Archive for August, 2005

Posted on August 15, 2005 - by MG

Waiting for the WOW Factor

Novel number 2 was finished a few months back, just in time for summer reading by Josie and her friends, who have reported that they enjoyed it. Josie herself actually stayed in whilst we were on holiday in Mallorca, she found it that gripping. Yay for Josie’s loyalty!

I’ve been waiting to hear from a publisher in Oxford who requested the full manuscript, also an agent in Oxford to whom I took a partial a few months ago. Mainly though, I’m waiting for news from the WOW Factor contest organised by Faber and Waterstones, to which I submitted the first three chapters of “Todd Garcia, Boy Archaeologist”.

The tension. Is.Unbearable.

Nah. It isn’t really. I’ve been writing my screenplay to help take my mind off things. Screenwriting is fun! Amazingly technically demanding, lots and lots of structure.This guy is my guru: Robert McKee. (The guy who is sent up in Charlie Kaufman’s ‘Adaptation’. Btw one’s reaction to the word ‘adaptation’ must surely be an excellent differentiator for biologists vs writers. Like the word ‘unionized’, which strikes at the inner chemist in all chemistry graduates. I’m obviously not a proper writer yet. I still see the word ‘adaptation’ and assume it’s some evolutionary thing, as opposed to a screenplay-of-a-book.)