Before I had a garden, I remember how desperately and urgently I craved success. I remember staying up all night, writing as fast as I could, or agonizing over the same few paragraphs. I would do anything to get published. And all of that was profoundly unhelpful. What I needed to do was leave the computer and try growing something other than ideas. When I finally did, this is what I learned:
Column by Helen Sedgwick, author of THE COMET SEEKERS
(Oct. 11, 2016, Harper). She holds an MLitt in Creative Writing from
Glasgow University, she has won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers
Award, and her writing has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and widely
published in magazines and anthologies. Before writing her debut novel
she was a research physicist, with a PhD in Physics from Edinburgh
University. She lives in the Scottish highlands with her partner, photographer
Michael Gallagher. Follow her on Twitter.
1) Have patience.
(Agents define their “ideal client” — hear what they have to say.)
If you rush to submit a story too early, it won’t be satisfying for the reader. Trying to force writing to happen faster than it naturally does is as futile as trying to force a tomato to ripen by giving it a deadline. There is something beautiful about slowing down and taking the time. Gardening taught me that the right words come at their own pace.
2) Give it space.
Plants don’t like to be smothered, and neither does writing. Both require space around them. Plants need sunlight, and writing doesn’t work if it’s too cluttered; overwriting a story can destroy it. Learning to give my writing—and my mind—more space helped me write my novel. So step back from time to time, clear away the adjective weeds, and let the light in.
3) Move it if you need to.
Sometimes, a plant just doesn’t thrive. It doesn’t produce fruit, or it’s leaves look sickly, or it won’t grow. When that happens, you need to dig it up and move it somewhere new, where there will be a different character of light or soil. But sometimes more drastic action is required. When a plant fails, it is time to get rid of it and start over.
Hook agents, editors and readers immediately.
Check out Les Edgerton’s guide, HOOKED, to
learn about how your fiction can pull readers in.
4) Know when it’s ready.
Just as picking fruit too early is pointless, leaving it to over-ripen can be disastrous. I once harvested pak choi a fortnight late, and instead of tender crispy stalks I had tough, flavourless fibres. With writing, it’s important to know when to stop tinkering, when a story is finished. Everyone you speak to will have different opinions and suggestions for your work, but at some point you have to say: enough.
5) Don’t expect it to be sweet.
(How to be an agent’s dream client.)
Then it happened, I got a book deal. It was what I’d been dreaming of for a decade. It was wonderful. But it was also nerve-wracking and exposing, and not at all what I thought it would be. I remember the first time I ate rhubarb as a child: it smelled so rich, and it looked luxurious—such vibrant reds swirling though golden custard. I expected sweetness, but I tasted the sharp tang of perfectly tart rhubarb. Because, with gardening and with writing, not everything is as sweet as you anticipate. Happiness can be found from writing though—and from the astounding variety of rhubarb-based desserts—so enjoy the unexpected flavours and experiences.
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Your new complete and updated instructional guide
to finding an agent is finally here: The 2015 book
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the agent database, Guide to Literary Agents.
Other writing/publishing articles & links for you:
- How to Write Your First Novel: 6 Pieces of Advice.
- A writing routine is healthy — but is it totally necessary?
- How to Sell Pieces to Magazines and Newspapers.
- Need an agent? This new agent is seeking fiction, memoir, and more.
- Writing YA, mid grade or picture books? New agent Clelia Gore wants your query.
- How I Learned to Kill My Darlings (and Improve My Writing).
- Follow Chuck Sambuchino on Twitter or find him on Facebook. Learn all about his writing guides on how to get published, how to find a literary agent, and writing a query letter.
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