Interview with Leonni Lark
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The Final Word
WriteMentor Q&A with Leonni Lark
1. Tell us about your writing journey to date.
Like many writers, I’ve been making up stories since I was little, including starting to write the obligatory YA fantasy trilogy when I was a teenager, but I never really finished anything. I had ideas but no clue how to actually write a story. As I got older, I had less and less time for writing (or just didn’t want to make it a priority), so about once or twice a year I’d be super motivated, get back to editing my YA fantasy, and then…do nothing more.
It wasn’t until I was nearly thirty that I properly gave it a go. I’d just changed jobs, meaning I had a long commute on the train, and I wanted to use that time for something productive, something that was not work and just for me. Writing seemed like a doable train hobby, but this time I wanted to finally finish a full-length story. I started up a brand-new project (a middle-grade horror for my pre-teen niece), set myself a deadline, and just went for it – no excuses! During this time, I also read craft books, watched YouTube videos on publishing, was active in the Twitter writing community (when this was still a thing and a great place to be), beta read for people, and joined a critique group. By the time I’d finished the draft – nine months later than planned, but I finished it – I was hooked! I knew I wanted to keep doing this, to get better at it, and to eventually publish something.
Since then, I’ve written around five (Who’s counting? I am; I have a spreadsheet, of course!) finished manuscripts (all MG or teen), completed writing courses, submitted to competitions, was mentored by a professional editor at the Golden Egg Academy, queried, and been reading loads of kidlit.
2. Can you tell us about how you secured agent representation.
Before signing with my agent Alice Caprio at Peters Fraser + Dunlop, I’d been in an and out of the query trenches for about six years, starting in 2020 with the revised version of the above-mentioned MG horror. In total, I queried four projects, two of those at the same time though. I queried my agent through the normal querying process, she requested the full, then asked to have a call. She didn’t offer representation then, because while she liked the manuscript, she didn’t have a clear vision for it. But I had the opportunity to pitch her a new project I’d written in the meantime, which she asked to read, and she offered representation after that! So, always be prepared to pitch your work!
3. Why did you decide to join the WriteMentor Hub?
I joined the WriteMentor Hub last year, but I’ve been aware of WriteMentor since around 2020. I have always been a fan of all WriteMentor has to offer, like the mentoring programme, the novel competitions and WOWCON. So, I knew there were some really lovely people involved who are a wonderful positive force in the writing community. And then a writing friend recommended the Hub to me, and I decided to give it a go.
4. What’s your favourite thing about being a Hub member?
The other members! I think it’s such a fantastically supportive and friendly online space. It offers so many ways for writers at various levels of their writing career to connect, to learn about writing and the industry, to celebrate together, and to commiserate together. I tend to write in the mornings before work, and one of the first things I do is to check in with other writers who are also sitting down to write!
The regular interviews with agents and authors are also always great with interesting insights into the publishing industry, and before I got my agent, I enjoyed the thrill of the monthly PitchHero agent pitching event.
5. What is your best piece of writing advice?
To just do it! It seems silly, but I am a huge overthinker, so I can think of a million reasons why now might not be the best time to write or why this project might not be right or why my writing might not be good. But ultimately, you’ll only finish the draft, if you actually start it, you’ll only improve, if you keep writing, and you’ll only be agented/published if you have manuscripts (most likely multiple!) to put out there. So, keep writing, even when you don’t have your perfect desk setup or you don’t feel inspired or it’s just plain hard.
And read loads!
6. Why do you think it’s important for writers to be part of a community?
When you’re in the middle of a draft, lost in a world of your own creation, it can be easy to forget sometimes, but it is so important to build a community around you. Anything that you’re going through is likely something someone else will have experienced already. It definitely makes me feel less alone on this journey, less like everything is just against me personally, when things don’t work out. Having other people who understand what it is you’ve thrown yourself into, who know all the acronyms and abbreviations, and can understand the significance of something like getting an agent is just so helpful. I’m lucky to have family and friends who are hugely supportive and interested in my writing journey, but it’s also nice to sometimes be able to say something to a writer friend who gets it straight-away without me having to explain it.
Plus, it’s a great way to (beta)read books for free! 😉
https://www.instagram.com/leonnilark/
https://substack.com/@leonnilark
Writing can be lonely, but it doesn’t need to be
May the Force be with you!
Stuart, Florianne and Melissa
A great interview with the lovely Leonni Lark! Interesting to learn about her journey. Showing how hard work and determination finally led to agent representation. And I'm completely with her on the writing community being invaluable . Write Mentor Hub being one of the best (if not the best) 🤩