During the summer, I had the opportunity to attend an 'Inspire and Mentor' session run by Marie Claire, the popular magazine in the UK. The event took place in the MalMaison Hotel in Edinburgh and I have only good things to say about it.
It was a sold out event and, when I arrived, the place was buzzing with soon-to-be writers, journalists, publishers and those who were simply curious about the writing world. Delicious canapés and sparkling champagne were promptly served and each guest was given a goodie-bag filled with lovely treats before we were ushered through to the function room.
The first speaker, and in my opinion the best, was Lindsey Kelk, author of best-selling chic-lit books 'I heart New York', 'I heart Paris' and 'The Single Girls To Do List.'
Lindsey spoke honestly about how difficult it had been to get her first publishing contract and told us about some of the pit-falls she had encountered, like not getting herself an agent. She came across very much as she does in her books, witty, sarcastic and highly amusing. Sharing lots of tips on how to finish a novel, how to edit it and what to do next, she was truly motivating.
Second up was Rowan Lawtons, an agent at Peters Fraser and Dunlop in the UK
Rowan spoke about the benefits of finding a good agent and the doors that can be opened once you have one. She stressed the need to be determined and have perseverance.
Third was Sarah Ritherdon, who works for Harpercollins Publishers.
She backed up Rowan's advice, explaining that publishers very often don't even open unsolicited material as they are simply too busy so that having an agent is crucial. Having a tough exterior and being able to take criticism is another point that she made as publishers will be highly critical when editing work. She also advised us to write about something that we love, as passion always shines through.
The final speaker of the day was Kasie Davies, features editor at Marie Claire. Her speech was highly inspirational. She advised reading every single magazine that you can get your hands on and immersing yourself completely in the magazine world. She also stressed the need to get out in the world and physically meet people, rather than hiding behind emails. Her final point was to think about the audience you are writing for. The most important thing about any feature in a magazine is for it to resonate with the people who are reading it thus you should select each story with a very clear audience in mind.
I left the event feeling very motivated and with lots of new feature ideas.
Thank you Marie Claire for organising such a fantastic event.
