The Difference Being Published Has Made

By this time next year I will be looking forward to the publication of my 20th novel - yes, the 20th! Isn't it amazing - especially considering my first, The Deserter's Daughter, was published in 2017.

Here I am unpacking my box of author copies - a very happy occasion, as you can imagine. That's Alf in the background. I remember my editor saying he let the side down by not showing an interest!

 
I sometimes get asked whether my writing since I was first published. Well, my style 
hasn't changed and I'm still writing the sagas that I love - but one thing has definitely
changed - and that is the planning I now do. I think I've got it down to a fine art. Not bad
for someone who cheerfully wrote off the top of her head for years and years before
writing for publication!
 
In the writing world, writers who let the story unfold as it goes along are called 'pantsters'
and I was one for years. When I started a book I would know in general terms how it was
going to finish but I wouldn't know how I was going to get there. And, yes, there were
many occasions when a character would take me by surprise. I remember one time 
when a character opened her mouth and said the exact opposite of what I expected her 
to say. That came as a surprise - but, my goodness, it certainly made the story more 
interesting!

I recently wrote a blog about why planning is an essential part of writing a series and how important it is to keep tabs on everything and everyone in the books. But there's another reason why the planning is essential and it might not be a reason you'd expect.

I get asked to write my Railway Girls books three at a time. It isn't just a matter of me saying, 'Yes, I'd love to,' and signing on the dotted line. Having said yes, what I then have to do is write a series proposal, which means coming up with outlines for all three books. Each Railway Girls story has three viewpoint characters, so this means producing nine plots.

These plots have to be accepted by my editor and only then does the proposal move forward to the acquisitions meeting for them to decide whether to proceed. Technically, they can still say no at this point, but they haven't so far!

So that is the main difference in my writing these days. From pantster to planner. Just a few years ago, I would never have believed it possible.