WHEN DOING NOTHING CAN YIELD SOMETHING

Whenever I'm having one of those days where I seem to spend hours looking at cursor blinking on a blank screen, I remind myself that writing a novel isn’t only about putting words on a page. Just as a portrait is as much about looking as it is about painting, writing can also be about thinking – weaving the plot, developing characters, imagining where the story goes next.

With the book I’m working on now, my mind has been working overtime as I try to fathom how the plot fits together, or how to unpeel the mystery without giving too much away too early on. I think about it when I’m cooking supper, weeding the garden, when I’m brushing my teeth and when I wake up in the middle of the night. I especially think when I’m driving, though there has been none of that since lockdown began.

But sometimes even thinking evades me, especially in these discombobulating times when it seems impossible to settle or concentrate. And that’s teaching me a lesson. When my mind is flitting from one thing to the next like a bee in a wildflower meadow, instead of beating myself up I put that time to good use by researching agents.

I did have an agent years ago when I wrote non-fiction. But here I am back to square one, looking for someone to have faith in me. In ye olden dayes, landing an agent seemed so easy. A sample chapter and a strong synopsis. Not now, though. To be in with a chance you need to have finished your book, have a strong elevator pitch and also a healthy social media following.

So when I can’t settle I spend time on Twitter reading agent’s tweets and their blogs so I get a feel of what the industry is doing and who might like my book. It feels more immediate and connected than buying a copy of The Writer & Artists’ Yearbook. And it’s surprisingly inspiring.

Give it a go – what do you have to lose apart from some time? Twitter will suggest others, and you’ll come across many more who reply to the initial agent you’ve been reading. Sometimes, if you’ve taken part in the debate, you’ll find they reply to you . . . and sometimes even follow you. And so, by doing no writing, you’ve suddenly arrived on an agent’s radar. What’s not to like about that?