the writer is a lonely hunter

writing by Gail Aldwin and other authors

Kate Mosse and me

Did you know Macmillan Publishers was established 175 years ago by two brother? Originally crofters from the Isle of Arran, thirty-year-old Daniel and his twenty-five-year-old brother Alexander began a publishing business in London to share learning and capture imaginations. The company continues to publish writers that shape our literary lives. On 16 August at the Spiegeltent in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, I was lucky to be in the audience as Kate Mosse introduced a range of writers including food poverty activist Jack Monroe and Sharlene Teo winner of the inaugural Deborah Rogers Writer’s Award for her debut novel, Ponti.

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After the event, I introduced myself to Kate Mosse. She was a judge of the 2015 Elle Magazine writing competition alongside Jessie Burton. I feel privileged that both these authors read my entry and awarded me a place as runner up. (You can read more about the competition here.) Kate enquired about my writing progress and was pleased to learn of my recent successes. In judging a competition, Kate hopes the awards provide motivation to continue to progress with writing. When my novel is accepted for publication, I am now committed to let Kate know.

 

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Never Give Up

 

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Cover Image for ‘Paisley Shirt’ photo credit: menswear market

I’ve read lots of post about How I Got Published and although I know how deeply maddening it can be to hear about another’s success, I feel obliged after all the pitfalls to share my experience with you.

I have four novels sitting in a drawer, two of which are completely unpublishable while the others may see the light of day when I get around to re-writing. I have been on my writing journey for eight years: writing regularly, attending writing festivals, having one-to-ones, keeping the feelers out, updating my blog and becoming a whizz on social media. I must have entered hundreds of competitions, and enjoyed a couple of notable wins (my name was listed in Elle magazine once). I briefly enjoyed representation but that was until my agent took maternity leave and decided not to return to work.

One of the upsides of enduring so much failure is that I resorted to seeking professional help by joining a writing course that led to a qualification. After four years of part time study I am now on the verge of changing my title to Doctor and I am looking forward to graduating in the summer! This has also enabled me to seek employment with a university where I will work with students of creative writing.

The novel written as part of my studies is still seeking a home, but in the meantime, I have signed a contract with a small independent publisher to have a collection of my flash fiction published. Paisley Shirt contains 27 stories with characters and situations to offer a range of perspectives on what it is like to live in our world.

It is wonderful to have a publisher who believes in my work and a thrill to think I will have a published book at last. It won’t bring me riches, but it is acknowledgement of the progress I’ve made. The mantra remains: never give up.

 

 

 

 

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