As you know, I\u2019m a writer \u2013 or I used to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But a little while back, I had the idea of making the Writers Workshop (as we once were) into a bigger, sleeker, better Jericho Writers. I wouldn\u2019t say that the idea was a bad one exactly \u2013 I\u2019m fantastically proud of the work we do \u2013 but it had more of an impact on my writing than I had expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, and thanks entirely to the incredible team we have at the top of JW, I\u2019m in a position to step back and write some books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that means that \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally \u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m getting very close to \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The release of a new Fiona Griffiths book: THE HOUSE AT THE END OF THE WORLD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given how long it\u2019s been since the last Fiona book graced the shelves, that feels like a very big ta-daa. It will be the seventh book in the series \u2013 and the penultimate one. The next book will be the big, and series finale when all the storylines from the series will finally come together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve adored writing these books and, if it\u2019s not nuts to say so, I\u2019ve adored knowing Fiona. She and I have enjoyed our time together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s great to be back in the saddle, but I\u2019m also pleased because I\u2019ve never much relished the sight of writing tutors who don\u2019t write<\/em>. If I offered to teach you carpentry, you\u2019d rightly want to see a table I\u2019d made. If my table was rubbish, you\u2019d draw the obvious conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, in the run-up to publication, I want to talk you through different aspects of how I conceived the writing and publishing of the book. The point here is simply to connect these (somewhat theoretical) Friday emails to the (intensely practical) topic of how I actually approach my writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll start this week at the very beginning: with the book\u2019s basic elevator pitch. (If you want to remind yourself about my thoughts on that topic, this email is probably the best place to start. It\u2019s the one involving 11 boxes, 2 imps and an owl.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n OK, so what\u2019s the pitch?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because this is a series novel, it has two pitches: one for the book and one for the series as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you know, the pitch for the series is something like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If that feels too baggy, the pitch works fine like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I probably prefer the longer version: it\u2019s important that these are not fantasy novels and have no speculative elements. But hey ho, you can choose. I don\u2019t care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The past novels in this series have sold well and have an established fanbase, so a lot of those readers will buy this book just because they trust me to deliver. But each time I release a new title, completely new readers enter the series, decide they like the book they\u2019ve just read, then start back at the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words: the pitch for the new book matters too. And that pitch goes something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you put the two pitches together, you get something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s 25 words long, which is longer than I generally recommend for pitches, but seems acceptable, given that this pitch is explaining both the book and the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you know, I also don\u2019t mind pitches that just collapse into a list of ingredients. With this book, that list runs roughly like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You only need to assemble that list to notice two things. (1) A secure psychiatric hospital is likely to pose specific and extreme challenges to someone with Fiona\u2019s mental history. (2) The special forces guys are probably quite dangerous and probably don\u2019t much want to be locked up for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hope that you look at that setup and want to know more. And that\u2019s the point of any pitch, right? To prompt further investigation. If you\u2019re a fan of crime novels, I\u2019d hope that this pitch piques your curiosity. If it has, it\u2019s worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Daughters of the Pitch<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve written before that the elevator pitch is for the author, and only the author. That\u2019s why my own pitches are notably rough and ready. I don\u2019t really come up with the same formulation any two times in a row. I don\u2019t bother to come up with a line that could sit comfortably on a book cover or a movie poster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the pitch has many daughters, and those daughters all need to honour their parentage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The daughters that any author needs to consider include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n All those things need to line up behind the pitch. They can\u2019t be inconsistent with it, and they should do what they can to broadcast it (while at the same time, performing their own specific role.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n If all this sounds a little vague \u2013 well, that vagueness is deliberate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take my title, THE HOUSE AT THE END OF THE WORLD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly, no title can cram an entire ingredients list into a few words. If I had to try, it would be something like CRAZY COP IN PSYCHO HOSPITAL DRAMA. That ticks more boxes, but it\u2019s a terrible title. Remember that a title needs to do several things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n None of those three things are optional. If you choose a genre-unsuitable title, for example, your book just won\u2019t sell. That\u2019s not a requirement where you can compromise, even a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Likewise, the title really has to work with a cover design: two elements that work in tandem. It\u2019s not uncommon for a cover designer to come up with a brilliant cover, which then prompts a change in the title. This has happened, in fact, with several of my books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For all these reasons, a title need only hint at the elevator pitch. It\u2019s part of a \u201cfirst impressions\u201d package, where cover design is the other absolutely key ingredient. (I\u2019ll talk cover design for this book in a later email.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n With this book, I hesitated over the title and, ultimately, was torn between whether to use the word HOSPITAL or HOUSE. I went with the latter, largely because the word \u2018hospital\u2019 is arguably misleading. The word conjures up normal hospitals, not a place heaving with hyper-fit special forces soldiers. Also, the word \u2018hospital\u2019 somehow pulls the book away from the crime genre: they\u2019re places of healing, not multiple murder, and I want a sense of murder to lie heavy over the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously, though, it\u2019s the final phrase which does the work. Those words \u2013 THE END OF THE WORLD \u2013 allude to a lot of things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now obviously, the words in the title alone don\u2019t convey all that. But there\u2019s a limit to what any title can ever do. And a pitch, remember, is there to prompt further investigation. Nothing more. So if someone is intrigued by the book cover and title combo, all we want them to do next is explore the blurb. That\u2019s where the pitch can start to expand from mere hints to a fuller presentation of what the book offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More of all that in another email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh yes, and I did just want to say that the whole Write with Jericho \/ Feedback Friday thing is being intensely brilliant. We launched the current course as a bit of an experiment but the level of engagement has been just fabulous. We\u2019re going to do more and go bigger. If you\u2019re already a Premium Member, then do get stuck in. If not \u2013 well, do think about joining us for our next big course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feedback Friday<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Write with Jericho Week #5 \/ Character<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve registered for the course<\/strong>, you\u2019ll already have received the course material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a Premium Member and you haven\u2019t registered<\/strong>, you can find the course material here<\/strong><\/u><\/a>. You can register yourself<\/strong><\/a>, for free, to get the same material by email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re not a Premium Member<\/strong>, and want to be, here\u2019s what you need to do next<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether or not you are a Premium Member<\/strong>, I\u2019d love you to participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A difficult one this, just because character is something that expands and finds its range over the course of 100,000 words. Trying to find a passage of c. 350 words that does everything in one place is definitely a bit artificial. I\u2019m a decent character-writer myself but would struggle to find a single passage that displayed everything in one place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, here\u2019s the exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Choose a passage of (absolutely max) 350 words, which shows off your character as being fully alive<\/u><\/em>. Some of the questions we\u2019re interested in is whether your character feels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Choose ONE passage, to a maximum of 350 words, and share it. Please also include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Title<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Genre<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brief context<\/strong> for your passage, including why you like it and what your doubts might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember always to give feedback on other people\u2019s work while you are there. Can I ask that you offer at least 5 comments<\/u><\/em> on other people\u2019s work? That way, you put out good juju and good juju will surely seek you out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s it from me. Share yours here<\/a> <\/strong>as a \u2018New Discussion\u2019 and include a sensible title, eg: \u2018Voice Task, Option X, [Title of your WIP]\u2019. Also, if you\u2019re looking for some top tips to help you search Townhouse better, take a look at this thread<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Til soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Harry<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As you know, I\u2019m a writer \u2013 or I used to be. But a little while back, I had the idea of making the Writers Workshop (as we once were) into a bigger, sleeker, better Jericho Writers. I wouldn\u2019t say that the idea was a bad one exactly \u2013 I\u2019m fantastically proud of the work<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":98318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29292],"tags":[29293,29213],"class_list":["post-90927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-harrys-friday-email","tag-walking-the-talk-series","tag-harry-friday-email"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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