Author
Having had my query letter held up as exemplary at last fall's Novel Writing Conference in Pasadena (see previous post), I've now started aggressively querying literary agents for representation. My first choice of agent, the one I met in Pasadena, currently has my full MS for review, which is very exciting. But she's had it… Continue reading The querying-in-earnest begins…
With my MS now beaten mercilessly into (what I hope is) pretty decent shape, it was time for my next Writer's Digest Conference. This year, instead of going to the big event in New York that is held each summer, I decided to fly to LA for the 2018 Novel Writing Conference in Pasadena. Pros:… Continue reading Dark arts in Pasadena
This manuscript has gone through so many rounds of changes, and recently I've done another couple of passes as I've learned more about my craft. The editing never stops! Discovering my weaknesses as a writer is really the most valuable thing I've learned through this process so far. I have been making all the classic… Continue reading Finding and fixing my foibles
Forgive the pun. Or, you know, don't. Having done yet another round of revisions and some significant restructuring, it was time to get my book read by some people who might be my target audience. I had made some friends at the New York conference but that was nearly a year ago, and I only… Continue reading Beta get my book read
It's been a long time since I posted here. I've been so busy rewriting my MS, applying all the lessons I've learned from the Writer's Digest Conference last summer (and a bunch of follow-up seminars that I've taken) that I've neglected this blog. However, I've had an interesting new development. Although most of the seminars… Continue reading Help from an expert
The 2017 Writer's Digest Conference in New York just blew my mind. Not only in terms of the scale of the event but also because of what I learned there. It probably gave me the steepest, most-rapid learning curve that I've ever experienced over the course of three days. Just being in New York is… Continue reading Lessons from my first conference
My first writer's conference! Writer's Digest Annual Conference 2017 in New York. So thrilling. With the first draft of my manuscript complete, I decided I would pay my registration fee, buy my pricey overnight flights from Vancouver to JFK, and attend the big event to see what I could learn about becoming a published novelist.… Continue reading Pitch imperfect
Endings are hard. That's true of life, and it's certainly true of writing novels, I've discovered. My manuscript, working title The Other Me, has two narrative storylines and requires a satisfying ending for each. So I've got double trouble with concluding this book. I've thought of a bunch of different options, but which to choose?… Continue reading Happy ever after?
Wow. I really had never thought about how much research goes into writing a novel - until I wrote a novel. And I don't think my novel is particularly research-heavy. After all, it has a fantastical premise that is based in my imagination. So in terms of what my protagonist is doing... there's really no… Continue reading Location, loca… oh, you know
Welcome one and all! I'm very happy you visited my new site, created to document my novel-in-progress and to offer would-be agents and publishers an insight into my work and processes. After many years in the media industries, in Canada and the UK, as a writer, editor and erstwhile broadcaster, I decided to turn my… Continue reading The accidental novelist
CJ Connolly 