I realise that my writing is a hugely important constant in my life. It’s got me up in the morning. It’s kept me busy. My latest work in progress, and watching it unfold, has given each day a sense of normality and continuity. It has been a distraction from the chaos and tragedy happening around me locally and in the world. I’m incredibly grateful for this. Writing is my friend. It’s given me a purpose and passion at this very challenging time.

More than ever I respect the romantic comedy genre. During lockdown my thirteenth book, The Summer Island Swap has been published and reviewers have kindly said what a welcome escape the story is from our current difficult situation. I’ve had comments like these before about my books, as other romcom authors will have, from readers who’ve been having a hard time and found that such stories give them a momentary break. There is a certain snobbery out there towards romance books but lockdown has shown clearly how much people need fictional escapism and happy-ever-afters when the real world is a scary place.

Writer’s block – I’ve always written through it before and have done so again these last months. When the pandemic was unfolding in the UK, in late March, and throughout April and May, I had to write my Christmas 2020 novel. I soldiered on, putting finger to keyboard, telling myself that was the main thing, the rewrite could sort out any mess. But this time I discovered writer’s block on a whole new level. Yes, I eventually achieved the wordage I wanted but I felt blocked when it came to working out the structure of the overall plot arcs and the pace. With daily mortality rates and Covid 19 guidelines appearing minute by minute on social media, with daily worries on a personal level, I just couldn’t focus. So I guess lockdown has shown me that writer’s block isn’t as simple as I once thought. It’s not just about not being able to increase that word count. It’s also about not being able to get your head around the big things like developing character and expanding the themes.

And leading on from this I appreciate my agent more than ever. I’ve always thought she was amazingly supportive, especially with the editorial support she offers, but recently I’ve felt I need it on a different level. Her fresh pair of eyes has been able to offer perspective on the bigger aspects of the story and she’s given me confidence in what I’ve written. Between us I feel we’ve really been able to shape that sticky first draft  into a book I’m so excited about and can’t wait to share in October!

I’ve also appreciated her support around the fact that due to lockdown, I struggled to meet my deadline and needed her to ask for it to be pushed back a bit. All the editors I’ve ever worked with have been brilliantly flexible about this but still, it’s been great, during lockdown, to have one less thing to worry about.

Authors sometimes ask me about my view on agents. I find mine indispensable.

Finally, I’ve always thought of myself as a bit of a hermit writing from home, reading, watching Netflix in the evenings… however during lockdown I’ve been surprised at just how much I miss meeting up with my writing friends in real life. A group of us have coffee together in Manchester once a month and haven’t been able to do that for ages. Plus the Romantic Novelists’ Association is celebrating its Diamond Anniversary this year and has had to cancel various events, including a special summer party in June. I last saw my romance friends at an awards ceremony at the beginning of March and had such a lovely time. Social media is great but there’s nothing quite like a face to face chat where you can discuss things you might not want to share online, and have a good-humoured chat about the latest ups and downs of your career.

To sum up, due to lockdown, I’m more grateful than ever for my writing and the people connected to the industry who support it – my agent, my fellow authors, the readers who give feedback.

It’s been a horrendous time so any positives are welcome. And I end this post sending my thanks to keyworkers and love to everyone who’s been struggling.

This doesn’t mean to say that authors aren’t facing challenges. Especially those of you looking after ill relatives or home-schooling young children – or for whom writing isn’t your full-time work and you are trying to juggle the demands of another job from home. Hats off to you all.

We’re sensitive souls and in my experience turmoil in real life heavily impacts on creativity. And I speak personally, having a deadline at the end of May that I’ve got to meet and am struggling with.

So here are my five tips to keep working.

Firstly – and  most importantly – be kind to yourself. By this I mean don’t beat yourself up if you miss a daily word count goal. We’ve got to get through this lockdown as best we can. As the UN General Secretary said, it’s the biggest challenge for the world since World War Two. So don’t consider yourself a failure if you are slipping behind. We all have less head space at the moment. Other priorities have come to the fore.

Secondly – take it one day at a time. Try not to look too far into the future. I have a deadline for my Christmas book on the 25th May. In all honesty I’m not 100% sure I will make it. The best way I can cope is not to think about that. I just look at each day. See what I can achieve. Do my best to congratulate myself that slowly the word count is mounting up.

It reminds me of when I got help in 2016 for my mental health. I used to worry about the future and past way too much.  The man who got me sober told me off for thinking I had a crystal ball. Treatment taught me there is absolutely no point in wondering and worrying about what might be. There is no point in trying to second-guess when lockdown might end. There is no point having sleeping nights about whether you will hit your deadline. Worrying won’t alter what happens. So just keep ploddng on, little by little, in the present moment.

In fact a lot of what I learnt to get sober and in AA is helping me enormously.
One day at a time. Keep on keeping on. Accept the things you can’t change. Keep it simple.

Thirdly – structure your week. Even though my Christmas deadline is pressing, and I have promotional work to do for my summer novel, The Summer Island Swap, coming out on the 7th May,  I do not work at weekends, apart from a little social media. I bake. Read. Watch movies. My family and I dress up for dinner on a Saturday to try to  make the weekend feel different (this means I wear jeans instead of joggers!) As a result I feel really fresh Monday morning and keen to carry on with my project.

I also try to think of my working week as having some sort of structure – Tuesday morning I do a food bank drop-off, Thursday night I do the NHS clap, Monday and Tuesday evening I watch EastEnders… it may sound silly but thinking of the week in that way gives me a degree of normality and stops the whole of lockdown just looking like an endless void.

And make sure you take that daily exercise. A cycle ride. A walk in the sunshine – or rain! That gives your days structure as well.

ROUTINE, ROUTINE, ROUTINE is proving to be my saviour. I listened to the dawn chorus the other morning. It struck me that whatever happens the day before, the birds still get up at the same time and sing their song. And that’s what I try to do. No lie-ins or late, late nights.

Fourthly – just get anything down. This attitude has REALLY helped me forge ahead with the first draft. I’ve found it so difficult to concentrate and hold the plot lines together, everything seems muddled in my head what with catching snippets of Coronavirus news on social media… so even if I think it’s rubbish, I type, type, type. THERE IS ALWAYS THE REWRITE to pull everything together.

Finally – take regular breaks from the key board. Perhaps spend longer than usual preparing a delicious lunch. Ring a relative or friend – you’ll both feel better. Treat yourself whether that is with a daytime soap or a read with coffee and biscuits. And take an extra long break if you’re really struggling more than usual. Yesterday I just couldn’t concentrate after a few hundred words, so I did some baking, rang a relative and took a walk. And there’s no shame in that. Tomorrow is another day.

I’ll always think of my 2020 Christmas novel as the one I wrote during lockdown. From that point of view it will have been the hardest I’ve ever written. Yet, at the same time, I’m grateful for the escape it is offering me and us writers are lucky to have that outlet. More than ever I’ve enjoyed disappearing into the cosy festive environment I’ve created.

Best of luck with your projects and spending part of the days ahead in your fictional worlds. I know it’s hard but you can do it and start by being kinder to yourself

When I found out, a while back, that my book Knowing You, from publisher Canelo, had been shortlisted that was exciting enough. I genuinely never expected to win as all the other contenders in this category were so strong.

It was a glittering event, with sparkles on dresses and in glasses, held at the Leonardo Royal London City hotel in Tower Bridge, London. I got there very early with my husband, so in my black faux fur coat I headed off to Starbucks for a fortifying hot chocolate. We got back to the hotel at 5 and I headed upstairs for the formal photographs. Then my husband, along with everyone else, came up at 6.30.

What a wonderful ceremony. Charming Anton du Beke from Strictly Come Dancing was there, as a nominee, along with author legends Sophie Kinsella and Carole Matthews, and comedian and author Jenny Eclair presented the awards. The wonderful Jane Wenham-Jones, looking amazing as usual, hosted.

My award was handed to me by Jackie Collins’ granddaughter – an absolute honour. I am so thrilled (no pun intended), however tenuous the link, to be connected to her inspirational grandmother.

The ceremony passed in a daze – I sat there, feeling a little tearful I admit, and just so happy, wondering how this could have happened. Writing is an up and down career and the moments like this make it worthwhile.  Here I am with my husband, and agent Clare Wallace from the Darley Anderson agency.

Then we enjoyed a lovely buffet and everyone mingled, catching up with friends.

I’m so grateful to my agent, husband and children for the support they’ve shown me over recent years. It’s been a difficult time. As regular readers of this blog know, I’ve faced and tackled mental health issues since 2016 – and the eating challenges I’ve struggled with still rear their head from time to time, especially around events like this which, whilst exciting, tap into any body image/dysmorphia insecurities.

But I forced myself to face my fears, just like I did for the event last year when I was shortlisted, and I’m so glad I did.

And you can too as long as you keep telling yourself the truth – that fears are just that, and not actual fact

Decide whose story it is. This isn’t just about point of view. My latest release, The Christmas Calendar Girls, is written in the first person, from journalist Fern’s perspective, but the story is also about the journey of new  man in town Kit. Fern must move on from the death of her husband. Kit must move on from a troubled, secretive past. Think about who you really want the reader to connect with. It is those characters you want them to invest in, so that their heart is in reaching the end and finding out if everything is resolved – or not.

Ask yourself to what degree you want those significant characters to change during the course of the chapters – because change they must. Otherwise what is the point? The character/s you really want your readers to be interested in must, in my opinion as a reader and writer, go on a journey, learn something about themselves and in some way be different by the end. Strong character development, as the plot plays out, is one of the important things that will hook your reader.

I’ve just read a beautiful story called The Girl I Used To Know by Faith Hogan. It is about two neighbouring women. One must overcome the present. One must overcome the past. It is watching this process of change, in them both, that made the read so compelling.

Are the stakes high enough? This change your characters undergo can’t be too easy to achieve – they must suffer for it! Overcome challenges. Nearly fail. Feeling like giving up. Face a degree of risk. The reader must become their cheerleader, hoping against hope that everything will work out in the end. Or perhaps the opposite…maybe one of the significant characters is not likeable and the reader is compelled to see how they change –  either through redemption or getting their comeuppance.

I’ve recently read Trickster by Sam Michaels, a great gangland story set in Battersea just as World War One is announced. It’s very much a story about female empowerment and the main character, Georgina, must find a way to be independent and consolidate her position as a woman locals respect. For her the stakes could not be higher – abuse, possibly worse – and this totally invested me in the story and made me reluctant to put the book down until I had finished it. As did the journey of one vile character, Billy. Would he change for the better? Or would he get his just desserts?

Is the concept high enough to attract the book browser’s attention? What’s the one-line premise of your story that will make someone stop to read the rest of the blurb? It doesn’t necessarily need to be really *out there* like, say Twilight – *teenage boy turns out to be 104 year old vampire*. But, essentially, this is about what makes your story stand out as different.

The Christmas Calendar Girls revolves around the concept of a living advent calendar. I’ve not heard of another romance story that contains this event. I wasn’t even sure what it was when I first heard about it! When I did research on the subject the whole idea fascinated me and I felt it would be a wonderful concept to base a novel on and that, being a little different, it might catch the attention of readers.

In other words, what is your book’s USP – Unique Selling Point? Due to the rise of the ebooks there are more novels than ever out there – why should a reader pick yours?

And finally… Have fun! This is the stage where your imagination can really run wild, before your inner critic, beta reader, agent or editor get involved!  You may need to tailor you initial ideas but get those creative juices flowing. That initial buzz  – a bit like falling in love –  should carry you through the project!

Good luck!

But I hate to tell you – this isn’t The End. Really, it’s only the beginning. The first draft of a novel is like baking two sponges for a fancy cake. The real work starts after that, creating the filling and topping,  making sure it stands up straight, decorating the top with small details that are so essential for the bigger picture and can make all the difference.

And that’s what you have to do after writing the first draft. Pull the whole thing  – characters, plot, subplot, settings, prose… so that the overall experience of reading it is going to be amazing for the book buyer.

After I’ve written The End, patted myself on the back, celebrated in some way (coffee and cake usually) and taken a short break (some people swear by stepping away for longer, we’re all different) I then mentally rub my hands together and get stuck in again.

First off, I concentrate on three main things:

I ask myself if I have really started the story at the beginning of the action – at the crux of what sends the main character on a journey. I’ve had eleven books published but still, to this day, when I get feedback from my agent it’s usually along the lines of  “Do you think it would be better to start the story at your Chapter Two?” EVERY TIME I write a first chapter full of back story, setting up the plot, introducing details about the protagonists… But all of this can be slotted in later on. In that first chapter you want to grab the reader’s attention and give them a real idea of the main character’s motivation.

My 2018 romantic comedy, One Summer in Rome, is a good example of this. Mary quits her job and flees to Rome, hoping to leave her problems behind her. In my first draft the first chapter was all about showing how her life was in England, her former awful boss, the confrontation that led up to her quitting… In the final draft (the one published) the first chapter sees her already at the airport, setting off on her new adventure.

So when I begin a second draft I ask, is that first chapter really necessary or it is mostly a part of the story that can be woven in later on? Am I using it to get going with the main plot, or is it a comforting chapter for me as the author, to try to  make the reader understand my character as well as I do? Remember, in real life when you meet someone for the first time, you don’t tell them everything about yourself at that first meeting… little bits of your life come out, over time, as the friendship develops. And it’s the same with your novel – the reader doesn’t need to know the protagonist’s whole life history before the story really starts. And you want to grab their attention. So I try to cut more or less straight to the event that kicks off the main plot.

Secondly, I ask myself – are the stakes high enough? Because if they aren’t, how can I expect the reader to become invested in my main character and care enough to read on and find out what happens to them? In my last book, for example – Knowing You – Violet is unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend which takes her on a journey of discovery. The outcome of this, in the first draft, wasn’t significant enough. Only one area of her life was in danger of imploding if things turned out badly. I needed to change this in order to get the reader really involved and rooting for Violet. So her love life was messed up – but what if, say, her career became affected as well?

I’m always surprised, at the end of a first draft, how much further I can push my character to the edge once I’ve asked this question. Sounds as if I’m cruel, doesn’t it, but I do love my protagonists! And it’s because of that I really want to turn the readers into their cheerleaders. By the end of a novel the main character will have changed in some way – this is the purpose of their story. So I really set them challenges in order to achieve this. Think of everything Elizabeth and Mr Darcy go through in Pride and Prejudice (helped by the minor characters and societal rules of the time) in order to finally express their love for each other.

And finally, is the world I’ve created detailed enough? Will the reader become totally immersed in it? To help with this I make sure I have described the book’s world using all five senses. Forgive Me Not is about a Emma, a recovering alcoholic who used to be homeless and returns home to make amends. The story swings between flashbacks to her grey life on the streets, and the present, with her family, on the joyous farm she grew up on. I made sure I graphically conveyed the contrasting sounds, smells and sights of these two settings.

For setting books abroad the internet can be a great tool. In 2014 I wrote From Paris with Love. I’d lived in Paris as a young woman but the memories were hazy so I found a webcam online that showed a moving panoramic view of the city. I printed off an underground map. I checked to see if tourist spots had changed since my last visit there. If you are setting your story somewhere real accuracy is important but not all authors can afford a research trip so you can get around this. Game of Scones was set in Greece but I set it in a fictional village.

And being a foodie, I use food to convey the character of my settings. Aromatic pizza in One Summer in Rome, sweet homemade strawberry jam on the farm in Forgive Me Not. Details to get the reader’s mouth watering.

There are many other things to look out for when rewriting a manuscript, but these are the major ones for me.

It isn’t The End. It’s just the beginning of creating something rather exciting.

At first the usual thoughts went through my head:

It’s not fair.

Poor me.

What’s the point?

I may as well stop writing.

Everyone else is having an easier time.

The world is against me.

Ridiculous really. I’m in a great place at the moment, with a fantastic agent and brilliant publisher, writing two genres that I absolutely love – and with Knowing You recently out, a book I’m very proud of, receiving wonderful reviews. But oh yes, I had a full-on pity party. Despite all the mindfulness and Buddhism I’ve learnt about over the last couple of years, I still have meltdowns now and again – I’m only human. The difference is I pull myself out of them quicker. NetFlix and chocolate help.

And another aid to recovery is to look back on previous disappointments and see how I’ve got over them and this acts as a huge pick-me-up.

In fact I’ve listed a few here – to show those of you currently in the doldrums that things do change and move forwards. The troughs don’t last forever, even thought they feel interminable at the time.

Years of rejections.

It took me six years to get my first agent. I’ve got a folder of 80 rejections. During those years I swore I’d give up writing, it wasn’t worth the tears. In fact my young kids offered to publish me when they grew up. I’m still holding them to that, even though they are now at uni, in case my career nosedives! But yes, tough times – but I just kept going, writing and sending my work out there and eventually got to sign on a dotted line.

Up and down sales

My debut, Doubting Abbey, was a bestselling Christmas book December 2013. I even had interest from a Hollywood film producer! I thought that was it. I’d made it. All my books would continue with this success. But then the sequel From Paris with Love came out. The reviews were great and it did reach #600 in the AmazonUK charts, but it didn’t reach the dizzy heights of its predecessor. With a sharp shock I realised complacency was not going to be allowed to feature in my career.

In 2015 Game of Scones, got to #5 in the kindle chart, won the 2015 Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category and has sold 100,000 copies. The following two books didn’t sell as well. But then my summer 2016 book Breakfast Under a Cornish Sun got to #5 as well.

So for many authors there will be ups and downs along the way and after having 11 books published I realise that, and it helps me now if there are sales disappointments – who knows what is around the corner. I always say an author is only as good as their next book and this excites me and pushes me forwards. And I imagine that is the same excitement felt by agents and publishers when going through their submission pile. There are always endless possibilities. Who knows what your writing brain will come up with next?

Lack of understanding of the industry from bystanders

And it isn’t their fault. I don’t know much about any other sort of career so why should I assume bystanders understand how mine works? Indeed, before I started writing I linked a successful author career with red carpets and mansions with swimming pools. However once you’re in the thick of it, you realise what a tough career it is and the photo below reveals how unglamorous the day to day can be! It can be frustrating when yet another person asks if your life is like J K Rowling’s (I had that just last week). Or they question whether an ebook is a “real” book, or they dismiss your success if you aren’t currently in every single bookstore in the land.

Over time I’ve learned to distance myself from this and accept that the general view of what it’s like to be an author isn’t likely to change – and I’ve been lucky, most people who know about my job have been nothing but supportive. I’ve also found that joining online author groups helps immensely as you quickly realise most writers, at whatever stage, whatever their deal, to one extent or another, are going through the same problems and one of those is facing this very issue.

Rating yourself

It’s a tough one, not comparing yourself to other authors, and it’s hard to remember that us writers are not pitted against each other (even though rankings might make it seem as if we are). Over the last couple of years I’ve had counselling for eating disorder issues that have raised their head again, after 30 years. My counsellor said it was ironic that I’d chosen a career where I am being rated the whole time – Amazon rankings, reviews – as anorexics/bulimics are continually rating themselves too. And yes, it is something I struggle with. But mindfulness and Buddhism remind me to focus on my own journey. That’s what Olympian coaches do. They tell their athletes the only person they are competing against is themselves and their last personal best.

So you aren’t alone. Stop being hard on yourself. Be a little kinder to self. Sounds naff, doesn’t it? But it’s so important. Look back at your positives – an encouraging rejection, a lovely review. You are all amazing just for putting your hearts on the line and getting your words out into the public arena.

It is hard. I feel as if I am soldiering on at the moment. It’s not a 9 – 5 job that you can leave at the office. It’s can be in your thoughts 24/7. And for that reason it can sometimes feel as if you’ve been in the industry for a life-time.

So you must also take a time-check. For example I’ve had 11 books published but that has happened within only 5 1/2 years. I’m still in the early stages of my career, from many points of view. I need to remember that and remind myself of how long it takes, in other professions, to become fully trained and reach your goals.

The ups are followed by downs and the downs are always followed by ups – this is true of any personal or professional life. So to keep sane, try not to attach to either as both will pass.

I also try to remind myself that many women of my mother’s generation didn’t have a chance to follow a career. The problems I am having would have been problems they’d have love to have had. So I remind myself to be grateful

Come and say hello to me on Twitter @SamTongeWriter if you’re having a challenging time.

We’re all in this together

If the cast of your book is too wide, readers will lose track. Their is nothing more annoying than having to keep checking back, in a novel, to see who so-and-so is. And if you have too many really distinctive characters it could be overwhelming. You don’t want the minor players to outshine the leading cast members.

So I’ve always tried to shave my number of characters down to the bare minimum. The ones who survive are there for a reason. No, they mustn’t outshine the lead but they still play a crucial role, as long as they serve one or more of the following purposes:

Demonstrate the themes of the story

My last novel, Forgive Me Not, is about Emma, a recovered alcoholic, who goes home to the village of Healdbury to try to make amends after tearing apart her family and causing uproar in the community.  As the title indicates, forgiveness is a big theme of this story and the villagers reflect this. Some cannot forget her old behaviours and the trouble she caused. Others, over the course of the story come to realise they too are flawed and everyone deserves a second chance.  All the people she encounters again serve their place, even those who only appear very briefly. Like the elderly woman, in the street, shop owner Mrs Beatty, who crosses the road immediately when she sees Emma approaching on the pavement when she first returns to the village. This minor character’s one simple action tells the reader what Emma used to be like and suggests she is not going to have an easy time trying to fit back into her old life and make amends to those people she hurt.

Show something about the main character

Stig, the homeless man Emma used to know, gives the community insight into what life used to be like for her. It might be shocking for them to hear that the protagonist used to live on Manchester’s streets. It might confirm villagers’ preconceived ideas about the sort of people who end up as rough sleepers, that Emma really must be a no-good no-hoper. But then they get to know Stig, a gentle soul, who once had a good job as a geography teacher but who lost everything due to mental health problems. He demonstrates to the villagers that any one of them, given a certain set of unfortunate circumstances, could lose their home. His appearance in the novel questions any assumptions that might be made about Emma and how much she deserved to find herself homeless. He adds another dimension to her character from the villagers point of view. He is a window into where she has been for the last couple of years.

Another more minor character is runaway homeless teenager Tilly. Her purpose is to show how Emma really has changed – the Emma in addiction only thought about herself. Now she wants to help those less fortunate and Tilly brings out her maternal side.

Then there is Dash, the three-legged dog Emma grew up with. Yes, even animal characters must earn their place. He is overjoyed at her return, despite her selfish and unpredictable behaviours displayed before leaving the village.  His unconditional love shows the reader that there must be good inside her – that once she really must have been a decent person. In fact I’ve just finished a project where a kitten plays rather an important role. It is there, in the background, throughout the novel, and at the end we realise just how significant its presence has been for the main character.

They embellish the setting

In Forgive Me Not there are flashbacks to Emma’s past. A violent rough-sleeper who beats her up personifies the drab, threatening, dangerous, solitary place Emma has found herself in. Whereas the appealing rabbits and pigs on the farm in present time, with their colour and playfulness, reflect the happy, carefree, nurtured, safe, communal life she left behind.

So think carefully about your  minor characters because they contribute massively to themes, plot, setting, so many aspects of your novel. What’s their point? If they don’t have one, get rid. Like so much in writing, it won’t be a waste. They might suit a future story.

When I first started out writing I didn’t really understand what a rewrite was all about. I just thought it was for refining the words – felt I’d worked hard on my first draft and that was enough; all that remained was to check it flowed pleasantly. And to be totally honest I think part of it was laziness. It can be gruelling writing a novel – certainly when you are just starting out and aren’t used to the process – and the thought that I needed to look at the whole manuscript once more felt overwhelming.

This is probably why it took me several unpublished manuscripts to bag an agent! And to appreciate that the rewrite was a valuable opportunity to look at the project with fresh eyes – from a distance, at a less involved level, to really make sure that each component of the story (plotting, characterisation etc) was doing its job properly. And to not be scared of deconstructing the story. You have to be brave to make your novel the very best it can be.

So for anyone else who sometimes finds it difficult to know what the next step is, after finishing a first draft, the following – in my experience – are common reasons to rewrite:

The settings aren’t vibrant enough. Not only do settings help the reader visualise where the characters are, they can also reflect mood or hint at plot.  So during the rewrite I focus on really involving all of the five senses. Say my protagonist visits a coffee shop – I’ll develop the smells and noises. I’m thinking coffee grinding, a till bleeping, customers deep in chat, cutlery on plates. Delicious aromas might accompany a feel-good scene or give welcome relief after a drama, along with a warm, visually cosy decor. The amount of work you need to do will largely depend on how detailed your first draft is but speaking for myself I often get so excited about the plot and dialogue and focus on those things, that my first draft settings suffer.

By the same token characters are not fully developed. I don’t think much about my protagonist before I start a new manuscript. I just dive in and keep continually going back to tweak him/her as I go. By around Chapter 6 I usually have an in-depth idea of what they are like and can then just continue  moving forwards. However, as I mentioned above, when I write first draft I don’t do this with the minor characters that are mostly created as I go along. Consequently during the first read-through I’ve just done I even found I had to completely change some of the supporting cast’s motivations. This  meant adding in a couple of chapters. Minor characters are there to assist the plot and show important dimensions of the protagonist – how/why they were as they were, how/why they’ve changed. So whilst minor in presence, they are major in importance and should be fully thought-through and rounded.

The pace hasn’t resulted in a gripping read. There are not enough hooks to keep the reader turning the page – or there are but they are in the wrong places. Lulls in action (important because the reader needs to catch their breath) have resulted in unnecessary scenes that don’t move the plot forwards or develop the main character – this is something I personally have to watch out for. I like nothing more than sitting my characters down, for a chat, over a cup of coffee to recover from recent drama but more often than not these scenes serve no real purpose. Every page of the book has to earn its place in some way.

The narrative needs refining. For the most part my first draft is thrown down onto the page – that’s the best way I can describe it. So the metaphors or similes aren’t necessary appropriate. The rhythm of the sentences might not flow easily. There’s repetition. I might use adverbs too liberally. I might show – or tell – too much (I’m a great believer in tell having its place!) For me the main point of writing is to exactly transfer my thoughts and emotions onto the page. Sometimes this takes time, so I compromise during the first draft. The rewrite will be when I might consult my thesaurus, and will really hone my craft and rethink words and sentences with care. Because if I get hung-up on doing this during the first-draft I can lose my mojo and come to a halt. And I find it’s such a joy and so satisfying during the rewrite to really take my time and polish or restructure what’s already on the page.

The dialogue needs working on. It might not sound natural. Or may not sound unique to each character speaking it. Perhaps it contains superfluous words.  I find I am always having to remove Yes and No’s. Certain dialogue tags may not be necessary (he said, she called, etc). And this time around I had to remove many nods and smiles that accompanied my characters’ speech.

And other aspects of editing, editing, editing such as tightening sentences and checking continuity, the timeline and tense. Book 11 was written in the first person present, this Book 12 in the first person past. On reading through I found that I’d slipped into the present many times and had to change that.

Also double-check your facts. If you include anything written in a foreign language, is it correct? Have you thoroughly researched anything historical? What about locations? If, like me, you don’t do all of the necessary research before the first draft, then the rewrite process may not involve checking but finding out things for the first time.

Take a step back from your personal experience. As writers we inevitably put ourselves and aspects of our lives into our stories – emotions, themes, perhaps even characters or plot. This is ploughed into the first draft. But don’t make the mistake of thinking this means you don’t need to still do research. My latest release, Forgive Me Not was inspired by my own journey through addiction services but I still found I needed to interview case workers to make sure the detail of the novel was spot on. It’s also about Alzheimer’s and my family has suffered experience of this – but everyone’s experience is unique and I still researched how this disease might have affected other people differently. During the rewrite take a step back and consider if you have explored all aspects of your themes or if it’s one-sided by being simply based on what you’ve gone through yourself.

Some rewrites need to be more brutal – and this may be discovered after passing your manuscript on to a trusted beta reader, editor or agent. I virtually had to start Forgive Me Not again from scratch and I blogged about that here.

Whatever your reasons to rewrite accepting, in advance, that there will be some helps soften the blow when you come to that first read-through or receive initial feedback. First drafts are never oven-ready for publication and try to see this as a positive. Don’t be afraid of cutting or reconstructing. Now it’s your chance to really make that precious story sing!

Good luck!

One – my debut being published didn’t change my life to fit my fantasies. My book wasn’t turned into a movie. Brad Pitt didn’t star. I wasn’t invited onto Graham Norton’s sofa. I didn’t turn into a glamour puss or overnight become the owner of a Porsche.

The fulfilment came in different ways – a lovely review. Interest from family and friends. Support from the wonderful writing community. I soon realised it’s these immaterial things that mean so much.

Two – The release of each book (I’ve had ten published now) is just as terrifying and exhilarating as the last. Five years on and I realise that however well a novel does, you are only as good as your next book so that means you are always nervous about the publication of something new.

Three – it’s really hard work promoting a book. I never realised quite how much an author had to do, especially if they don’t have a PR person on hand to help. My first publisher gave me an information pack that gave guidelines and before I knew it I was tweeting, had a Facebook author  page, was on Pinterest and Goodreads, I ran a blog…

I’m lucky. I enjoy social media greatly but even I find it challenging at times and whilst it wasn’t to blame, it didn’t help the mental health problems I faced in 2016 (I talk about those here).

Four – I discovered that special breed The Blogger! Bloggers are amazing. Generous. Efficient. Supportive. They offer up their time, for free, to help promote and review books. And they are the loveliest people.

Five – I thought that after releasing many books some of the inner excitement might have worn off but I still get the same, huge kick from seeing my sales rank rise on Amazon or reading a great review. I was beside myself with excitement when I saw the cover for my new women’s fiction story Forgive Me Not. Those things never cease to thrill me.

Six –  I never predicted how being published would feed into the eating disorder issues I’d had for years. I guess, looking back, it’s obvious. It’s hard not to see yourself as a brand and with that comes expectations. I’m still striving to separate Sam the person from Samantha Tonge author. I try to see the ups and downs of my career as a professional journey that doesn’t reflect the worth or success of me. I blog about my tips for good authorly mental health here.

Seven – publishers are businesses. I don’t think that sank in before I got published. This means many things such as… they will have favourite authors and the chances are it may not be you! But that’s favourite in terms of who they think will sell. If an editor acquires you, have no doubt, it means they think your writing is the bees knees. They may just have other authors whose work is more commercial and hooky and will bring in more income.

Eight – It’s consolidated who I think I am in a way I didn’t expect. I know my destiny now – what it always was and where it’s going. I know. That sounds a little precious. But it’s true. I felt a degree of that before publication, but signing that deal and –  more specifically – finally getting readers and their feedback has made me one hundred percent sure.

Nine – I still feel like giving up sometimes. I thought that would stop once I was published, but it doesn’t. Getting a book deal is fabulous but it does present you with a different set of problems. I’ve had ups and downs, successes and disappointments. I remember seeing an Olympian interviewed who’d won Gold the previous season and she was asked how fantastic that must have felt. Her response was fairly muted – yes, it was great, but winning brings expectations. And that’s how I feel but I try to remember that mostly those expectations are from me, my perfectionist side, and I need to keep them boxed up.

Ten – Whilst I do occasionally feel like giving up, I never forget how amazingly lucky I am to be doing a job I love and to leave a legacy behind, even if it is just a few thousand words! I still remember the pain of agent rejections and having to ditch yet another project and not forgetting this gives me perspective when a problem with my career rears its head.

There are worse problems to have

However sometimes you have to accept that there comes a point when it is best – it is the right thing – to let go of a project.

My ninth book, One Summer in Rome, is just about to be published and previous to my debut I wrote several other novels that are are firmly under my bed now. So why did I give up on them? Surely I could have improved and rewritten those stories?

Here are the main reasons, in my opinion, why for some stories the answer is no.

It’s your first ever book

Looking back I had a sense of entitlement with the first novel I wrote in 2005. What an achievement, I thought – and it was – but I decided completing my goal was enough to see it in print. And what a shock – and wake-up call – when the rejections came in. It had seemed like such a mammoth task to write those 90,000 words. How could I possibly waste them by starting something else?

Well, that’s the key to moving on without too many tears. Don’t see the discarded project as a failure or waste. I learnt SO MUCH from that first novel. At 90,000 words it only had four chapters, so that taught me about structure! When I wrote it I knew nothing about point of view or show not tell. It was full of autobiographical anecdotes. Very self-indulgent. And included a ridiculous storyline about making opium out of poppy seeds! I’m incredibly grateful, now, that it never found its way into the public arena.

I received one complimentary, personal rejection from an agent and that gave me the strength to start another book.

So don’t become too attached to your first-born. Statistically, the odds are that it may not get a deal.

And that’s okay. There’s usually a good reason.

Repeated negative feedback tells you the idea just isn’t strong enough

I have a folder of over 80 rejection letters that I’ve kept – to remind me, I suppose, that hard work and determination can bring rewards. But they are also tangible proof that there is a reason my discarded manuscripts are under my bed. Most of those letters are standard, thanking me for my submission BUT… the rest of those letters is inconsequential. The bottom line was that the manuscripts just weren’t different or good enough.

Perhaps the characters and plot are too thin. Maybe your writing still isn’t where it should be. Go on courses. Read How To books. Get feedback from fellow writer friends you trust. I don’t know a single writer that has persevered and persevered and not eventually succeeded in getting a deal.

If you manage too receive personal feedback from an agent that suggests revisions that’s fantastic, but be careful. One once showed great interest in one of my projects. She didn’t like the first draft so I totally rewrote the story and it lost its heart. The agent liked that version even less and by that point I didn’t know what the novel was anymore.

The whole process was heartbreaking but it taught me a valuable lesson – don’t jump straight in to a rewrite, exciting as it can be if you think you might be on the cusp of getting representation. Get another view as well, perhaps from a beta reader or literary consultancy. Ultimately it might just be better to cut your losses and start another project. Rewrites are time-consuming.

Another idea comes along…

Sometimes you might want to ditch a project a few chapters in but feel this would be a waste. SEE ABOVE – nothing is wasted when you are writing, it is all improving your craft. In 2015 I started writing a Christmas book. It was going to be a wedding story related to my debut Doubting Abbey. It was to be a fun story called My Big Fat Frozen Wedding (I wonder if Frozen themed weddings are a thing!) However a few chapters in, an idea came into my head for a sequel to my summer bestseller Game of Scones. I felt more passionate about that so, after talking to my editor, took the decision to shelve the Frozen idea and My Big Fat Christmas Wedding was born.

Follow your instincts. Readers will notice if your heart isn’t in your work.

Your book won’t ever fit the market

It’s a difficult one, this. Write completely for the market and your work may not come across as sincere. I follow my gut but keep one eye on what is selling. It’s a compromise.

I didn’t with one book that – admittedly – I’ve found very hard to let go of over the years. I’ve rewritten it numerous times (and if your gut strongly tells you to give your project another go I blogged about tackling major rewrites here). I’ve submitted it every few years. But finally I’ve accepted it’s place is permanently under my bed. It’s a romcom set in Ancient Egypt. I loved writing it and doing the research but publishers just don’t know how to place it. It’s very quirky and not one hundred percent romance. There are other issues. It would be a risk to invest.

But here’s the thing – you can always cannibalise your old scripts and take ideas from them to use in new stories. The two main characters in my Egyptian book were young executives and formed the basis for Pippa and Henrik in Game of Scones.

In fact, Game of Scones was originally set in heaven (don’t ask!) It was a flat NO from my editor. At the time there was a question over whether paranormal romance was selling. So I let go of that idea and wrote a different story, set in Greece, that went on to sell 100,000 copies.

Don’t see discarding a project as failure. It will have taught you so, so much about writing and the submission process. Be brave and stash it under your bed. Move on to your next exciting challenge. It is hard and, for me, parting company with those much loved babies often brought tears.

But never forget that those unpublished manuscripts are an incredibly valuable and worthwhile part of your journey.