’s #WritingCommunity and #WritersCafe hashtags too, where you’ll find links to blogs and advice from fellow authors.

Writing Competitions

Okay, so I know entering competitions won’t necessarily give you that immediate feedback you’re looking for but I do think they are still a useful tool in the writing journey. Though entering a competition might feel a little like throwing your manuscript into a vast ocean (see what I did there? These photos totally fit), it’s so worthwhile if you do make it onto a long- or short-list and can act as a real confidence-boost.

There are a whole load of competitions out there, including novel, short story, poetry and flash fiction, so I’d encourage doing your own research. These are just a few I’ve entered over the past couple of years. Some provided feedback and some didn’t – check their T’s & C’s to see which you might like to try.

• Grindstone Literary have a range of competitions available, from short story to novel prizes. You can select the option to receive feedback for your entry. I’ve done this for both my full-length novel and some of my short stories and found their feedback quite helpful.
• Retreat West also have a range of competitions available. They have a quarterly flash prize with a one-word prompt which may entice you to try your hand at shorter pieces.
• Bath Novel Award entries have closed for this year but one to keep an eye on for the future.
• For writers of children’s books (YA and younger), Chicken House Novel Award is closed for this year but watch for next year.
• SFWP Literary Award is closed for this year but reopens 2021, so keep your eyes open for the schedule. They are open to fiction and non-fiction in any genre.
• MsLexia is a women’s literary publication that has competitions for YA novels, short stories, flash and memoir. They are closed for this year but keep your eye on their website for future competition dates.

Pitching/Mentoring

Pitching is a useful exercise to enable you to succinctly describe your novel in a handful of sentences (or just one sentence, sometimes!). This will come in handy when you find an agent/publisher because it could be used as a selling/marketing tool. It can be challenging at first but keep practicing and honing and you’ll soon get there!

Pitching contests tend to happen at set times of the year, so it’s worse sticking the dates in your diary to ensure you don’t miss any.

• Pitch Wars holds #PitMad Twitter events on a few dates over the year (check their schedule) and then a mentoring programme which opens for submissions on 27th September 2020. If you have a completed manuscript and would like the chance to be chosen by an experienced mentor to guide you through to submission, ENTER. This is a valuable opportunity and you may get feedback even if you aren’t chosen as a mentee.
• DVpit is a Twitter pitching event (check their schedule for dates) for marginalised authors whose voices are historically underrepresented in publishing.
• SFFpit is for writers of Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Again, check their schedule for dates.
• RevPit is another pitching/mentoring opportunity. Applications have finished for this year but well worth looking at for next year.
• Author Mentor Match provides the opportunity to submit your manuscript to one of a many authors. Their next round is in Spring 2021.

I’ll keep this page updated with any further resources I discover, but I hope this has been useful in providing at least some different tools to help you along your writing journey!

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