I have almost finished editing my fourth novel. I have now read it three times and have made some tweaks here and there. There have been no major changes although there could be several different endings, one of them being very gruesome. I need to then concentrate on a spellbinding synopsis and start sourcing agents to submit it to. Always a difficult process...
Agents are very, VERY selective in what they are looking for. And they usually only take on one new author a year. Considering most agents receive 200 submissions a week – that's a 1 in 10,000 chance the new author will be you – you have to pick very wisely who you send it to and also be prepared to wait a very long time for a response. It's best to only submit to one agent at a time, to guarantee exclusivity, so if you get a rejection after a four month wait, you just have to start all over again and keep waiting and hoping next time you'll get your break.
It's quite a soul-destroying process, especially if you have sent the book out to 'readers' and feedback has been amazing but still get a polite 'thanks but no thanks' response from an agent. I guess that is why so many people self-publish. Writers just want to write and as one book comes to a close, another is popping up in their heads! The temptation to get cracking right away is one you have to resist until you've made at least one submission of your already-finished book!
Talking of new projects... I had a conversation with my partner's grandfather recently that sent the cogs of creativity into motion after about ten seconds in. He told me about an incident that happened in London in the 50's which he had been a very small part of. I was fascinated and started researching the story. It has now totally consumed me and I have started a rough draft of the book.
Obviously it is a real-life, factual event but will be written as an historic novel. I would love it to a be my next book (instead of the one I originally had in mind!!) but I would also LOVE to try to write it as a screenplay. I think the story would make a fantastic television series and I started researching how to write screenplays.
I wished I hadn't bothered... it looks so incredibly difficult to write a screenplay, I now have a new-found admiration for all those that write for tv and film. Wow, it is hard work!! I've downloaded several real scripts from shows I have watched and the attention to detail is mind-blowing. I think in this instance I will stick to writing books. And if somebody wants to take my book and turn it into a screenplay, I will jolly well let them!
