Yesterday I met with a new friend; a fellow aspiring author and a successful book reviewer and blogger – ALittleBookProblem
It was a true honour to meet someone I’ve been chatting to for a few months now – an avid reader with a book obsession and a to-be-read pile even larger than my own! She will, and already has been, a huge resource of great advice on my writing journey, because she is on one of her own π―ββοΈ
We spent an hour in and around this beautifully welcoming barge called Word-on-the-Water and TimeOut have written this article about them.
We enjoyed a coffee in the sun and listened to some lovely lazy tunes while we chatted about books and writing… and life.
We both love a good story and thankfully so does the publishing world and the agents who work within it. We meandered our way down to The Strand to attend a talk organised by the Society of Women Writers & Journalists … an organisation I admit I’d not heard about yet had been set up in 1894. The Society’s aim were and are to encourage and celebrate women writers and is still going strong today ππΌ
I shall join the SWWJ now as a ‘friend’ as they shall be organising further talks by authors and other literary experts which will be rather apt.
Certainly we found last night’s meeting very much worth the travel. We got to meet Penny Holroyde, an agent with many years experience in the publishing world, and were treated to insightful tips for our submission process should we choose to opt for the traditional route of getting your story into print, and probably the main message I’ve come away with is that I shall need broad shoulders and a thick skin to prepare myself for the probable rejections from agents who won’t know who the hell I am. (So pleased I did that self-esteem course last year! ππΌ)
Matsu is never far from my thoughts. I’m keeping the bonsais watered and pruned and their table top tidy. It feels wrong if a magazine is left there, so my focus is engaged.
I am actually now really excited about getting more of this manuscript down.. I’m back up to 15,000 words having cut much of the dark stuff but filtered some back, re-written so as not to overtly offend anyone alive!
I love bookshops like that. Would be so great to visit. The Alan Rickman quote is perfect. Good luck with your manuscript!
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How kind .. thank you so much ππΌπ€
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A joy to join you and your friend on Word on the Water – I’ll have to check it out next time in London – just my kind of bookshop!! Idyllic. The Alan Rickman quote is great and a new one to me. Hmm…yes, a thick skin seems to be the order of the day. I met an agent giving a talk recently and she was so kind and warm. A professional approach and research before approaching them seemed to be vital – she said they still get Dear Sir letters addressed to them, and then about a book on a subject they would never consider. Good luck with your novel and hope it is going well! π
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What a delight to meet you .. thank you for taking such time to chat πΈ
Your meeting sounds much like ours .. agents are real people who like to be treated as so and a personal reference within the submission letter will be warmly received I suspect.
Thank you for your kind wishes – I must have felt them as Iβve just spent two hours going through each chapter with good old Find and Replace as I needed to change two characterβs names, or all five characters had names beginning with M!!! How had I not noticed that before? πππ
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That is so typical! π I had to do the same but then realised I had used shortening for some names and they were still in place! So much to remember … good luck and enjoy your writing!
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Many thanks .. and you πΈπ€
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Such a wonderful testimony! Happy it was a wonderful time!
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Thank you for sharing.
(Loved the barge)
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Isnβt it fabulous?
Iβm so going back .. just to sit and absorb the vibe again πΈ
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Where is it located exactly?
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We turned left out of KC and walked alongside the station building… canβt recall the road name. Eventually you cross over what must be a tributary of the Thames and you can see the barge right there on the left … then you access it via the towpath ππΌ
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I tink I know where that is, near Granary Square? Duly noted for my next London trip. (2020 maybe?) Cheers.
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York Way is the name of the road ππΌ
Itβs a canal by the looks of things on the map π
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Loved this post! Also….loved Alan Rickman! So sad that he is gone! π
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I know .. wasnβt he such an amazing actor ππΌ
Did you ever see βTruly, Madly, Deeplyβ ?? With Juliet Stephenson. Stunning film
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Haven’t seen “Truly, Madly, Deeply” , but will check it out. Thanks! π
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Oh youβll love it Patty. Have a tissue handy πΈπ€
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Reblogged this on A Little Book Problem and commented:
A great friend’s thoughts on a great day.
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It was so fabulous to finally meet you in person. What a great day we had! x
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Letβs repeat it soon!!
(Iβm still not hungry from that Covent Garden pizza ππΌπ€). x
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Good luck with your manuscript!
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Thank you Anne .. I appreciate that πΈ
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