Beginner's Luck

How are you all? One of the few great things about this strange year is that we have all had time to slow down and take stock. Clearing the decks I found the first story I had published when I was eighteen. I wrote it on a manual typewriter, a single draft in half an hour and was paid the equivalent of £1000 today. That is the easiest it has ever been. Beginner's luck.

It has been a tough year for us all - but being stuck in the UK during lockdown has given me the chance to take part in some amazing conferences and courses around the world. I've learnt about podcasting and how to publish ebooks (putting out five backlist titles, including the English language version of Silent Music which comes out this autumn in Germany). I've done the MVLF Hist Fic conference, the RNA Conference (and won a highly commended in the Elizabeth Goudge Trophy), did a masterclass with Sebastian Faulks (look at Arvon for similar classes), the Bookseller Marketing and PR Conference, St Hilda's College Crime conference, an amazing five week course on cross-genre fiction with Kate Forsyth and the Sydney based Australian Writer's Centre. I've listened to Hilary Mantel's Reith lectures, and Catherine Isaac's interviews with fellow authors, and discovered great new podcasts like Bianca Marais 'The Shit No One Tells You About Writing'. (I also watched a lot of Schitt's Creek, failed to bake sourdough and still don't speak fluent French). These writing resources are all recommended - follow the links if they appeal to you. Instead of a planned writing residential, I also spent a week working with beloved friends from the MA, and we meet every month taking it in turns to run workshops. Anstey Harris of our cohort is starting a new IGTV series talking to writers, too. It's old advice but finding the support of a writing group is hands down the best way to start writing. 

So this year I have written a lot, and edited more, and read, and learnt and been all: yeah, take this covid - fall down seven times, stand up eight! Fail, fail better!

And yet. 

Let's be honest. A lot of us are finding it hard to keep going. It is really, really hard to feel creative when your children are off school and you wake up morning after morning for months on end terrified the infrastructure of your life is about to fall apart. 

If this rings a bell with you I thought I'd share some of the most inspiring things I've read and heard recently. Hope this helps:

- Sam Missingham gathered together advice from a stellar group of authors for anyone just starting out. From lovely Jill Mansell sharing how it took eight books for her career to take off, to Kit de Waal's advice to 'dig deeper' this is an amazing post.

- The Woman & Home masterclass with Charlotte Mursell and Cathy Bramley was inspiring. I choked on my coffee when lovely Cathy said of rejection: "I've not been in that situation". I still can't remember which A list US author starts her stage show by dumping two suitcases of rejection letters but that is a far more usual course for most authors.

- Time and time again I've heard authors echo my own experience: resilience is everything. Mursell said: "Persist. Keep going. Read widely."

- Cally Taylor in conversation with Catherine Isaac and on a podcast about turning to crime (writing), recounted how when the sales team demanded her second book had 'Christmas' in the title she felt 'lost ... two books and done'. So many bells ringing it was like a campanologist's convention. And yet the next publisher 'worked magic' and she has now had six Sunday Times bestsellers. Sometimes what feels like a setback can be the best thing to happen to you. Again Cally said: 'go away and write something else. Don't give up.'

- at the end of our five week course, Kate Forsyth told us: 'the art of creativity is about steadfastness. Talent plus inspiration plus endurance.'

- Jane Green put it brilliantly: 'to write you need a PhD - Persistence, Humility and Discipline'. Jane also said, 'you have to love the journey'. 

I am lucky. I have loved books and reading and writing my whole life, and I've seen my work published and read around the world. It was a dream which became a goal and I've loved (almost) every step of the way. No - it's not easy. For every shiny new debut who sweeps in with six figure advances there are plenty of us taking the steady route described by the incredible writers in Sam Missingham's post in the hope that the next book is 'the one'. To be honest I have had more sleepless nights over my work than I ever did over broken hearts but perhaps that is the way it should be when you really care about writing the best books you can. Much of your success is 'beyond your control' as Count Valmont said. 'It's luck and it's not fair' a ST bestselling Richard & Judy picked author told me recently. So what can you do? 

Keep writing. Keep learning. Keep getting better. Love the journey. And as Bianca Marais ends her podcasts: remember, it just takes one yes

Meanwhile, in the UK Children in Read is raising money for Children in Need. I've joined a host of great authors auctioning books. If you would like to bid for the chance to have a character named after you in my next novel and a signed copy of The Perfume Garden, bid here.

Stay well, stay safe.