Immersion: impossible
How I'm writing my second novel as a part-time author with kids
I write regularly about the enforced disjointed nature of my writing, and how frustrating this can feel. Let’s just say I’m currently experiencing this frustration more keenly than ever.
That’s because I’m in the wildly privileged position of having been contracted to write a second book before my debut novel has even been published. For the first time, this means I have an official deadline to work towards for one of my fiction projects.
No more putting the manuscript to one side and coming back to it weeks later once the school holidays have passed or an idea has had a bit longer to percolate. No more line editing as I go, or writing random scenes that take my fancy knowing that I can fill in the gaps at some unspecified point down the line. And no more falling into research rabbit holes that can easily swallow up a whole day (and the rest…).
Instead, I’m legally contracted to deliver a first draft of a novel of around 80,000 words by a certain date. I have no choice but to find the time to write in amongst parenting, working three days a week and the general exertion of existing in a vaguely put-together manner.
Let’s take a step back, though: wow, how lucky am I?
This, right here, is it: this is actually what ‘being’ (no longer ‘becoming’!) an author entails.
I’m thrilled to report that every single moment I spend with my new story and its people (yes, strictly speaking they are ‘characters’ but they feel so real to me) is truly joyful. But those moments are exactly that: fleeting snatches of time here and there that eventually add up to something but, in isolation, feel like nothing at all.
So let’s dig into how I’m (just about) managing to do this…
Writing retreats
The closest I get to a blissful state of ‘mesmerism’ – when the words flow and sentences appear as if by magic without much conscious thought – are occasional day-long writing retreats. The latest one of these I attended was organised by WritersHQ – a brilliant membership community for wordsmiths that runs a whole range of courses, events and retreats – both offline and online. I’ve done a couple of their virtual retreats in the past, but last month I attended my first in-person one in Brighton.
Over six hours – which was broken up into sprints with multiple check-in points throughout the day as well as endless coffee and food – I added 3,333 (!) words to my draft manuscript. Progress I was proud of, but also useful intelligence: I now know that, even when I do have completely dedicated time in which to write, I’m not a particularly speedy writer, and I need to map out my remaining time accordingly, which doesn’t come naturally to me AT ALL.
Writing more linearly
In the past, I’ve always happily swirled around a story, adding bits and pieces to my manuscript in a random order and then stitching it all together at the very end of the drafting process. But I quickly discovered when I started writing my second book that this method can make things feel more stressful when you add a deadline into the mix, and that I needed to work much more linearly than I usually do to reach the finish line intact. So, every day, I write chronologically to push the story forwards. That might be a few paragraphs, or the bulk of a chapter, but I resist the temptation to read back over my work as I know that will only bog me down in nipping and tucking bits that might not even make the final cut.
Writing a scrappy opening (for now)
Being much less precious about the opening chapters is also a completely new way of writing for me. When you’re an aspiring author, your opening chapters have to be as strong as possible to capture the attention of agents and publishers, and it’s easy to get obsessed with them. I could feel myself falling into this trap earlier this year, but thankfully I came across this nugget of intel by prolific author Lisa Timoney, with whom I share a literary agent:
Thanks to Lisa (whose latest novel writing as Kate Storey, The Forgotten Bookclub, has recently been published), I’ve written my opening chapters super roughly for now, knowing that they will probably change once I’ve gotten to know my characters.
A shit ton of help
Underpinning all of this is the huge amount of support I’m so lucky to have from my family. My husband has almost fully taken over the reins of household stuff while I’m neck-deep in this writing season, and has also done so much solo parenting over the last few months, on top of an intense, full-time job. I’m so bloody grateful for him. And my parents – who moved from their hometown of Bristol a few years back to be closer to their grandchildren, which still blows my mind – are also going above and beyond (as ever) to make sure any childcare gaps are covered; not only so I can write, but so me and my husband can actually spend time together. I feel so incredibly privileged to have this support, and writing this book simply wouldn’t be possible without it all.
“Fitting writing in around a new baby, a high-energy dog, book promotion, and soon I’ll return to my full-time job… it’s a lot.”
Becky C. Brynolf, author of I Found A Body
Becky C. Brynolf, author of I Found A Body
I’ve (virtually!) known Becky for a long time as a superstar social media pro, but in recent years we’ve bonded over our authorly ambitions. When she shared the premise for her (now published!) debut novel with me a few years back – a social media influencer finds a dead body in the woods and decides to livestream it – I was immediately hooked. Becky now lives in the same Scottish village she lived in as a kid, raising a son and a daft collie with her husband.
At what point in your life did you think to yourself ‘Yes, I want to write a book’? I kept locking myself away after school and writing all sorts to be like my grandad. He was a prolific writer of poems and odes and family newsletters, and he ended up being my first real critic. I showed him a fantasy novel I was working on aged fourteen, and was crushed when he told me I needed to “live more to be a good writer”, after everyone else had given vague praise. Later in life, I realised him saying “live more” was his vote of confidence in me. I had a spark, but I needed more oxygen.
Do you have an agent? And what made you decide that choice was best for you? I do! A sharp, softly spoken talent named Becky Percival at United Agents. Having an agent is best for me because I’m too busy and non-confrontational to navigate publishing on my own. Writing is something I enjoy, but publishing is a whole other beast involving negotiating deals, poring through contracts and having difficult conversations. I’m extremely lucky to have Becky in my corner.
How long did it take from starting to write your first book, to people being able to buy it?
I started working on ‘something’ in 2020 as part of the Faber Academy’s Crime Writing course. The two main characters of I Found A Body were born there, and the whole novel was properly conceived during the Writing A Novel Faber course in January 2021. Four years later, the book is out in the world!
Why did you choose to publish your book traditionally?
It sort of chose me, really. A sample of what would become I Found A Body was published in a Faber Academy anthology, which is how Agent Becky found me. And then, similar to why having an agent felt best for me, I’m not knowledgeable enough to publish a book without help from experts. When I began, I didn’t know the markets, the influencers, the booksellers, the cover artists and so on. Plus, I like that traditional publishing is such a collaborative process, that the final product is the result of input from so many different people.
What part of the writing or publishing process do you find the most annoying? Moving from the thinking stage to the writing stage. I’m working on book two at the moment – a horror – and I have an ever-growing document covering all sorts of aspects of the story. At some point, I need to finally write the full outline for my agent and get on with writing it. I know thinking is writing, but in a very real sense, writing is writing. Plus, I’m a recovering burnt-out, former-gifted child slash eldest daughter, so I’ve got that whole “if every word isn’t perfect it’s not worth committing to paper” hurdle to overcome. If you know, you know…
Plotting or pantsing: what’s your happy place?
A little from column A, a little from column B. As much as I’d love to work from a clear road map, there are things that come from just pantsing it that I could never have planned. I always know where we’ll begin and where we’ll end, but how we get from start to finish can often be a mystery.
What was your first ‘I can’t believe this is happening’ moment as an author? This question makes me laugh because, over the last year or so, every time I’ve thought ‘I can’t believe this is happening’, I’ve said to my agent and editor “I keep half-expecting this is all to be an elaborate prank.” Which is daft. Why would anyone to go to these lengths for a prank? The very first time I had that thought, though, was when Agent Becky called and said a publisher in Edinburgh (Black & White Publishing) was interested in I Found A Body. The book was starting to mean something outside of just me and my agent, and that felt really significant.
What one thing is the most surprising thing about being an author?
That it’s a real business. I have an accountant now. I use QuickBooks and everything. I want to be clear: I’m not dealing with massive sums of money by any stretch, but in the same way that being agented and traditionally published was right for me, so was hiring an expert to ensure I pay the correct amount of tax. Maths has never been my strong suit. It took me four tries to pass GCSE Maths… or was it five?
If you could change anything about your path to publication, what would it be? Not a lot! I’ve been incredibly lucky to not have to be in the query trenches, that an amazing agent came to me and waited patiently for me to finish writing the book. It’s an opportunity I’m all too aware comes along once in a blue moon. If I had to change anything at all, perhaps the timing could have been different. Doing a lot of this while pregnant and then navigating becoming a parent has had its challenges. For example, I missed the first time my kid rolled from front to back, which sounds like a silly thing to be upset about, but it makes me feel like a terrible mother.
What would be your dream achievement as a writer?
Being able to support my family through writing full-time would be the dream. Achieving that will involve a lot of hard work and luck, but would be so fulfilling. Fitting writing in around a new baby, a high-energy dog, book promotion, and soon I’ll return to my full-time job… it’s a lot. In a few years’ time when the baby and dog are more self-sufficient – and when I’ve achieved the things I’d like to achieve at work – I can decide my own schedule and weave writing and family life more flexibly into my days. If I’m still that lucky, anyway.
What's next on your publication pathway?
I’m currently working on book two (whenever I can find a spare moment); another story about internet subculture, but this time it’s a mystery-horror. In the meantime, I’m promoting I Found A Body as much as I can, which is often done in the moments the baby and dog are asleep!
Any other musings?
I’m just so grateful to my husband and his family, because I couldn’t have done any of this without them. It truly takes a village!
You can follow Becky on Instagram here and buy her debut novel #IFoundABody here (I’m halfway through and am LOVING it, even though I don’t tend to read much crime fiction these days. It’s incredibly unique and zeitgeisty. In short: a creative triumph!)
Things I’ve enjoyed recently
📰 As someone who naturally runs away from public speaking, this post by
was super useful about how to approach literary festivals as an author:
📚 I absolutely adored the novel Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley. It’s about music and the noughties and writing and love! Plus, it’s going to be made into an A24 film starring Saoirse Ronan and Austin Butler, which speaks volumes about this story’s rich, artistic soul. A hard recommend from me!
📽️ Sinners. Sinners. Sinners. Sinners. Sinners. Sinners. Sinners. I’ve already been told off for sharing spoilers (all I said was that it was a film about [redacted] and [redacted]!), so I’ll say absolutely nothing until more people have watched it. But OMG I am obsessed. Please message me if / once you’ve watched it! I need to share so many feelings!
📺 I struggle to watch many episodes of Black Mirror these days due to their terrifying closeness to reality, but I did very much enjoy an episode called Eulogy from the latest series on Netflix.
🎧 Ummm, I’ve recorded a song?! And I’m kind of obsessed with it?! More info soon!
Ah, Writers HQ are a good lot, aren't they? I also highly recommend Charlie's Urban Writers Retreats (which ironically are in Devon now) which are just wonderful.
Thanks for linking to Body of Work! And yes, having a deadline really focuses the mind and forces us to work in a very different way. Still creative, but different. Good luck!