Writing Magazine January 2022

As we draw to the end of what has been another difficult year for many, we’re looking forward to a brighter 2022 in this issue. With darker nights and a new year coming, it’s the ideal time to polish up your proposals and use all that positive energy to get your work in the hands of the people who can help, so we’re exploring the agent’s role in depth. Piers Blofeld explains what he loves so much about the job, four Curtis Brown agents reveal what they want to see and what agents and authors can do for each other and Cornerstones outline exactly what should be in your submissions package – everything you need to give your novel the best possible chance of success. Even if publication isn’t the aim,…

DUNE TIME For years, it’s been considered by b some of the best in the industry to be unfilmable. Most of us would just be happy with an adaptation that was watchable. Certain occupants of Miscellany Manors’ tinfoilclad SF Annex had hoped this year’s star-packed megabucks adaptation would finally do justice to Dune (spoiler alert: turns out it’s rather dry). The problem stems from the source material or, more precisely, how to handle it. Frank Herbert’s pillar of SF is so densely woven with political and historical backstory that film-makers have been caught between two poles. You could take hours and hours to fill in all the minutiae, the approach preferred by Chilean auteur Alejandro Jodorowsky, whose abandoned 1973 version was set for a 10-14 hour runtime until the studio pulled the plug…

UNBLOCKING THE SYSTEM It recently occurred to me that writer’s block is no different to any other blockage: there should always be a way to resolve it. Rather like consulting the instruction manual if your washing machine outlet is choked; or using a YouTube video to learn how to unclog the shower drain – there is usually a way to rectify the problem. For me, getting rid of the blank page has always been about reading something first. It could be a magazine article; something I drafted earlier; or a chapter from a good novel. Reading can stimulate that long-awaited train of thought that has me grabbing pen and paper. Any bit of paper will usually suffice – I’ve even been known to make notes on a supermarket receipt. The notepad in…

One of the things which makes literary agenting such an interesting and enjoyable job is the sheer range of different roles you need to master – or at least attempt to – in order to do the job well. On any given day I am a negotiator, pushing as hard as I can for the best deals for my authors. I am a reader, trying to sift through as efficiently and accurately as possible the huge number of projects which come my way and pull out enough gems to keep myself in a job. At the same time I am a nurturer and editor – no gem ever comes in fully cut. Some need the author to go away and rework or even start a new book, others, closer to the…

1 Read widely The joke goes something like this: no-one reads poetry these days, except their own. Sadly, it contains a kernel of truth – many writers of poetry never reach their true potential simply because they don’t read widely. The well-rounded reader/poet devours collections and pamphlets by established poets, titles from the poetry canon, and perhaps most importantly, reads work by the new contemporary poets making waves today, some of whom will become the stars of tomorrow. If you can afford it, subscribe to a poetry journal or two. Or ask your local library to take out a subscription. Ah, the library – please use it! Work through their poetry shelf, discover what you like and don’t like, request the latest ‘must-read’ titles. Many poetry collections will sing to you,…

The end of the year is fast approaching, which means New Year and resolutions are just around the corner. If you want to make 2022 the year you take the plunge and begin the journey to getting your book published, keep reading. We’ve been speaking to four literary agents from Curtis Brown, one of the partners of the Discoveries Prize, to get their advice on querying agents. First and foremost, can you tell us a little more about what a literary agent does? LM: A literary agent is an author’s fiercest champion and most passionate advocate. We are by an author’s side from the first seeds of a book – whether a debut or the latest from an established writer – through every stage of their writing career. Be that the early…