The biggest thing I have learned, since immersing myself in the world of writing these last few years, is becoming published requires the planets to be aligned, and the gods of Serendipity and Good Fortune to be batting for you. It takes the right manuscript to fall onto the right desk of the right agent/editor, at precisely the right time. It also takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. 

And I would say this: write what you write because it means something to you. If it means something to you, the chances are it will mean something to someone else. Write with courage, carve it from your soul, whip it into the best shape you can, then let it fly. It will land where it will. Now get on and write the next thing. 

The 'whipping it into the best shape you can' bit - that's where I come in.

If you want your manuscript to fly with hope, do not weigh it down with spelling mistakes, plot holes, character inconsistencies, punctuation errors, etc. It will fly with hope, but it will drop into that great ocean of slush piles out there, and you will never hear from it again.

If you want to give your manuscript the best chance, it has to be of a publishable standard. There are simply no ways around that.

Since 2010, I have had forty short stories published online and in print, a novel – ABIDE WITH ME – published by Caffeine Nights, with the sequel - APRIL SKIES - due in 2016, and a novella – ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF JASON DEAN – published by Byker Books.

The audiobook version of ABIDE WITH ME, read by Karl Jenkinson, has also been nominated for a 2015 SOVAS award in the Crime and Thriller category.

In the last year, I have designed and taught a ten month novel writing course for Barking and Dagenham Council as part of an Arts Council project entitled 'Pen to Print'. The topics I covered included dialogue, plot, characterisation, theme, structure, editing, and everything else that goes into the writing of a novel. You can find a selection of testimonials from some of the students on the course elsewhere on this site.

I can help you in getting your manuscript into the best condition it can be before you let it fly off into the ether, and I’d love to hear from you.


Please feel free to email me wth any questions you may have:

All the best,

Ian 
Email: ianayris@hotmail.co.uk