Interview with Linda Mitchelmore

With the Summer Party and the announcement of the 2012 winner of the Joan Hessayon Award just a couple of weeks away, a warm welcome to another contender for this year’s award, Linda Mitchelmore.

Many congratulations on your short listing, with your debut novel, To Turn Full Circle, Linda.

Please tell us about your first acceptance and how it kick-started your career as a writer.

I have much to thank my late mother-in-law for. She gave me an issue of Woman's Own that had a short story competition in it. So, I thought I'd have a go. To my amazement I was shortlisted, and published. My story was illustrated beautifully in a Picasso-ish sort of way and I thought, 'Hey! I'll have some of this.' Success breeds success, so they say, and while my publications didn't ramp up fantastically to start with, they have been a very satisfyingly steady burn.

How did you hear about the RNA, and how has the organisation been of benefit to you?

Through writing courses I took with Writing Magazine, I met Margaret James who suggested I might like to join the RNA and the New Writers' Scheme. One of my best moves ever, I'm pleased to say.

Can you work anywhere, or do you have a favourite place to hideaway and write?

 I can write short stories, by hand, anywhere. I once wrote a short story in a hospital canteen while my husband was under anaesthetic for the afternoon - a diversion tactic from what was a horribly complex operation. He came through unscathed, I'm pleased to say, and the story sold quickly, too.

Novels are a bit different in that I need to be close to my desk and my research sources. That said, I often start a scene off writing by hand in the comfort of the couch before going up to my freezing garret to type it up.

Are you a plotter or a panster?

Oh, definitely a panster. I often start with a first line of dialogue that pops in my head from goodness knows where, and I think....'Who said that?' 'Why?' 'To whom?' 'Where?' And I'm off. Once the story has tumbled out of me I go back over it to make sure there is a plot. It helps to focus said plot if I ask myself 1) Whose story is this? 2) What is their problem/what do they want? 3) Who helps? 4) Who hinders? 5) How do they achieve their aim?

Have you had rejections and if so, how did you deal with them?

I've had a few! Short stories I usually manage to sell somewhere these days, even if it's at the fifth time of sending it out. Previous NWS submissions have gone to second reads and then on to top agents, and those were a bit harder to deal with - so near and yet so far. That said, I have never had a bad rejection from an agent - at least no one has told me to go and play in the traffic or take up bungee-jumping or something. All gave me positive feedback on my writing style and told me not to give up hope of publication. So thank you ladies, one and all - I took your advice.

What was your favourite book as a child?

I must have read Brownie by Amy Le Feuvre at least twenty times as a child. It was a Sunday School Prize - and very secondhand when I received it. It is very collectable today, and I still have my copy.

What would you say was the best part of an RNA conference?

The best part of a RNA conference is the friendship - it holds you up in the down times the way a good support bra does....:)

Have you trained your husband to cook for you while you write?

Well, I've tried - and failed. However, he has developed the good sense to never, ever complain if it is Sainsbury's Taste the Difference ready-mades yet again for supper.

Are you a lark or an owl?

Definitely a lark. I am irritatingly cheerful in the morning as owls who have shared rooms at The New Cavendish Club with me will testify.

What would represent a romantic gesture to you?

A romantic gesture? 'No, darling, your bum definitely doesn't look big in that.'

Thank you for talking to us, Linda. We wish you every success with 'To Turn Full Circle'. It has the most gorgeous cover which is sure to stand out on the shelves. The best of luck with the Joan Hessayon Award.

To find out more about Linda and her work follow her blog at http://lindashortstories.wordpress.com

or on Twitter: @lindamitchelmor  (Note there is no 'e' on the end)

and on Facebook.

Contact Linda by email  lindaoccombe@tiscali.co.uk

The New Writers’ Scheme 'Inside Out' Part 4 – 2011 NWS Graduates

2011 has been a bumper year for the New Writers' Scheme with a total of eleven members finding publishers for their novels so far. A very warm welcome to four of these, Liz Fenwick, Linda Mitchelmore, Liz Harris and Henriette Gyland who share their NWS journey with us.


Liz Fenwick was a member of the NWS for six years. Her novel, THE CORNISH HOUSE will be published by Orion in May 2012.


Liz, tell us about your novel's journey through the NWS? Did it receive a second read? Had it been submitted before?

THE CORNISH HOUSE was my second novel that went through the NWS and it went through twice. The first year’s really positive comments helped me to revise the book and bring the best out of it. The second year provided more positive criticism, which I took on board before sending it out to the market. The book never received a second read.


What difference did the NWS make to your writing and to you as a person?


The NWS does many things...the first it gives you a solid deadline to work with and this is an important thing to learn to live and work around. It also teaches you that you do have to show your work to others. This leads to the important skill of learning how to take constructive criticism. The feedback you receive from the NWS is intended to improve your work. That doesn't mean it doesn't sting but once your work is out in the wide world people will both like and loathe it. The NWS prepares you for this in a way. It also provided me with a reader who wasn't biased. Unbiased readers are hard to find when you begin.
Do you think you would be where you are now if you'd never become a member of the NWS?


I certainly wouldn't be here yet. I had and still have the persistence needed to become published, but the NWS gave me a push up. By encouraging new writers the RNA gives them a chance to get feedback and the chance to network and learn about the industry. In a sense it gives new writers the chance to become ‘professional’ in a safe environment.


What advice would you give a writer thinking about becoming a member of the NWS for the first time in 2012?

Enjoy, work hard, make friends, listen, learn and grow with the feedback that you will receive.

Follow Liz on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/liz_fenwick
To find out more about Liz's work see her website http://lizfenwick.com/






Devon based author, Linda Mitchelmore's historical novel, TO TURN FULL CIRCLE, will be published by Choc Lit in June 2012.


Linda, can you tell us about your novel's journey through the NWS? Did it receive a second read? Had it been submitted before?

To Turn Full Circle, is my first historical novel, although I have written six contemporary novels. You can imagine my joy when it went to a second read. Both readers said they thought it would be perfect for Robert Hale so that was where I sent it myself - no agent being required for Hale. I got a huge dent to the ego when it came back within a week! I then told the NWS how surprised I was at this and it was suggested I try it at Choc-Lit - again, no agent is needed. But Choc-Lit do require a male point-of-view so I worked hard at writing one in and submitted it three months later. I was soon asked to submit the rest - much to my joy! - but had a nail-biting six month wait before I was finally accepted. My book is scheduled for publication in May 2012.

How long were you in the NWS?

Too long! is the short answer. I wrote six contemporaries, and all but one went to second reads. I kept getting so close but not quite there yet. But although those second reads were sent to top agents and I received very kind and constructive rejections from them all, I wasn't taken on. In 2004, I was awarded The Katie Fforde Bursary and I'm only too pleased I can now look Katie in the eye, her faith in me justified at last!

What difference did the NWS make to your writing and to you as a person?

I don't know that the NWS has made any difference to my writing as such - I've always been told I have a strong 'writing voice' and I can only write how I write and what I like to write about. I am a seat-of-the-pantser! But always emotion led.

As a person, being a member of the NWS has been life-enhancing. Meeting full members - whether big names or not - I was always made very welcome by everyone - not made to feel less of a writer in any way at all because I was on the NWS scheme and not between covers yet.

I think that my first ever submission went to a second read was what probably urged me onwards, made me believe in myself that I can write and would be published one day.

Do you think you would be where you are now if you'd never become a member of the NWS?

Possibly not as I am at this very moment with a novel contract and being uber-excited at seeing suggestions for book covers! But I was a widely-published writer of short stories for the womag market before joining the NWS so I would still be writing.

What advice would you give a writer thinking about becoming a member of the NWS for the first time in 2012?

Get the champagne in the second you send off your submission! There's always that chance that talent and luck will go hand in hand for you and that your first submission will find a top agent and a top publisher and will fly. But, if it doesn't happen like that for you, then don't give up - never, ever give up. Each novel you write will be better than the one before as you hone your craft. If you go to the RNA conferences you will meet a wonderful bunch of women (and a few men!) who think like you, act like, you, share your dreams. A writing buddy can be good, too - healthy competition as you try to best one anothers daily word output! And remember .....champagne is better for the keeping!

Follow Linda on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lindamitchelmor

and on the Novel Points of View blog at http://novelpointsofview.blogspot.com/





Liz Harris's graduation from the NWS happened with two novels being accepted within a week. One novel by ChocLit and the other by D.C. Thomson for a People's Friend pocket novel.


Liz, tell us about your novel's journey through the NWS? Did it receive a second read? Had it been submitted before?

THE ROAD BACK was submitted once only to the NWS, and it got through the second read. When Melanie told me that it had gone for a second read, and later that it had got through, I was absolutely over the moon. It was a wonderful moment.

How long were you in the NWS?

I’ve been a member of the RNA since 2005 (I think), and a member of the NWS since I joined. So that’s 6/7 years. I believe that I joined just before the 2005 Royal Holloway Conference, and then went to the Conference.

What difference did the NWS make to your writing and to you as a person?

A huge difference to both - they are connected. If you want to write, and I did, anything that helps you to improve your skill in writing – and that improvement is something that you can see for yourself – develops your confidence and has a positive effect on the way that you see yourself in relation to the thing that you want to achieve.

The NWS critiques are a master class in writing. I don’t believe that anyone can approach his/her own work with a truly objective eye, and there can’t be a better objective eye than that of someone already published in that genre, someone who is focused on telling the truth with a view to helping the writer to improve, rather than someone who aims to say only what they think the writer will want to hear.

We all have writing mannerisms, just as we have verbal and physical mannerisms, and the NWS critiquer, not blinded by affection and the desire to avoid giving any sort of pain, is the person to point out those writing mannerisms so that they can be eliminated.

No matter how carefully and sensitively the critiquer presents criticism, there will always be pain, but, to quote a familiar cliché, No pain, no gain.

The best critiques begin with praise for what the writer has achieved, and then go on to offer constructive criticism of the areas that need addressing. I have been fortunate to have had some of the best critiques.


Do you think you would be where you are now if you'd never become a member of the NWS?

It’s a very difficult market, and I’m not sure that I would be published. I’d like to couple the RNA with the NWS in this. By learning about the publishing industry, which I’ve done through my membership of the RNA - and very enjoyably, too – I was better equipped in my quest for publication. The NWS helped me to hone the skills that enabled me to take advantage of what I’d learnt through the RNA.

What advice would you give a writer thinking about becoming a member of the NWS for the first time in 2012?

Go for it! It’s quite amazing value, and there is nothing – absolutely nothing – more exciting than feeling your book improve beneath your fingertips. You cannot reach this point by yourself, but you can with the aid of the NWS.

Follow Liz on Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/lizharrisauthor

and Facebook www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=674179771&ref=ts




Henriette Gyland's persistence has paid off in 2011. Her novel has been accepted by Choc Lit and she won first place in the Festival of Romance's New Talent Award.


Henri, tell us about your novel's journey through the NWS? Did it receive a second read? Had it been submitted before?

Yes, it's been through the NWS several times before, once where it made up parts of another novel, where eventually I scrapped the other half because it was a different story (and pretty bad too!), and once as a partial. The title has changed a couple of times – and probably will again – and I've even changed the main character's name, plus added a male view point.
I think this particular novel illustrates my development as a writer, from that early idea, badly executed, to something publishable, and although I've never had a second read, I've always found that a constructive first read is enough to go back to it and improve it. There's nothing stopping you from sending it in again later on.

How long were you in the NWS?

As much as I hate to admit it, I've been on the scheme for about 12 years, although in my defence some of that time was spent looking after young children, which isn't exactly conducive to writing. Not in my house anyway!

What difference did the NWS make to your writing and to you as a person?

The NWS readers helped me see where I was going wrong with my writing, but also praised me for the things I did right. I took on board their advice, sometimes grudgingly, and realised later that they were so spot on. On a personal level, because the RNA allows membership to unpublished writers, through the NWS, I felt I was part of something. That was and is really important to me. Writing can be a lonely existence – chatting to fellow writers makes you feel normal.

Do you think you would be where you are now if you'd never become a member of the NWS?

Categorically no. Not sure where I would be, but probably in some dark corner muttering to myself and feeling resentful and left out...

What advice would you give a writer thinking about becoming a member of the NWS for the first time in 2012?

Write the best novel you can, and take the NWS reader's comments in the spirit they're intended, as a help. Don't get hung up about not getting a second read. Enjoy being a New Writer and having the luxury to work on your novel for as long as you like. Come to the parties!

Follow Henri on Twitter at https://twitter.com/henrigyland

and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Henriette-Wulff-Gyland/761371494

Thank you to Liz, Linda, Liz and Henri for sharing your journeys through the NWS. Your successes will inspire other members of the NWS to keep on writing. We wish you all every success with your novels.

To find out more about the New Writers' Scheme visit the RNA website at http://www.rna-uk.org/

Information about 2012 membership will appear on the RNA website in mid December.


The final part of The New Writers’ Scheme 'Inside Out' - NWS Alumni will be posted on 20th December.

Linda Mitchelmore Winner of the Short Story Radio Romance Award 2010

Short stories seem to be my thing, even though I yearn to be a novelist and have been on the New Writers' Scheme - winning the Katie Fforde Bursary in 2004 - far too long, alas. To date, I've had over 150 short stories published here in the UK and in Sweden, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. And I'm also a contributor to LOVES ME, LOVES ME NOT. I've dabbled with short serials - three episodes - too, so when my friend Gilli Allan passed on the information about the Short Story Radio Romance Award 2010 which was for a two-part story, I thought I would have a go. Initially, only the first part had to be sent along with a synopsis (good practice at synopses writing for my NWS efforts at least!!) and those shortlisted would be asked to send the second episode. Surprise, surprise when I was asked to send the second part because I hadn't written it - not thinking for a moment I would get that far.

But I'm used to deadlines from magazine editors so all housework/cooking/gardening/grandson-sitting had to go on hold while I got on with it.

When the producer of Short Story Radio got in touch to say I had won the competition I think my shrieks of delight could be heard all over Paignton. And then the irony of it sunk in - I am profoundly deaf and although I have a cochlear implant it isn't quite up to the inconsistencies of radio transmission. But no matter.....my family and friends will listen in for me. I've been told my story will be broadcast sometime in March and that at the moment the producer is hunting around for an actress to read my work - Penelope Keith will do nicely, Mr. Producer!