Blue Pencil Agency newsletter

 With details of a Spring Away Day and First Novel Advice:

Spring Away Day MAY 21, KINTBURY, WEST BERKSHIRE The Away Day for novel writers will have limited numbers of like-minded writers at a similar stage in their writing journey. You'll be in a beautiful country house with gardens. 10am to 6pm The earlybird cost of £180 includes lunch and afternoon tea.    Full Day Workshop with Emma Darwin In this practical, all-day workshop led by author and tutor Emma Darwin, we will dig deep into every aspect of how you choose which words get onto your pages: not only the all-important narrative voice, and characters’ voices and dialogue, but the underlying craft and technical skill which will raise your writing to a new level.   Q&A with Literary Agent Charlotte Seymour Over afternoon tea, Charlotte Seymour, literary agent and Bookseller Rising Star 2021, will talk about what she is looking for in debuts and will go through the submission process commenting on cover letters and synopses with tips for what to include and what to avoid.     Find out More       BPA First Novel Award 2022 DEADLINE: MAY 29   We are now accepting entries to the BPA First Novel Award 2022. Our judges, literary agents Rowan Lawton and Marina de Pass and author Jo Bloom, can't wait to read your stories. "Introduce us to your interesting, well-conceived main characters and hint at the conflict they might be experiencing or the journey they’re on; remember, it’s vital that we engage with your characters."  – Jo Bloom "I am often, though not exclusively, drawn to fiction told through a female lens. But above all, I love finding something compulsive – and all my authors have written novels that have this compulsive quality to them. This could be through plot, character or indeed voice." – Rowan Lawton "I always think it’s a shame when a writer has taken the time to write an entire novel, then rushes the cover letter and synopsis. Take your time to prepare your submission carefully to ensure that it feels targeted, personalised and does your novel justice – but, above all, know that we can’t wait to start reading." – Marina de Pass      Enter the BPA First Novel Award       Competition and Agent Submissions Q&A WITH AGENTS ROWAN LAWTON AND MARINA DE PASS   Tuesday 29 March, 6 - 7:30 pm If you are considering submitting to our First Novel Award or indeed any competitions for debut novel writers, this session with our agent judges Rowan Lawton and Marina de Pass will be invaluable. And even if you aren’t planning on entering, they will have lots of tips on agent submissions and how to make yours stand out in the slush pile. Come prepared with lots of questions.     Sign Up     BPA Blog HOW TO AVOID COMMON MISTAKES IN YOUR SUBMISSION     Writing the Cover Letter When entering a writing competition, your cover letter should be targeted and professional, as when you're submitting to an agent. Found out how to balance content about the novel and your accomplishments.   Tackling a Synopsis Describing your core story in 300 words is no mean feat. In this blog post, we look at some different synopsis writing processes, and consider what to keep and what to cut.   Finding your Hook Agents often say they're looking for a strong hook – what do you do if you're not sure what yours is and how can you describe it in a one-sentence elevator pitch?   Producing a Compelling Narrative The key to compelling writing is asking questions and delaying their answers. Find out how to draw the reader's attention to elements of mystery in your first 5,000 words.   Showing Rather than Telling One of the biggest issues we see letting down competition entries is a poor balance of showing and telling. This is always most difficult in a first chapter. Here are 10 ways to show rather than tell.     All Blog Posts