‘Why would you be a writer? It’s quite an odd career.’- Joshua Mowll

By Georgia N.

Admittedly, I have never read Joshua Mowll’s books (sorry!) but he struck a chord when I discovered he was from the same town as me. Finally, I thought, a kindred spirit. Refreshingly honest, if not a tad pessimistic, he gave some valuable tips about writing a novel-

1. Plot is very important- plan the book chapter by chapter.

2. The appearance of the novel is crucial too so spend some time on this.

3. Don’t be frightened of editing- at the end of the day it can improve your novel. Joshua Mowll quotes-‘Writing is rewriting and editing. Cut cut cut all the time.’

4. Agents know within 30 pages whether they like your book so pack it full of action.

5. A book is like a toaster therefore you have to do market research. Publishers would rather have a book that can sell extensively than a crossover from children's to adult fiction.

6. Books over 50,000 words are generally disliked by publishers (unless you are J K Rowling).

7. Leading on from this, keep chapters short.

8. Payment is irregular and the hours are long- basically being a writer is quite solitary if not dull.

I hope this helps all budding writers- thank you Joshua Mowll for all those tips :)