My Route To Publication

Route to publication through oft-asked questions…

Did you take a writing course?

My first big step to moving from writing as a hobby to writing professionally came when I applied to take the Curtis Brown Creative course. There’s nothing like reading out your work to a room full of writers to clarify what is working and what isn’t.

There were fifteen of us on the course and five of us now have publishing contracts. It wasn’t so much that they give you a magic pen, but how I looked at my own writing completely changed. For me, editing is a vital process, and this is where I really learned to edit my own work.

How did you get your agent?

I’m asked this a lot, and whilst there are various routes to getting published, I followed the most traditional one, which involves finding an agent first. In many ways I would say this is the hardest part. Finding an agent is the first time someone officially says they believe in your writing – at least this was how it felt to me. Finding an agent can also be a long process.

Often, you have to write to them with a synopsis of your story and the first three chapters, then send it off and cross your fingers. I was lucky; sometimes writers can apply to many, many agents before someone will take them on. It’s a nervous wait and it’s something you have to be prepared to stick at. I found Eve White on my fifth agent submission. I’d been asked for my full manuscript by a few of the others, but Eve offered representation within two weeks. This was a big moment!

How do you find a publishing deal?

Once Eve had submitted my novel to publishing houses, the itch to refresh the email feed was overpowering. Getting the call that a publishing house wanted to meet me was brilliant – I bought a dress and read up on all their novels.

When you’re called in for a meeting, it’s usually because they want to offer you a publishing deal which is the dream. I met my brilliant editor, Laura Palmer, in the meeting.

I knew immediately she understood the book exactly as I’d intended it. I wanted to leap over the table and beg her to take it on. But luckily, I had my agent in the room. She was calm and didn’t allow me to do it for free. After writing the book, the desire to see it on the shelves is so overwhelming I would have accepted any deal, but my agent stayed steady during the whole process.

Have you always wanted to write a book?

As an English teacher, I suspect I’m one of many who secretly always wanted to write a book. The problem with teaching is that you’re busy, all the time. I began writing seriously on my maternity leave. It wasn’t that I had lots of free time – small babies are exhausting. But I did find myself in the house on my own a lot. So during nap time, I sat and wrote.

How do you think of characters?

I think writers are the best people watchers going. I’ve never based a character on a person I know, but I do find I notice character traits, or speech habits, and those often make their way into characters. Characters are made up of many different aspects. They need depth to be believable. I find names hard – as a teacher I always know someone who has had that name and different people react to names differently.

I’ve been asked to change a few names in both novels, and once the change has taken place, it often makes a difference to how I see the character. Sometimes it makes all the difference.

Where do you get your ideas?

This is a really common question and the answer is I don’t know, really. ‘Write what you know’ is a common piece of advice. I’m currently writing my third book I’m still able to plunder my own experiences for ideas.

Under the Ice began as a story about a mother struggling to cope with looking after a newborn. The second, The Scorched Earth, began with the fear I think most women have felt, of being in a car park late at night, on their own.

The third begins with jealousy. These are all things that I think we can all touch on, and once I have the idea for a story, I go from there. Crime is brilliant at providing a structure – someone has died, and you need to establish the reasons behind the death, but there’s no limit to breadth of experience or writing style.

What’s the hardest thing about writing?

Starting with a blank page can be tricky. Sometimes it’s exhilarating and sometimes completely daunting. I aim to get to roughly 80k words. That’s the hardest part – actually writing all the words down. Many writers talk about a ‘sticky middle’ and for me this is true. I start by writing the beginning and the end, so I know my two travel points. But the middle bit is always the hardest.

Do you enjoy it?

I love being a writer. It’s such a flexible, interesting job. I know many writers have to work hard not to feel isolated, but my days are still full of children and teaching, so I’m lucky that my quiet time at home still feels like a privilege rather than a prison.

If you want my top tip for writing, it’s simply to write. Get going – and keep on going.

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Rachael Blok grew up in Durham and now lives in Hertfordshire. She taught English Literature before becoming a full time writer. Her crime series is set in the cathedral city of St Albans. Here, Maarten Jansen struggles against his plain-speaking Dutch upbringing when faced with the seemingly polite world of the picturesque city. Under the Ice is her first novel and her second, The Scorched Earth, is coming out on November 14th. Follow her on Twitter @MsRachaelBlok or visit her website rachaelblok.com

THE SCORCHED EARTH

Nothing stays buried forever…

‘A blistering mystery’ Erin Kelly.
‘Supremely atmospheric’ Daily Mail.
‘Gripping and original’ Clare Empson.

Two years ago, Ben Fenton went camping for the night with his brother Leo. When Ben woke up, he was covered in blood, and his brother had gone. Days later, Ben was facing a charge of murder.

Ben’s girlfriend, Ana Seabrook, has always sworn he was innocent. And now, on the hottest day of a sweltering heat wave, a body has been unearthed in Ana’s village. A body that might be connected to what really happened between Ben and Leo that fateful night.

DCI Jansen, of St Albans police, is sure that Ana has something to hide. But until the police track down the identity of the body, he can’t work out how everything’s connected. Will Ana’s secrets stay buried forever? Or can Jansen bring them to light?

Praise for Rachael Blok:

‘A blistering mystery; the dark secrets lurking in the short summer shadows kept me turning the pages long into the night’ Erin Kelly.

‘You will suspect everyone in this unbearably tense tale of betrayal and revenge’ A.S. Hatch.

‘Poetic writing with an eerie suspense that builds with each page’ Nikky Mackay.

‘Beautifully told, the stifling heat and tension crackle through every page’ Victoria Selman.

‘This atmospheric tale of guilty secrets revealed during a scorching summer is twisty, evocative and suspenseful’ Roz Watkins.

‘Assured and compelling … The author is as deft about human relationships as she is about creating an increasingly foreboding atmosphere’ Elly Griffiths.

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips