From the Desk of Lefty Flip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought it might be an idea to group together all the useful information I have found over the years, and where better to keep it all but my virtual writing desk (which looks suspiciously like my actual desk)!
Please feel free to look around and browse the bookshelves. Although anyone caught folding down the corners of pages will chased off the premises by hellhounds.



Stephen King - On Writing



The first half of this book is an autobiography, and the second half a masterclass in writing.

Obviously it will appeal more to Stephen King fans (which we all know I am!) but even if you're not that familiar with his work, his insight and advice invaluable. Learning to kill your darlings may well be the best thing you do!






Nicola Morgan tells it like it is, so stop whining and get down to some hard work!
This book highlighted whopping errors in my work I never would have realised were there. I got home the day I bought it, intending to flick through a few pages before making dinner. Three and a half hours (and no dinner) later I was starting a fresh draft... (so maybe have some Jaffa Cakes to hand or something when you read it. Oh and post it notes...)

 

This one wasn't such a breezy read, I have to confess. I had to get my school brain in gear and resign myself to the fact that I wasn't going to understand everything the first time round.





If you're story's going round in circles, or you're struggling to get things going  Mr McKee will sort you out. He breaks down the structure of a story, and even has some handy diagrams.

 

 

Help! I Need a Publisher! Though now retired, this blog is still one of my favourites - it's an absolute goldmine of information, in the comments as much as the posts.


Query Shark This blog is actually geared towards the US way of submitting - in the UK you include a pitch and a synopsis rather than a query. That being said, I have learnt so much from reading through these archives, and it's a great place to give your own feedback too. Play nice though, or you get fed to the shark!


Slushpile Hell This one's a guilty pleasure of mine - I like to think that the more people than send submissions like this, the more mine will stand up for just being normal!
In all honesty though it's a good insight into what can make an agent roll their eyes and slam their head into the desk.


Emma Pass - a YA writer who's debut novel ACID is out next year, and whose blog posts quite often spark an idea or two with me


Zoë Marriott - I have only just discovered this blog and as you will see from the comments I have already waded in with my two cents!


Janet Reid Literary Agent aka The Shark at Home. Be polite though, she can still bite.