BPA's Blog
Author and literary agent Q&As, plus advice ranging from submissions to how to improve your craft.
Peggy Lee
Peggy manages Blue Pencil Agency’s editorial department, social media channels and blog. She completed a Master’s in Prose Fiction at the University of East Anglia, where she found a love for editing and decided to pursue a career working with words. Peggy has had stories published by Liar’s League, Every Day Fiction and Coffin Bell. She is currently working on two contemporary novels.
How to Polish Your Prose
You've nailed your structure. The characters are fully alive. You're confident in your story and writing style, but the manuscript needs a final polish. What do you do? Here are 15 things to consider as you edit your prose: 1. Rhythm All prose needs a...
Ask an Agent: Sabhbh Curran from Curtis Brown
Sabhbh Curran joined Curtis Brown in 2018, after working as the Literary Assistant at Sheil Land Associates. Prior to that, she studied for a Masters in Renaissance literature at Cambridge. She is on the hunt for literary, book club fiction, psychological suspense,...
Mapping Your Story Arc: The Story Goal
What is a Story Goal? A story goal – often called a quest or mission – is a key component of any novel's story arc. It is what drives the narrative forward and keeps the reader turning pages. Most stories open with a stasis (a sense of what the protagonist's life is...
Ten Reasons to Enter Novel Competitions
For every writer out there who gets a buzz from entering competitions and has the deadlines of the most popular awards in their diary, you'll find another who isn't keen on the idea. It might be self-doubt holding you back, knowing how many entries are received. You...
How and When to Outline Your Novel
'Outlining allows me to ride the waves of my story with utter confidence, channeling the art into the craft to produce solid stories.' – Author K. M. Weiland THE ROUGH FRAME Usually a novel will begin with an idea, and they often emerge as questions: What if...
Arrive Late, Leave Early: How to Write Fast-Paced Fiction
The phrase 'arrive late, leave early' has become a mantra for many screenwriters. Today's audience is hungry for immediate entertainment and the average scene in a film lasts one to three minutes – or one to three pages. Screenwriter William Goldman says, 'You always...
Ask an Agent: John Baker from Bell Lomax Moreton
John Baker joined Bell Lomax Moreton in 2019 where, as a junior agent, he is focusing on building his own small, cultivated list, shaped around his passion for Science Fiction and Fantasy, alongside providing administrative support across the agency. John has built a...
Writing Plot Twists
Surprise is more powerful than any other emotion in its ability to move people: to laugh, to gasp, or to turn to the next chapter! Readers enjoy 'not knowing' and finding out, but they love thinking they know and finding out they were wrong, especially if the clues...
Mapping Your Story Arc: The Inciting Incident
What is an Inciting Incident? The inciting incident is a key component of almost every novel, but you may not be familiar with the term or even sure whether you've written one! James Scott Bell writes, 'The power of your story is directly proportional to the readers’...
5 Ways to Develop Your Craft
Non-Academic Classes As a writer who has completed both an undergraduate degree and a Master's in creative writing, I think there is a lot of value in higher education for the aspiring novelist. A course will teach you technique, provide deadlines to help you get...
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