Writers' Lodge 5: REFLECTIONS ON GENRE AND STAYING ON TRACK

More on genre, and what to do if you stray from your path...

In this Issue:

• Reflections on ISSUE 4: GENRE FICTION or WHAT SHOULD YOU WRITE?

• Staying on track

  • Getting in the helicopter

• Genre is a guide

• What happens if you stray?

  • Stay firm, stay flexible

• Over to you…

  • Planner or pantser?

  • How do you get in your helicopter?

  • A quick first draft? Or a clean one?

• Next time: Submitting to an agent

  • What does an agent do and do you need one?

  • How to find an agent

  • How to write a covering letter

  • More on synopses

  • What to expect…

  • Plus an exclusive Q&A with agent Clare Conville

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Reflections on the last issue

How did everyone find the last issue? Did you spend a bit of time thinking about genre, and what it is that you’re writing? If so, were there any surprises?

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Staying on track

Getting in the helicopter

When writing a long project like a novel, it’s important to occasionally stand back and look at the bigger picture. Or, to use a different metaphor, we need to be able to stop worrying about the trees every now and again and instead get in the helicopter to look at the whole wood. Is it what we thought it was? Does it have the shape we want, when looked at as a whole?