Asking authors how they write is like asking cooks how they bake a cake. There's one basic recipe, but they all do it differently. What's more, each one thinks their way is best, whether we're talking novel or Victoria sponge.
The Rise and Fall of Sadie McQueen
I never get bored of writing. It helps that I write under various pen names in various genres. Some days I work on a romantic comedy, other days I work on more emotional, slower paced tales. Once upon a time I produced a book of rhymes to help four year olds learn their times tables and that job nearly killed me. Every now and then I go very dark, writing psychological stories of intrigue and revenge.
The process of choosing a new pen name for a change of genre is complex. Everybody, from writer to agent to publisher, must be happy with the end result. At first, I squirmed at the thought of assuming another name, but now I enjoy it. It's the closest I'll get to being an international woman of mystery.
Sometimes the strands cross over. I'll race happily through a chapter, typing like the wind, only to discover that I've turned my giddy rom-com heroine into a bitter woman hell bent on bloody revenge. Or vice versa.
Add to this stew that I sometimes co-write with my husband and you can see why I occasionally suffer an identity crisis when I can't remember who I am and what the hell I'm writing. People ask how my other half and I write together and stay married; we answer that if you are good at being married you are probably going to be good at writing books together. Both require the same skills of diplomacy and openness and cooperation. In other words, the self-same techniques we use getting our daughter out of the door and off to school every morning. Like much in life, it either works or it doesn't; it's all in the chemistry.
One thing nobody tells you about writing for a living is that it's a job like any other. Yes, you get to spend your days knee-deep in stories, and yes, you get to create a whole universe where everything happens according to your whims, but you also need to sit at a desk for hours at a time. Books take a long time a-writing. That novel you devour over a weekend took six months writing, two months editing and endless hours of obsessing. (This is not, by the way, a complaint; if we get it right, you should devour the book in one gulp and never give a fig for how it came to be written.)
Carving out dedicated time to write can be a challenge, especially for women, but I've always been ruthless. I have a study (small, perfectly formed, with an all-important kettle) and I shut the door and I sit. Then I sit some more. Music helps me focus, although I'm distracted by lyrics. A constantly refilled cup of tea is a necessity, as is a will of iron to keep me away from Twitter. Bad backs are a fact of life for authors, so I keep my spine happy with a sensible chair and I keep my bottom happy with a soft cushion.
Sometimes very little happens; other times I can't keep up with my ideas. If there is any magic involved, it's the simple magic of repetition. If you keep turning up, and keep bashing out the words, then eventually – voila! - you've written a novel.
The Fall and Rise of Sadie McQueen is published on 26th December by Simon & Schuster (price £7.99 paperback original and £2.99 ebook)
Link: https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/The-Fall-and-Rise-of-Sadie-McQueen/Juliet-Ashton/9781471168406