A puzzle with no pieces, shifting goal posts and lemons

Some things I've learned about writing books

I love reading about how other authors and writers tackle the challenges of making art and being in the business of publishing. Here are a few things I’ve struggled with and have been thinking about lately.

1. It never gets any easier.

I’m writing book six and if someone had told me a few years ago that I’d be writing my sixth book I wouldn’t have believed them, but I also would have assumed that if I’d written five, I’d kind of know what I was doing by now. The problem is that each new book is a very particular kind of new challenge. I’ve had to come to accept that there’s no easy formula that can be applied (unfortunately), beyond knowing that you have to somehow find characters whose unique emotional life/flaws/humanity is deeply intwined with a story and the thing that the story is trying to say about the world.

Into that mix needs to go enough tension and intrigue to keep the reader interested, and complex enough characters to make them invested. It also needs to mean something. And the writing and tone need to fit all of the above. That’s the benchmark for what I want to write anyway (and also what I hope for when I read). So, when you break it all down, it’s a new puzzle to assemble each time, a puzzle with no pieces initially, and that’s why it’s never going to get easier. Crucially, I’ve found that by accepting this as part of the uncomfortable process - sitting with the unknown - resistance to the struggle is lessened.

2. BUT nothing beats the feeling of finishing a book.

Mainly because so many times you wanted to give up along the way. Or you simply didn’t know what you were doing faffing about in someone’s head, moving them around a make-believe world of your own construction. Some days (like today), it’s like getting lemon in a cut. It stings just trying to get the words down (and so you write a newsletter instead) and yet the next day you need to turn up with some hope that if you keep going the blockage will clear and there will be flow again. This is why concluding the journey you’ve taken your characters (and yourself) on and finally getting the puzzle finished feels so momentous.

3. Writing teaches me what I think about the world.

I’ve heard this said before and it’s definitely something I can relate to. I often don’t know what I think about an issue until I write it down. There’s something about the act of writing (which, incidentally, uses a different part of the brain to talking) that allows me to clarify and crystalise my thoughts and beliefs. I write a journal because of this very fact. It’s a form of therapy. If I have a few weeks blank in my journal, it’s usually because I’ve been really content and haven’t needed to thrash things out! And one of my favourite things about writing books is seeing other people analyse them and reflect back to me things I didn’t even consciously know I was trying to say. Sometimes you say things unconsciously as well. It’s a mysterious process but I don’t question it anymore.

4. Social media is a necessary evil.

The apps, and social media, is one of the topics of book five (which is in edit stage). It’s something I’ve wanted to explore deeply for a long time. I’m fascinated by how it’s changed our lives, our sense of self, our work. And I wrestle with its impact every day. On the one hand it’s the way I’m able to connect with amazing readers, who DM me to say they read my book. It has helped me find an incredible group of author, writer and reader friends – both online and IRL. I meet bookstagrammers at launches all the time and it’s fantastic. And this is the beautiful part of Instagram – this giant network of book obsessives. And I’m so grateful for that. BUT there is also a darker side that I think we all sense at times. It’s comparison, grass is always greener, envy, FOMO. You know what it feels like. The constant scrolling, the feelings of worthlessness that sometimes creep in. Just the space it takes up that edges out the places that we need to be able to feel free and content in our lives. And that is hard. I had an author tell me that she puts her phone in her car boot to stop herself from reaching for it while she’s writing. I put it down the other end of the house. And it’s an ongoing challenge but one that I know I need to manage or it will sap the creativity out of me.

5. The goalposts keep shifting.

At first the only thing I wanted was to finish writing a book to know that I could. And then it was to get an agent. And then it was to be published and see my book in a bookshop. And then it was to publish a second book so I could prove it wasn’t a fluke the first time. Then it was an international deal, then it’s having your book optioned for the screen. I have just announced that my next book is being published in the US. I am, of course, completely and utterly thrilled by this development. But my point is, that making art and the business of publishing are two very different things. If you lose sight of the art making, if you focus too much on the shifting goal posts I think you compromise your art and it’s easy to feel disillusioned or forget why you do this strange thing. I try as much as possible to simply be grateful to be able to keep writing and for someone to want to put my words into book format.

6. Which leads onto … the only thing you can control is the writing.

This sounds obvious but it’s what I come back to more and more. So much of a book’s life after it’s gone to print is at the whims of things that you cannot know, control or influence. Some people are going to love it, others won’t. That’s the nature of art and creating something that is subjective. I’ve also heard it say that the publishing industry is based on hunches. So, really, you just have to listen to your own instincts, believe in your characters, make them people you want to spend time with for days and months and years on end, let them guide you. Enjoy and nurture the strange magic when it comes to you. Try to enjoy the process (see points no. 1 and 2).

7. Now … I guess I should take my own advice and get back to the writing …