I was scrolling through a file with notes on writing I’ve gathered when I came across some inspired and practical advice from Sarah Davies, the founder of Greenhouse Literary Agency. While this agency focuses on books for childen and YA readers, I think that Sarah’s suggestions offer us all valuable insights, no matter what genre or age group we’re focusing on, so I’m passing along some of her key points:

• “Be very clear who you are writing for: many novels never find a home because they don’t speak clearly enough to any section of the market.”

• “There are two aspects to any great book: the quality of the writing and the quality of the plotting. You need a strong, individual, fresh voice that pulls the reader in, but you also need to have a great story to tell.”

• “Decide at the outset who is telling your story and be consistent in telling
it from that character’s perspective.”

• “Start your story strongly so that the reader is grabbed from the beginning. You could start with a dramatic moment, or a moment
of change or discovery. If you’ve bored readers in the first 20 pages,
you’ll probably never get them back.”

• “Show, don’t tell. That is, let your characters show what they think
and feel — don’t just tell your reader about them.”

• “Get your first draft down, then take time out to distance yourself. Reread
as objectively as you can, then polish your writing as much as possible
so you submit your very best work.”

A few parting words of wisdom: “Enjoy writing; make it your treasure. And
never let your quest for publication steal your joy.” Thank you, Sarah!