So here are my tips for keeping that passion alive, because you can become jaded whether you are published or not. It’s like a marriage, dedicating your life the written word and sometimes that relationship needs spicing up!

Try writing something different. When I’m feeling stale with my latest first draft, I take a break from the long form and write a short story or a blog post. That means I’m not wasting professional hours by procrastinating because I’ve reached a dawdling point in the novel-writing process. And I’m sure many of you know exactly what I mean! Rather than force myself through the writer’s block, I’ll hop over to Twitter or Facebook. So, this way I am still being productive and not losing too much valuable writing time on on social media. Or you can just jump forwards into your project. Currently stuck on a love scene? Try writing that argument that takes place later on. And usually, when I come back to my novel project, I’ve got new ideas and a sense of excitement to crack on.

Take a break. Many of us writers, pursuing our dream, work at home. And that means we can often end up dedicating too many hours to our passion. Finishing the day at five in the afternoon ends up being seven in the evening. Take me. Probably I should start at nine am, after my cycle ride, a bath and decent breakfast. But no, once I’ve taken off my cycling gear I’m usually at my desk by seven to seven thirty am and grab a quick bath and something to eat at around ten thirty. It’s no wonder the our passion for crafting every word and doing detailed research can wane.

So take a break. Do something completely different – like, dare I say it, housework. Or meet a friend for a coffee. Or go for a lovely walk. Find some me time that allows your brain to switch off. This is equally important if you don’t write full-time and perhaps have another job. This last year I’ve had many other priorities and less writing time, so there is even more of a temptation to burn the candles at both ends. DON’T DO IT.

Manage expectations. As I’ve  blogged about often on here, jealousy of other authors, self-doubt, rejection… this are all things that can wear an author down. Just try to be kind to yourself. This isn’t a race. You will fulfil your own potential in good time. Don’t set yourself up to be the most successful author ever. That is a surefire recipe for disappointment. Just aim to be the very best writer you can be.

It’s a bit like, say, a dating couple, thinking it’s really time they settled down, and hoping this is the right person to commit to. If they are still at the stage of finding out about each other, then this way of thinking, these expectations are only going to result in detrimental pressure. Whereas if they have no expectations at all, they will relax, just enjoy the current status quo and see where it goes. Don’t expect that your current project should be a bestseller or adapted for the screen. Just finish it. Rewrite it. Submit it. Learn from anything you feel goes wrong and move on to your next novel.

Read books by authors you admire. I tell you, there is nothing like this for making you fire on all engines and strive to raise your game. This prevents that real passion-killer, complacency. And the more and wider you read, you’ll realise just how experimental authors are and that will might encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, which is soooo important to keep that passion alive.

Try mindfulness. I took a course in it, last year. It’s all about noticing the detail of life, whether that is the sight of things or their appearance. This gave me a new perspective when writing and, hopefully, spiced up my prose. To find out exactly what I mean, take a look at this post.

My recently released novel, The New Beginnings Coffee Club, is my eighth published book. My first came out in 2013 and since then, I’ve stopped writing short stories (the year before that debut I sold 50 short  to women’s magazines.) And whilst I am now keenly starting my ninth book, I’ve decide to spice my up my art by starting to work on shorts again. And it’s been great -writing about all sorts of subjects, from all sorts of points of view! The diversity of writing in the short form has really spiced up my overall passion for my vocation and job.

So go on – why not try one of my tips for yourself?

Firstly – no question about it – whether you are just starting out or writing your tenth novel, if you put words to paper on a regular basis, if you craft each sentence, read how-to books, devour other authors’ work to pick up tips, care passionately about your creativity… you ARE a writer. It can be hard to believe this if you are at the aspiring author stage, with no formal validation for your work. And it’s obvious but there is only one answer to this: start showing your work to other people who will give you honest feedback.

I’ll never forget the very first page of my very first book. No one knew I’d been writing. I shoved it under the bathroom door to my husband one day. It was the first time I’d ever shown my work to anyone. Impatiently I waited outside whilst he read. “Yeah – it’s not bad,” he said. He hadn’t laughed at me. That was all I needed to continue.

The next step was to join an online writing group and upload my work to a forum where other writers would critique my work. This was nerve-wracking as the criticisms came in – but I realised this process was making me a writer. I was mixing with my peers and – more importantly – learning. And still no one laughed at me. It felt good.

Next is to send your work out to an agent or publisher. Nerve-wracking again as the standard rejections or negative comments fly back. But it just took the odd positive comment to encourage me and silence the voices in my head suggesting that I would never, ever become a proper member of this profession.

Once published, of course, the self-doubt doesn’t magically disappear, the causes of it simply alter. Poor reviews and low rankings can feed the negativity. A trip into GoodReads or onto Amazon can be all it takes to burst your balloon of confidence about BEING AN AUTHOR. On those occasions, I suggest re-reading your good reviews. Or look up one of your favourite author’s books – read the bad comments about their stories which you will hotly disagree with, thus proving, as a writer, you can NEVER please everyone so you shouldn’t take the 1*s to heart.

Try to take a positive slant on the revisions that come in from your editor. They aren’t saying your book is lacking. Nor are they doubting your talent. Quite the opposite in fact – the message is, we trust in you to make this the book the very best it can be and here are our suggestions; we value you and your work enough – we are excited about this project enough –  to have spent our time going through and putting forward ideas to make it even stronger.

And don’t compare yourself to other authors – there will always be a writer with a higher ranking or better sales. It doesn’t devalue your work. There are lots of reasons why some books sell and others don’t – the publisher, the marketing, the title, the cover, a little bit of luck… My summer romance, Breakfast under a Cornish Sun is out in July and I am already telling myself not to be disappointed if it doesn’t end up as a Hollywood movie, with Chris Hemsworth playing one of the starring roles and accompanying me on the red carpet!

Finally, network and get yourself a band of writing buddies who will be there for you no matter what. I’ve declared a hundred times I am going to give up writing – because of rejections flocking in or the stress of a bad review. I wouldn’t still be putting finger to keyboard today – and believing in myself – if it wasn’t for those writerly friends who understand and have either told me to man up or offer a bucket-load of virtual chocolate.