As part of the Indigo’s Dragon Blog Tour, I have author Sofi Croft on the blog to give us some writing advice.
1. Write every day
One hundred words or one thousand, fifteen minutes or five hours, if you write every day you will make progress, you will improve, and you will complete your project. Even when you are fed up with your work and not sure where to go next, write. The only way to get out of a writing slump is to write your way out.
Saying that, of course it is important not to let writing take over your life. Creative reserves are boosted by a healthy body, time outdoors, music, art, reading, life experiences and personal adventures, so make sure you live your life to the full too!
2. Don’t rush
Take your time, enjoy the writing process, and make your book the best it can be. When you think your story is ready to submit, wait another couple of weeks then read it again. Odds are you will find something to change and improve it.
3. Choose who you submit to carefully
The aim is not just to be published, but to find the right publisher for you. Think carefully about what you want. Do you want an agent? Do you want to land a deal with one of the big publishing houses? Will you be happy with a small independent publisher?
Do your research. Use the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook and company websites to help you choose a small number (maybe three to five) agents and/or publishers who you genuinely feel would be right for you and your work. Make sure you submit following their submission guidelines.
4. Start another project during the wait
The wait will most likely be long. Distract yourself or you will waste hours clicking refresh on your email. My advice would be to start a brand new project to fill your time. Your writing will improve with every book you write, so you might well produce something even more awesome during the wait.
My second book was almost entirely written during the wait. When I received the e-mail from Accent offering me a contract I was so wrapped up in my second project I had almost forgotten about the submissions and rejections process going on with my first book.
5. Don’t stress over rejections
I firmly believe a large part of finding an agent or publisher is about your manuscript landing on the right desk at the right time. When rejections arrive, take them in your stride. It is an inevitable part of the submissions process. Just look at your work again, see if you can improve it, choose a few more suitable candidates, and send your work out for round two. Nurture determination, perseverance and patience. These qualities will help you survive not only the submissions process, but all aspects of writing and publishing.
Indigo’s Dragon (Indigo’s Dragon #1) by Sofi Croft is a children’s fantasy novel full of adventure, mystery, monsters and dragons.
It will be published on 23rd June by Accent YA
You can find out more about Sofi and her books on her website www.soficroft.com
Also check out all the blog tour participants below.
Brilliant advice, Sofi. Thank you for reminding everyone that careers can't be hurried and every book has it's own "right time".
ReplyDeleteGreat advice. Really helped a lot and what a great looking book. Off to check it out x
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