From Idea to First Draft to Querying - Part 2
Today’s letter explores learning to write better, my recommended resources and the process of finding a literary agent (see Part 1). This is an 8-minute read.
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Hello and Salam alaykum friends 👋🏾,
I hope you’ve had a great week so far! I’m buzzing with excitement as I send this to you for a few reasons:
My YA novel, Never Enough, was shortlisted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize. You can come listen to me and the other shortlisted writers read excerpts of our books and answer some questions, on Tuesday 11th October at 7:30pm BST, at a free showcase event hosted by The Asian Writer and chaired by Rosie Dastgir.
The other reason I’m super pumped is *drum roll* I’ll be starting my Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford this week (today!). Aside from being a big nerd, I absolutely love learning, talking about craft, receiving feedback on my work as well as giving others feedback, going out of my comfort zone with my writing, and reading, which are all the things this Masters entails.
It’s part-time by default because they want it to mirror a writer’s life. So, basically a couple of days of intense input, discussions, seminars, and then we go away to work on our writing assignments. I can’t think of a better time than now to be doing this.
To touch on this briefly, you don’t need a Masters to get better at writing. But I think you (and your writing) will benefit greatly from learning about craft, reading other people’s work and obtaining (and giving) feedback. There are several avenues to learn about the various aspects of craft (plot, structure, voice, tone, point of view, setting, dialogue etc.), with lots of free resources out there.
When I started taking my writing seriously, I read several craft books including Fiction Writing for Dummies! The greatest benefit came from completing the exercises usually included in the books. Here are some of my personal favourites:
Writing Fiction by Gotham Writers Workshop: They also have several useful resources on their website.
The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne (this is extra level nerdery)
One of the best ways to learn how to write better is to read a lot. There have been moments where I’ve struggled with different elements of a scene and in times like these, I refer to any book I’ve read which tackles a similar problem well. Then I read the scene or chapter over and over again while analysing and dissecting how the author achieves what I’m struggling with.
For example, in my adult novel, I needed to slow down the pace of a scene where the main character discovers something horrible. I needed to make the moment last longer, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it. Then, I remembered in the pace chapter of the Gotham Workshop book, a scene from Toni Morrison’s Sula was cited as a great example for slowing pace.
Having read Sula, I returned to that scene where a character walks in on her husband cheating on her with her supposed best friend. Although the scene lasts a couple of seconds, Toni Morrison makes us feel as though the moment is going on forever as she takes us through every emotion, internal reaction and sensation, the character experiences the moment she catches them in the act. It was just the example I needed to get past my stumbling block!
In addition to reading, writing as frequently as is feasible for you and sharing your work with other writers is a great way to improve your craft, as well as to recognise your strengths and weaknesses in writing. When you know your strengths, you can lean into them more, while being aware of your weaknesses allow you to know what you need to focus on during editing and rewriting.
What I’m looking forward to the most about the Masters, besides the feedback, is that in the first year, you’re encouraged to explore genres you’ve never written in. There’s equal focus on prose fiction, poetry, dramatic writing and narrative non-fiction. I’m keen to try out poetry because it's the farthest out of my comfort zone (and I’m terrified of it), but I appreciate a poet’s ability to capture emotions in a unique manner, so it’s a skill I hope to learn.
I’ll keep you posted on how the journey goes, and feel free to drop me a message if you have any questions about it!
🗳 How do you secure an agent?
In Part 1 of this discussion, I briefly touched on where you need to be before seeking out an agent, and listed a couple of resources on where to find agents. I'd also like to add that the book/publishing community is big on Twitter, and it’s also a great platform to find agents or find out more about agents already on your list.
Some agents are pretty active on Twitter and usually announce when they’re open for submissions, what they’re looking for and sometimes they share general advice on the querying process.
Right, onto querying an agent. Querying is basically the term for sending your work to an agent in an effort to obtain representation. A query package generally includes a query letter (AKA cover letter), the synopsis of your book and a couple of sample chapters of your books.
For sample chapters, it’s usually the first three chapters, but I’ve seen a range of other requests. The same goes for the synopsis; some agents may ask for one page while others ask for a specific word count. The safest thing to do is check the submission requirement of each agent/agency you’re planning to submit to and tailor your submission accordingly.
Before considering sending your work to agents, you need to ensure your sample chapters are in the absolute best possible shape you can get them to be. This is your one shot (for this particular book unless you do a big rewrite etc.), and you want your work to stand out in the submission pile seeing as some agents get up to 300 submissions on a daily basis. If your submission piques an agent’s interest, they usually request for a full manuscript. Of course, there are nuances to this.
So, edit and rewrite until you can do no more with it, send it to writer friends or simply any friend you have who’s an avid reader. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people online, people are usually open to being beta readers (sort of test readers of your book). Some writers/agents/editors are usually happy to give feedback, so keep an eye out on social media. There are also organisations like Black Girl Writers, who pair you with a mentor to look through your submission package.
Once I was satisfied with my submission package, I put together an agent query database. This included a list of about 45 agents I was hoping to query, the reason I thought they would be a good fit for me, and their submission guidelines. I also tracked the date I submitted a query to them, when they responded, whether they requested a full manuscript and if they were offering representation. I also had a traffic light system for rejection, awaiting response etc.
Before I began querying, I had the opportunity to speak to an agent who advised that I send out my submission in batches. The reason behind this is, if the first batch of agents come back with feedback that resonates, it allows you to work on your manuscript and make it even better before reaching out to other agents, increasing your chances of a response.
So I did about 4 rounds of submission in batches of 9-8-7-6. I sent out my manuscript to a total of 30 agents in the span of 3 months. I had 10 full requests, I didn’t hear back from 9 and the rest were rejections (including submissions which were never acknowledged). I actually didn't query the agent I’m currently signed with. Her colleague read the book and passed it on to her because they thought she’d be a better fit, and she is perfect! She was the one and only yes I needed.
In the coming weeks, I’ll go into detail about the synopsis and query letter. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the query process, feel free to drop me an email.
✍🏾 Writing Prompt
Today’s prompt may seem philosophical, but feel free to take your response to the realm of fiction
What would a world in which where you’re no longer able to write look like? What would you happen to you?
For a chance to get feedback on your writing or to be featured on our socials:
📚What I’m currently reading + have enjoyed
On Poetry by Glyn Maxwell: This is a collection of essays and reflections on poetry which I’m enjoying so far. I’m learning a lot about the craft and gaining insight on ways to approach poetry. I’ve also realised that there are poems I have to read more than once to really grasp, and that’s okay.
Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande: This book was published back in 1934, yet I find its content so relatable. The author discusses the problems writers face and offers practical advice on overcoming them. She talks a lot about the mindset of the writer, and I love her approach to dissecting it. I’ll certainly recommend giving this a read.
🎁 Giveaway
There’s still time to enter this month’s giveaway for a chance to win a copy of the Annemarie’s picture book, I am Nefertiti.
P.S. I’ll be doing more of these over time, particularly for craft books I’ve found beneficial, so watch this space!
And that’s it, folks! If you enjoyed reading this and found it beneficial, why not spread the word?
Wishing you a blessed and splendid weekend! I’ll be back in your inbox first Friday in October (7th) :)
Till next time,
Suad x