The Chopping Blog

POV Basics: a perspective primer

November 18, 2019

If you’re not sure what POV best suits your narrative, play around. Write a scene from one character’s close third, then shift into their first-person perspective, then take a step back and rewrite the scene from the angle of another character altogether, or even a ghost or alien who is observing the action as a complete outsider.

On the craft

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Book Broker: an interview with Sharon Pelletier

October 28, 2019

Research, research, research and choose agents thoughtfully! Better to query ten to twenty agents with queries customized to them, following their submission guidelines, reflecting why you’d love to work with that agent (but don’t be creepy…) than sending a hundred “Dear Agent” copy/paste queries to the whole industry.

Agent interviews

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How to write a query letter – ten tips and a template

October 26, 2019

Finding the right literary agent for your manuscript requires a lot of homework. And then, once you've found someone with aligned interests, convincing them that your project is polished and marketable is another battle altogether. Therefore, if you want to work with the agent of your dreams, make sure you put in the time, effort, and research required to make your dream a reality. Remember, you only get one shot.

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Book Broker: an interview with Erin Hosier

October 24, 2019

Every book is different – sometimes it's timely and you go out to everyone at once, trying to get a competition going, and sometimes there's just a handful of appropriate options. But I never give up. Recently I sold something that took five years.

Agent interviews

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Book Broker: an interview with Kerry D’Agostino

October 18, 2019

A good manuscript catches my attention right away and does not let it go. I am most drawn to voice-driven narratives, where I find something relatable about the protagonist right away, and I find myself invested in their journey from the start. I am also most interested in stories that feel fresh, where I am learning as I read, whether what I am learning is something about the protagonist and their perspective on the world or some new world in itself.

Agent interviews

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First Page Challenge, 1st place winner: "Cloudland"

October 17, 2019

A police car passed the shelter three times but didn’t see the troubled watcher within. A sheen of ice covered the pavements and empty roads. Night, time of dreams, unfolded itself. Ash began to shiver, her fingers sore, feet numb. Silence hung black as a blanket. The hours cycled and Ash counted each on its way. The dead sat with her.

Contest updates

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First Page Challenge, 2nd place winner: "Unsound"

October 17, 2019

The night before the voices started I was arrested for keying Arsehole onto the side of a brand new Ford Mondeo. By the time I recognised the flashing blue lights, Beth and Mandy had fled.

Contest updates

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First Page Challenge, 3rd place winner: "Stars and Roses"

October 17, 2019

There are twelve important characters in this story: the princess, the blind, the lone wolf, the assassin, the vigilante, the criminal, the good, the silent, the sane, the insane, the wanderer, and the waitress.

Contest updates

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First and Last Paragraphs

October 15, 2019

A lot of mainstream fiction is formulaic and predictable. It is the rebels of self-publishing and the web who find the courage to experiment, to carry the fire through the darkness like mediaeval troubadours. But writers fail in their mission when substance is outweighed by cleverness. Stream of consciousness passages may floor us by the power of their beauty. Like Belgian chocolate, though, a little goes a long way.

On the craft

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For the words!

October 07, 2019

The Darling Axe is now offering online writing and editing workshops. Stay tuned for upcoming (2020) classes on novel outlining, worldbuilding, self-editing, developmental editing, and starting a novel with teeth.

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First Page Challenge: the shortlist

October 02, 2019

It was very difficult to whittle down all these great submissions to a shortlist of ten. There were so many interesting stories from such diverse voices. But, lines had to be drawn, so here are the stories and writers that I have passed along to Michelle Barker for final judging:

Contest updates

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Book Broker – An interview with Broo Doherty

September 27, 2019

Keep things simple and to the point. Authors are trying to attract my attention, so a simple, straight-forward email is the best way to approach me. I don’t need bells and whistles, just simple prose with a well-considered email and a well-presented synopsis and opening three chapters.

Agent interviews

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