Rock Around the Block Returns!

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A while back I did a writing playlist - basically a list of tracks that helped my writer's block and got me in the creative mood. Some were upbeat, some were epic and inspirational, some just simply made me want to write. As music seems to be a big part of my writing routine, I've decided to make 'Rock Around the Block' a regular feature on the blog. (Warning: My taste in music is frequently uncool.)

Speaking of regular features, I've been pretty good at keeping up to date with Literary Style posts, but I completely forgot about Thoughts for a Thursday. It'll be making a comeback this week.

So, here's the latest
Writing Playlist

Dog Days are Over - Florence and the Machine 
This is my favourite song off their amazing album Lungs. I love the chorus so much.

Beast of Burden - The Rolling Stones

Every time I hear this song it makes me smile. I'm not really sure why!

Bright Side of the Road - Van Morrison
I dare you to listen to this and not feel happy.

Fearless- Taylor Swift
Whenever I'm in a bad mood this always makes me feel better. The Fearless album was on repeat in my car for at least three months.

Turn it Off - Paramore
I love anything by Paramore. I really like this song though, it's my second favourite from Brand New Eyes, after The Only Exception.

I Got Love - The King Blues
This song makes me smile too. I also really like the title of the album it comes from - Save the World, Get the Girl.

Wolves - Josh Ritter 
Josh Ritter is my absolute favourite artist. I cannot wait for his new album!

Do you listen to music while you write?  Any particular tracks that get you in the writing mood? I'd love to hear your suggestions.

Writers' and Artists' Blog

A while back I blogged about how fantastic the Children's Writers' and Artists' Yearbook is. Then recently I got a very exciting email. Claire, the publisher for Yearbooks at A&C Black, had come across the post and invited me to be a guest blogger on their blog! I was so thrilled!

I've been a fan of the Yearbook for so long. It really is the emerging writer's bible. I actually found it hard to sleep last night because I was so excited about guest blogging on their website. It's only a year since I was flicking through the yearbook's pages looking for publishers to submit to!

You can read the post here.

Edits, I Love You

Last week my manuscript arrived in the post with lots of notes written on it. We are at the final stages of the editing process now, so the notes (called 'edits') mainly involve changing words, making paragraphs flow better or removing sections. There are also some more complex changes but nothing like the intensity that was involved in the rewriting stages. I am loving this part. My editor Paddy is such a genius and I do think my book is looking quite good now!

I'm happy the rewrites are over, but there was one great thing about them - I was so busy I forgot to spend any money. So I thought a mini shopping spree was in order. I paid a visit to Chapters Bookstore.  If you live in Ireland or are planning to visit then you have to go to this bookshop. They have such a great selection of both new and secondhand books and often host interesting events and readings. I picked up The Perks of Being a Wallflower and found a real bargain - Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things for five euro. Having recently finished An Educataion, I thought I'd check out the film adaptation and really enjoyed it. And of course I had to pick up New Moon. The two disc special edition has lots of extras. While I'm writing I often play the same album over and over, and for the editing stage I've been listening to She and Him Volume 1. I think Zooey Deschanel is possibly the coolest woman on the planet.  I love their rendition of You Really Got A Hold On Me.

Oh and my boyfriend surprised me with this notebook at lunch one day (Hi John!). I think it's the best notebook ever. I'm not sure if I can bring myself to write in it!

How I Got Here (part two)

Here's part two (the final part) of my writing journey up to this point. If you missed part one you can read it here.

So the London agent had decided not to take me on. I sent off my first three chapters again the very next day, to an Irish publisher who accepts unsolicited submissions.  A few months later they requested the full manuscript. I heard that a lady from that publishing house was due to talk at an Inkwell 'Getting Published' workshop. Vanessa (organiser of Inkwell) suggested I come along and introduce myself to the publisher. I wore the nicest dress I own and tried to appear confident and easy to work with and not desperate.  I spoke to her for a few minutes - I can't really remember anything I said. I went home and prepared to do some more waiting. 

While out shopping one day I spotted the necklace in the above picture (from Accessorize). I figured I could use some luck so I bought it and kept it on. A few weeks passed and then I got a call from the publisher - offering me a book deal!

It is very tempting to want to sign the contract straight away, but at the Getting Published workshop I learned that I should take my time and seek professional advice.  I emailed a few fellow Irish writers (all of whom replied and were lovely!), asking them if they had any particular tips for me, based on their personal experience of contracts. Almost all of them said I should get an agent. Faith O'Grady came highly recommended, so I sent my book to her.  It is a little bit easier to get the attention of an agent if you already have an offer. Publishing is a bit crazy that way - It's difficult to get a publisher without an agent, but it's easier to get an agent if you already have an offer from a publisher. Faith liked my book and asked to meet me. I went up to her office in Dublin, we had a chat about my book and about the work she does and she agreed to represent me.  She then sent my book to several editors. A 'bidding war' (more like a small battle) followed and Puffin Ireland (my first choice!) bought my first two books. Since I signed my contract last year I've been busy rewriting and am almost completely finished my first book.


So, that's how I got here! I'm only starting out so I still have a long way to go. 

How I Got Here (part one)

a portion of my noticeboard 

As requested by some of you lovely readers, here's an account of my writing journey up to this point. It's long and rambling so I have divided it into parts!


Sometime in the Spring of 2007 I got an idea for a series of books. I couldn't stop thinking about this idea. I was interested to see how the story would turn out. I did love books, but I hadn't written any sort of fiction since primary school. My fourth class teacher Ms King* had encouraged my writing and said that she would be looking out for my book on the shelves in the years to come, so at age 20 when I got this idea, my nine-year-old self was saying go for it girl! I wrote the majority of the first draft of my book Angel Kiss in the summer of 2007. I turned down cinema outings and road trips and a high paying library summer job so that I could finish it.  There is something wonderful about being so naive about the writing process.  In that summer I knew nothing of submissions and rewrites and edits. I knew only of the excitement that comes with writing your very first first draft. During this time I went to a workshop on women's fiction run by Inkwell Writers. Sarah Webb was one of the writers speaking at it. I remember thinking I want to be her. (Not in a creepy way Sarah, just in case you happen to read this!). She was so pretty and talented and organised and cool and had awesome notebooks. So when I finished my first draft at the end of the summer I sent her an email thanking her for inspiring me and included the first few pages of my book. Her reply was so encouraging and she advised me to talk to Vanessa, founder of Inkwell, who would be able to advise me on how to get it ready for submission. Vanessa was also really encouraging and suggested I do some rewriting before I started submitting. I wrote a second and third draft, and posted my first submission in February 2008. 

'Submitting' involves sending the first 3 chapters (hence my blogs title!) to agents and publishers.  Along with the chapters you also send a cover letter telling them a little bit about yourself and your book. Each publisher/agent has their own submission requirements (which can usually be found on their website or in the trusty Writers' and Artists' Yearbook). A lot of publishers do not accept unsolicited manuscripts but some of them still do. My first rejection letter was a form letter which began with 'Dear Author'.  My second rejection letter was actually addressed to me and was much more encouraging. And then the third letter was from an agent asking  to see my full manuscript. I sent the full manuscript and they replied saying they loved it but would like me to make some changes to it and send it again. 'Some changes' actually meant a hell of a lot of rewriting. I had four months to make the changes. September went well, but by October I was back in college and struggling to find enough time. I decided to take time out from college and give 100 % attention to the book. (I was in second year of Drama and Film at Trinity College.) Some people might think this was crazy, but I am a terrible multi-tasker and impossible perfectionist (this does not mean I'm perfect at anything, this simply means I obsess over things an unhealthy amount!) I want to give 100 % to everything I do, and I knew I couldn't devote myself totally to writing if I was also trying to excel at college. Besides, writing was my dream and I had a chance to turn it into a career.  I am not a genius, I had to work really hard to get my writing up to the standard that it is now and for that I needed time. Lots and lots of time. 
So I devoted all my time to my book (occasionally taking little breaks to prevent madness) and did the required rewriting. I left college at the start of November and sent the completed manuscript to the agent in mid December.  I heard back in January 2009. The agent had decided not to take me on. Needless to say, I was completely devastated. But after much curling up in a ball crying, I decided to look at the bright side.  A major London agent had been interested enough to give me extensive edits notes and my book was now 10 times better than it had been before. I try to live by the 'everything happens for a reason' philosophy and I decided that particular agent just wasn't the right one for me. I was back to writing cover letters and sending out the first three chapters, but I wasn't going to give up...


Part 2 coming soon. 

*My main character Jacki King is named after her!

Dress Envy: Oscar Edition

        

Oscar Night

I am so delighted that The Hurt Locker won Best Director and Best Picture. And that Sandra Bullock won Best Actress. I thought her speech was very touching. I stay up to watch the Oscars every year and I just love when the people I want to win actually win! I was disturbed by the fact that nobody on the Sky Premiere panel knew who NPH was. And I thought that there could have been more of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. My favourite dress was Sandra Bullock's. I ate far too much pizza and crisps. I love Oscar night so much.

It is after 5 a.m. and will now get some sleep.

Bad Romance

image source: D Sharon Pruitt

People often ask me if I mind making changes to my book. I don't mind at all because the changes my editor suggests make perfect sense, and I love improving my writing. The hardest change I had to make was to develop my main character Jacki's romantic relationships.  There was a gorgeous guy that she really liked but he disappeared half way through the book and was hardly ever mentioned again. Naturally my editor was wondering what happened to him, so I had to do some rewriting. It should have been easy to progress the romantic aspects of the plot, but it took me a good three weeks to really get into it.

Looking back, I think I may have subconsciously written it this way because I didn't want Jacki to repeat my mistakes. I feel protective of her, even though she is just an imaginary character. I think the fact that I had a not so great first serious relationship as a teen had spilled over into my writing. I wanted to steer Jacki away, to have her concentrate on her friends and her family and her education and her career, and to not become consumed in a relationship that would have a negative impact on any of those areas.  But then I realised that I shouldn't deny Jacki things just because of my negative experiences, and that the hurtful events you go through in your life shape you as a person. I spent years wishing I could rewind time and walk away from that relationship in the very early stages, but if I had then I might not be where I am now. And right now I am the happiest I have ever been, so I do think that everything happens for a reason.

World Book Day!

Today is World Book Day. Such a good excuse to do nothing this evening except curl up with a good book. In a few moments I am going to see my friend's exhibition in Cork (she's a sculptor), so I will be reading on the train. Hope you all enjoy the day.

An Education

I'm reading An Education (Lynn Barber's memoir), and am really enjoying it. Last night I came across this line and smiled.

'I felt, as Julie Burchill memorably remarked, that when I discovered writing it was as if I'd been speaking a second language up till then and had finally found my mother tongue.'

I love when I read something that I can really relate to, something that I have felt but could never quite put into words. It's magical.

Don't you think so?