Hi All,

Sorry for the lack of posts in July – I was in West Cork. Writing (well editing and rewriting to be strictly accurate), talking at the West Cork Literary Festival and having a much needed holiday.

But I’m back now and raring to go. I had no broadband for a whole month – imagine!

I’ll try to post some writerly things this month – as I keep getting great feedback about the editing post I wrote weeks ago now. There are obviously a lot of you writing bods out there and do email me with any questions/suggestions for writerly topics I could cover that might help you. Email is sarah@sarahwebb.ie
Don’t post here at the moment – I have 234 unread messages (mostly spam!).

I’m editing again this week – yes, back having another go at The Loving Kind, the adult novel for early next year. I was very, very lucky to get 3 different editorial opinions – from my 2 editors at Pan Mac and also my lovely new agent, Peta.

I have 2 agents now – Philippa who deals with the children’s side of things, and Peta who deals with the books for big people. The agency is called LAW, Lucas Alexander Whitley, they are based in London, and so far they have been fab to deal with – very professional, friendly and helpful.

Here are some of the changes I made after the collective input:

1/ I made the main character Libby younger – 27 instead of 33. I also removed her children and husband and gave her a fiancé instead.
The book has quite a ‘young’ feel and I think making her 27 made it fresher. She is now less ‘down-trodden middle aged Mum’ (as one of editors put it) and I’ve made her more edgy and fun.

2/ I toned down the plastic surgery scenes – I think I was over using all the info I’d discovered doing research and it was starting to read like a medical textbook!

3/ I gave Celeste (Libby’s best friend) more backstory to make her a meatier character.

4/ I tweaked the hero, Leo. One editor found him ‘spineless and meek’ at times. Not good qualities for a leading man you’ll agree!

5/ I got rid of a character called Gina who wasn’t strictly necessary to the story. I added Libby’s parents to the mix instead, a overbearing mother and a sweet dad.

6/ I made Libby more attractive and increasingly confident as the book progresses. To link in with her personal journey from put upon fiancée, to stand alone woman of the world.

As you can see, editorial notes can be pretty direct. But this is book no 9 and I like strong, honest feedback. I’m sure editors tailor their notes to suit the particular author.

My editors at Walker do something wonderful – they mark passages or phrases they particularly like with a little tick. Which a/ makes me smile and b/ makes me realise which bits really work.

It’s all a learning process. One day I’ll get there. But one thing I have learned is the more time invested in editing and rewriting – on both the publishers and the writers’ sides, the better a book will be. Editors don’t waste time on books they don’t think much of. If you get a lot of editorial feedback, it means they really like the book and want to make it the best it can possibly be.

I am presently going through The Loving Kind manuscript for the third time after rewriting it with the help of my editorial notes. I hope to send it to my editors by Friday. Fingers crossed. Then it will come back to me with copy edit notes and then finally (all being well!), final proof pages – the very last stage in the editing process.

If you’re not lucky enough to have an editor yet – feedback from a reader with a good eye who reads a lot in your genre (don’t give popular fiction to any old reader – it deserves someone who ‘gets’ the genre) is also valuable.

Finally:

Found an interesting writing book on Amazon recently called Write From the Heart by Hal Bennett. Some good stuff inside. I particularly like this quote:

If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don’t write, because our culture has no use for it.
Anais Nin

Amen to that!

And if you enjoy a stonking good chick lit novel now and again – Love Letters by Katie Fforde is a cracker. Set in Ireland with the Alpha male hero to beat all – an Irish writer no less!

Until tomorrow my writing friends,

SarahX