Chip MacGregor's Advice for Aspiring Novelists

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Over at his blog, literary agent Chip MacGregor answers the question:

"As a first-time novelist, what advice can you give me to create a great, page-turning novel?"

Here's how he begins his response:

Dialogue and action. That won't necessarily make for the deepest, or most thoughtful, or the most life-changing sort of book, but it will make your book a page-turner. A high sense of drama is necessary, of course. So is telling an interesting story at a brisk pace. (Whoever read a slow, rambling thriller?) Unresolved conflicts help. So do plot twists, and fascinating characters, or characters I like who are placed in tense situations. But if you stick to dialogue and action, you'll make your book more of a page-turner.

Read the rest of his response here. Good stuff.

Chip MacGregor (Advice for Novelists, Part 13)

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Here's agent Chip's response to:

"If you could say one thing to aspiring novelists, what would you say?"

"Write with verbs and nouns."

I read that advice in Strunk and White's Elements of Style back in high school, and it's still the best bit of writing advice I've ever heard. Too many writers will show me flowery, painted-up hoo-haw that has lots of description and plenty of color, but no power. To add punch to your writing, cut it back. Clean it up. Spend the time selecting the right nouns so you don't have to prop them up with adjectives in an attempt to clarify them. Give me direct verbs, so you aren't trying to dress up your weak writing with adverbs. Verbs and nouns -- that's where the story is told.

--Chip MacGregor, Literary Agent, MacGregor Literary. (Visit Chip's informative blog here.)

Another great writing blog to visit

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Chip MacGregor is a veteran in the industry, and his blog offers "publishing tips, insights, and wisdom from a seasoned pro in the book business". Chip currently runs MacGregor Literary. His clients include Brandt Dodson, Susan Meissner, Will & Lisa Samson, Ann Tatlock, Chris Well, and many more.

Recent entries have covered contracts (in detail), agents (of course), bad poetry, and lots more. Check the blog out here.