Into the World

I have spent the last couple of weeks preparing a submission package - covering letter, synopsis and three chapters. The first job was to research the agents that I had already identified; who do they represent? what are their specific requirements in terms of a submission? etc. I kept the covering letter short (one page) and included: why I was writing to them, a little bit about me, a couple of sentences on the novel and why I believed that a publisher would be interested in it. The synopsis took almost as long to draft as a chapter of the novel. I remembered how frustrating it was when I did an internship at an agency to read a synopsis that was several pages long and set out every plot turn and character. A synopsis needs to be a one page summary of the novel which sets out the narrative arc of the novel, key plot turns and the impact of those on the key character(s). It is important that the tone of the synopsis

both matches that of the novel and the expected tone of the genre. Even the chapters took time to format as agents have different requirements. Finally, I ensured that it was printed on good quality paper and included the all imporatant stamped self addressed envelope.
I have posted both submissions and expect to wait anything up to three months for a response. I will now turn my attentions back to revising for my viva which should take place in the spring.    

Handed In!

Exciting news! This week I handed in my PhD thesis, including the novel. I feel bereft. For three years I have lived and breathed my subject area and now I can have a day off, or even two, without feeling guilty. Of course, it isn’t really over. I will have my viva in a few months and will need to revise, as well as re-reading many novels. I have drafted a covering letter to a specific agent and started on the synopsis.

The day I handed in, I attended a networking event. It was held by the university at the RSA, London. The two key speakers, Shaheen Hasmat and Benjamin Zephaniah, were excellent. It was a reminder of the importance and power of writing; if the writer has a clear message and the skill to communicate it. I cannot claim to have achieved this but I am trying.

Finished

Again I find that the weeks have passed and I haven’t posted here. I have been very busy. Firstly, I submitted my draft critical essay to my tutor and then had a nervous wait. The response was wonderful and all I was required to do was make some amendments relating to the style. Secondly, I submitted the final version of the first chapter of the novel to my tutor. The comments were great and gave me a great deal of confidence; particularly as this is the chapter that an agent will read. Thirdly, I have spent a few weeks proofreading and formatting the entire thesis. I always forget how long it takes and when it’s 120,000 words it takes significantly longer. The document is now ready to be sent to the printers; all I’m waiting for is the ok from my tutor. It is a strange feeling to think that it’s over but of course it’s the start; I have my viva to prepare for and a synopsis and covering letter to write before sending it out to an agent.

Tired...

Yet again, I make the observation that I have not posted here for a long time. I do have a a good reason - I have spent the last two and half months working on my thesis. It has been both a mental and physical endurance test, not least because of the spell of hot weather which made it hard to focus while shut in an unconditioned room in my house. I have spent over two years researching it (including analysing forty one novels) and wanted to write the first draft (30,000 words ) in one hit in order that I could keep the complex web of ideas in my head and make connections. It has also been healthy to have a break from the novel for a while. I have sent it to my tutor and am allowing myself a week's holiday. Then it's back to working on the novel with a view to handing in my PhD thesis and novel in December.       

The End (Again)

I am pleased to report that I have finished the second draft of the novel. It has taken nine months. I took a chapter per week and analysed it in terms of the structure, setting, character and style. This was in tandem with researching the thesis and part-time work.

This will not be the last draft; there will be one more that will take account of my tutor’s comments. Hopefully, I will then be able to send it to an agent. There will then be further drafts...

I’ve treated myself to a break this week and watched some recorded documentaries related to the novel. I have also started to think about life after the PhD but it’s dependent to a certain extent on whether my novel is published.

Poster Conference

This week I participated in my university’s research student poster conference. This is when research students are invited to present their findings in the form of an academic poster, which is examined with and without the student being present. It is also an opportunity for the rest of the university and visitors to see what the researcher community is working on.

It took an inordinate amount of time to prepare for it. Not only did I have to distil a 30,000 word thesis that I haven’t yet written into a poster but also design and create a product that had visual impact. It’s not easy when you’re given an extensive list of elements that must be included and at the same time told that there shouldn’t be too many words! I think I’m the only researcher involved in the arts to produce a graph for such an occasion.

It was a valuable experience. I now have a clear idea of the structure of my thesis and the findings. I also enjoyed talking to people about my research and novel. I was worried that I would clam up but in the end the examiners had to shut me up so that they could move on to other candidates.
On the novel front, I have continued editing a chapter a week. It’s relentless and I’ve had two Sundays off since January. I should be finished by the end of May; ready to start draft four.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

My goodness, it’s a long time since I posted here. I’ve been working flat out since Christmas but the good news is that I’m getting somewhere.
Last time, I blogged that I was out of the tunnel - that was a side one; I'm still in the main tunnel but there's light at the end.
I had a tutorial this week. My tutor had reviewed a further ten edited chapters and was very pleased with the result. The feedback is that it’s flowing and she really likes my protagonist. There are a couple of scenes to revisit but it’s about enhancement rather than starting again. I am still editing and aim to finish by the third week of May.
I have pulled the outline of my thesis together and designed an academic poster for a conference in April. I have fallen in love with PowerPoint; whatever the result I’ve enjoyed the process.
I have also volunteered to write a short story for an exciting initiative - more on this in future posts. Thankfully it relates to the research I have done for the novel.
Not long to go until I hand in (31/12/2013) and with any luck I’ll be able to submit my novel to an agent before then.

Out of the Tunnel

I haven’t blogged for a long while. I was ill for six weeks before Christmas but forced myself to study; scared that I would get behind. In some ways it was therapeutic as it took my mind off things. Christmas came and went and now I’m in the last year (hopefully) of the PhD.

It’s difficult to find anything worth sharing at the moment. If there was a webcam feed from my study it would make for rather dull watching. It’s all about editing, editing and editing. This is the hard slog part of the process. I’ve written here before about self motivation and it continues to apply. It takes effort to get up every morning sit at the laptop and concentrate for hours on end.

I have got stuck into the thesis. I have narrowed it down from what I originally proposed and have a framework in place. More research to be done but I now know what to focus on. I’m planning to submit a poster in March and this is proving a helpful milestone.