How to Write a Novel - Arts Council UK

The question of how to receive an Arts Council Grant in the UK is one writers (in the UK at least) think about often. The following link, niftily entitled "Show Me The Money," is a useful posting by the writer Tom Vowler about how to get these Arts Council Awards. I am currently taking Tom's advice and I will find out in about 1-2 months whether my application has been successful. The recipe for success, in Tom's eyes, is to essentially demonstrate that writing is not an entirely solitary pursuit, that a point does come when you reach out to the community, and the earlier the better. Hence Tom's blog, which receives a decent readership (one marker of which is that most of his posts receive comments). In addition, the Arts Council itself points out that a high number of applicants (40-50%) do achieve these Awards, even if a high percentage are also rejected. I would add that applying for an Arts Council Grant - money that is essentially awarded to the UK Arts Council to regional offices around the country - is sourced from the UK Lottery. No irony intended. But even if these Grants are hard to attain, you can definitely improve your chances by being in contact with your regional "assessor," by demonstrating a track record of community action - readings at local bookshops or community centers, or God forbid, writing a blog on the subject of writing. It all adds up.

If you're successful, you get to wear this logo on your promotional material, website, as a header or sidebar on your blog. Good luck!