Aye aye fit like

If it wasn’t for the bitter wind and Baltic cold, Torry headland reminds me of Devon. Aberdeen beach is something to behold along with the view of supply ships and rigs.

You are to be commended, you’re putting the work in, steadily building profile and a head of steam.

I’m behind you, trying to do the same. I won a place on the sting…

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Ah, I look forward Alison to be a listener next year as you make it to being one of the finalist.

There simply isn’t enough working class voices telling working class stories published today.

More power to you.

Congratulations Iain – a longlist place is only a slice of luck difference between being in the final 8 or not.

Next year… and yes, plot is important, but so too is tone, voice, pace, subject matter and appeal.

As the American agent said about mine, drop the first page and start with the second, different people including agents want different…

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Lol Carolyn I’d be happy to be paid a single pound to see it on the bookshelves.

Good luck with your writing.

Emma – your vote could have made all the difference. Oh, I’m in despair.

Sorry – couldn’t resist.

Thank you for your cheering me on and support… picking up a copy in a bookshop, isn’t that a dream we all share.

Good luck with your writing.

Thank you cds cds – I too look forward to the day I can pick up a copy in a bookshop!

Good luck with your writing.

Thanks Steve. It helps that I am very experienced in public speaking.

The one tip I’d give – not that anyone has asked – is address the camera, not the side of the screen or wherever you have your reading. Set things up so you stare down the lense, people then feel you are speaking directly to them. A simple trick but it works and then speak up…

I…

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Stephanie and you had me as soon as I recognized an Aberdonian tone to your work. My two daughters are quines, although we moved away since then. I had a very happy decade in the Granite City and have an Irvine Welsh night out story to share from there … on another time.

I won Book Edit Prize this year and see your success there last year. I sure…

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Morning Steve

I just popped into here this morning to leave a note to say thank you to everyone who came along last night to the First 500 finalists night and participated by voting and leaving such encouraging comments. I saw your post and thought I’ll add to the discussion.

I loved the diversity of the finalist, Spooky Bitch was my favourite and…

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Good question Karen.

I often have different feedback from different readers and not all seem to agree on punctuation and grammar. I didn’t have the education for it and find the AI tools that help equally confusing but, sometimes, the way I want the words to be read don’t ring true when all those commas are played with.

I think I’m doing something…

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I have asked this also over the years and got various responses. I look out for in published books and see how they vary.

The thing I have settled upon is which style you adopt be consistent in following this as a rule across the entire work. So, if it is Sir or sir, as long as you present the term the same way it works fine. Agents and publishers…

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Hi Laura (again)

Cheers for that. My novel covers the last sixty years, Garp is good for my novels tone but Sopranos meets Anne Griffins “When all is said,” is what I keep coming back to. I’m going to go with that and see how it lands.

Thanks Patricia, interesting to hear.

Over the weekend I have looked at some books on my bookshelf and think novels like Garp by John Irving, A Gentlemen in Moscow and When All is Said are decent comparative novels for mine. I think there is a session on comparative novels this week, I am doing this and if I can ask this question I will.

For me,…

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Thanks Libby, pretty much as I thought but useful to check.

Sure there must be novels that are not coming of age but looking back on a life, When All is Said, by Anne Griffin is one, The World According to Garp, is something I have in mind but that is chronologically told.

Any other recent examples?

Hi folks, I’m writing a fictional memoir about a man retiring and looking back on his life and career as a successful drug dealer and father. Its as much about family and moral choices made rather than crime altough criminal tensions obviously feature.

Two questions for the hive mind.

Is fictional memoir a genre? Or do i have to call it literary f…

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Thanks Laure,

Lol, so not new adult in the sense of late teens/ early twenties who are my target readers.

Interesting suggestion by you. Forgive me, the voice is strong and appropriate according to feedback. The tone is mischievous and works well with the voice. That’s not what they say to me.

The problem seems to be things like the online gaming i…

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My novel was unsuccessful with adult agents who found it too YA but was equally unsuccessful with YA agents who found it too adult.

The characters are 14 to 25 and would in America be New Adult but I’m struggling to find a UK. Agent that seeks that genre.

Any suggestions?