I’ve wanted to be a children’s author ever since I was seven. For me, Narnia was where it all started. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe captured my heart and my imagination – and I spent far too much time in wardrobes as a child as a result. I never found a portal to another land, so I started creating my own fantasy worlds instead – and I’ve been writing ever since.
1. Show up consistently
If your goal is to be published you need to take your writing seriously, and that means treating it like a job – showing up and putting the work in – even when you don’t feel like it or you’re tired and you’d much rather be lounging in front of the TV watching the latest episode of your favourite show with your partner. There’s no shortcut to writing a novel: you simply have to sit down and write until you’ve got the first draft done – and then the editing begins!
2. Keep the story alive in your mind
A lot of advice for writers is to write every day, but that’s never really worked for me, despite my best intentions. I write as often as I can, but what’s really important for me is to make sure I connect with my work in progress in some way, most days. This helps me keep the story alive (both in my active thoughts and my subconscious). It could be reading through or editing what I last wrote, making notes or doing some exploratory freewriting, research, or something else connected to the book which inspires me – even making a playlist for a particular character counts!
3. Find a method of planning that works for you
We’ve all heard about authors who don’t plan anything and just sit down, write and produce tightly-plotted thrillers. But for most of us, planning is vital – otherwise it’s easy to run out of steam once you hit the 30,000 word mark or discover you’ve written yourself into a corner.
When I begin a new project, I start by gathering all my ideas together (often on lots of Post-It notes), then I order them into plot points and write a blurb. Next, I move on to write a synopsis based around a five-act structure, which helps me see the shape of the story and figure out if there’s anything missing. And from there, I break it down into a loose chapter plan in an Excel spreadsheet with different columns for word count, themes, main character arcs, etc. There are lots of different ways to plan a novel, but there’s no ‘right’ way – only the way that works best for you.
4. Set your intentions – and avoid the temptation to fiddle
This is a recent tip I picked up from Emma Darwin’s Substack (which if you don’t subscribe to, I’d highly recommend!). Now I’m working to a deadline for my next book, it’s even more important that I make the most of my writing time. It’s so easy to sit down and fall into the tinkering trap rather than getting the words down on the page and actually finishing a novel. To avoid the temptation to fiddle with your manuscript, Emma suggests setting an intention for each writing session – essentially, decide on what you’re going to work on before you sit down to write – and stick to it.
5. Get to grips with editing
For me, editing is one of the most enjoyable elements to writing a novel. It’s much more than just polishing your prose: spending time on developmental/structural editing is vital to make sure your novel works at a deeper level: getting the plot and pace right, drawing out the central themes, and developing your character arcs to enhance your story’s emotional impact. I learned so much from the Edit Your Novel the Professional Way course, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who’s finished writing their first draft.
6. Feed your creativity
This one is so important! When you’ve got limited time to write, there’s often a lot of internal pressure to get as many words down as possible. But sometimes having time away from your novel, doing something which inspires you or contributes to your wellbeing can be just as important as upping your word count.
In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron explores her idea of the ‘artist date’ – a solo trip to explore something that interests you. For me, time out in nature is always restorative, and often helps me work through tricky plot problems or come up with new ideas. But I also love exploring different places and the opportunity to check out a new exhibition. Reading and watching films also falls into this category for me, especially if it’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a while.
7. Enter competitions
Competitions can be a great opportunity to get your work noticed by agents and publishers. Being longlisted or shortlisted in a competition can be a real confidence boost – a sign you’re on the right track – and it’s also something that can make your submission letter stand out when you submit to agents. I signed with my agent, Amber Caravéo at Skylark Literary, after being chosen as one of the winners in their annual competition. And having a deadline to work towards to get something finished or polished ready to submit can be a great motivator!
8. Find your writing tribe
Whether online or IRL, you need people around you who will lift you up, share knowledge and celebrate each other’s successes. I have writing friends I met on online courses several years ago I’m still in touch with.
I’m also part of a fantastic debut authors Whatsapp group, and it’s wonderful to connect with a group of people who are at a similar stage of the journey. Everyone’s brilliant at shouting about each other’s successes, sharing experiences and giving advice on everything from the best type of pen to use for book signings (Sharpies!) to what to expect from a school visit.
9. Get to know the industry
Aside from spending time developing your craft, one of the best things you can do to increase your chances is to learn as much as you can about the industry. Join author Q&As, go to literary festivals (online or in person), speak to booksellers and librarians – and above all, READ!
Read as many recently published books in the genre or for the age-range you’re writing for and make sure you understand the conventions of writing for that audience. What stands out about those books? Make a note of anything that particularly strikes you. The market changes fast – for instance, agents and publishers are now asking for a much lower word count for middle grade and YA books than they were a few years ago.
10. Self-belief
This is one of the most powerful things in the writer’s toolbox! Getting a novel finished is hard – so if you’ve got to the end of a first draft that’s a huge milestone, and a moment that’s worth celebrating. The same is true of getting long or short-listed, or getting a positive response from an agent – even if it’s not quite a ‘yes’.
I first started working on the novel that would become Crow: Thief of Magic several years ago, as part of my MA. The characters and the setting never left me, and I always hoped that one day, I’d be able to introduce them to readers – so I’m delighted that this story is going to be my debut!
