Writing when you know people are reading

It's not just you and your keyboard anymore

I’m writing a new book that I’m not allowed to tell you about yet. It’s been a very different experience to my other projects.

When I drafted the first two cat café books, my publisher hadn’t released anything from me yet. I finished drafting the second book, Cake Off at the Cat Café, and had been through all my story development edits on that book before the first one, Snowed In at the Cat Café, was even released. Essentially, even though I had a contract with a publishing house, I was still writing those books in isolation. I didn’t have any reviews or star ratings. I didn’t have sales numbers. I wasn’t being tagged in Instagram posts from all over the world. I didn’t have lovely readers messaging me to tell me how much they enjoyed reading them.

Now, these are all amazing things and I’m so incredibly grateful to everyone who sends me positive reviews and kind messages, and tags me in posts. It means the world to me to know people are enjoying my stories, and that they’re selling. I spent so long struggling to get published (read the whole story here if you wish), so this used to be a distant daydream for me.

I self-published a few things before my traditional book deal, but even then, I wrote those books before I hit publish on anything. And I did not have the same kind of success with those books, either.

Drafting an entire book after publication? It’s hard!

It’s no longer just you and your keyboard.

You are in the Public Eye now. 👁️ And sometimes, you will feel it lingering over your shoulder.

There are more questions that fill your mind as the story comes alive. Especially if your first draft isn’t quite working. (Spoiler alert: mine isn’t and I need to overhaul a lot of things.) Mainly, is this book as good as the first one/the others? Aka, does it suck? How can I make it GOOD? (The question that haunts me the most.) And others: will it be received as well? Will it sell as well? Will readers like it? Will they think this character is an idiot? Do I, the author, think this character is an idiot too?

Spending seven years being rejected before getting a book deal did give me a thicker skin, there’s no doubt about that. But there’s also a kind of freedom in that stage of a writing journey, where you don’t have to think about these things yet. Where it’s just you and a blank page.

If I’d said that to my past self, she would have laughed in my face. I used to hear authors say this type of thing and think but I’d do anything to be where they are! When we’re striving for our dreams and ambitions, it’s easy to get so caught up in the future, instead of the present.

Saying this doesn’t mean authors aren’t grateful for where we are. I am so grateful to be here after such a long rejection journey – so grateful it’s hard to express. But there’s a lot of good in the journey too, and a lot of things to be appreciated along the way.

If you are a writer or a creative too, please remember to enjoy your journey just as much as you enjoy the rewards. I promise, there are things to be enjoyed along the way, even when you’re mired in rejection and it doesn’t feel like it. It all comes back to enjoying what we all truly love to do – the making of the art – and focusing on that.

In cracking apart my current draft like an egg so I can cook it properly, I have to try to remember that this is part of the process I love. Getting to the root of the story. Figuring out the right pieces. Even when it seems painful, I know the story will be better for it and that discovery element is part of what I love about writing.

Ah, cats, the masters of living in the moment

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Things I’ve been enjoying lately…

📚 What I’ve been reading – I’ve been tearing through The Bodyguard by Katherine Center on my Kindle! It’s such a funny, feel-good read and the perfect comfort book. I’m really tired of these cold, grey days here in the UK and it boosts my mood every time I pick it up.

📺 What I’ve been watching – I love kdramas – specifically romance ones, even if they do make me cry. My latest obsession is Our Beloved Summer, a second-chance romance following two exes who first starred in a documentary together in high school. They reunite to film a second documentary years later. One thing I love about this kdrama is the cinematography. Every scene is shot like you’re experiencing someone’s beautiful daydream: gorgeous lighting, set design, locations. It’s a feast for the eyes, but it’s also really enjoyable, fun, and easy to watch.

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Now I’m off to work on overhauling and fixing this shoddy first draft until it clicks into place. More from me next month when Cake Off at the Cat Café will be releasing (and I will be eating doughnuts to celebrate). If you haven’t pre-ordered yet, please consider doing so as it really does help!