The appeal of nostalgia in storytelling
Like many writers, I turned to my childhood when I wrote my book
“None of it happened, and all of it is true.”
I love this quote from Anne Patchett’s mum. I thought about it a lot over the last few years as I drafted, edited and queried my debut novel, eventually securing a publication contract five years after the initial idea for the story came to me.
The plot of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – a woman attempts to experience a real-life Hallmark Christmas movie by returning to her hometown for the first time in twenty years – obviously isn’t based on real events. But so much in the story is a true representation of many of my experiences as an awkward teenager growing up in a British suburb, my thoughts and feelings about the nature of love and home, and my musings about why people seek comfort in such different ways.
And, at the very heart of the story, is nostalgia. My own nostalgia, related to the things I’ve mentioned above, sure. But also the concept of nostalgia, and why some people rely so heavily on it (including the characters in my story). Here’s an excerpt from my actual book (!):
When my very earliest readers provided their feedback on my book, which was then called Fake Snow, the word ‘nostalgia’ came up a lot, and it made me realise how powerful a tool it is when it comes to storytelling. The dictionary.com definition of ‘nostalgia’ reads:
“a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.”
When you share the same feelings of nostalgia with someone for the same era, place or experience, the feeling of connection it elicits is amazing. In fact, if we want to get nerdily scientific for a bit, that warm feeling is caused by the hormone oxytocin. That’s the hormone that’s released when we fall in love, and it’s also released when we read fiction and start believing that the characters are real people – it’s what makes us care about them, and what happens to them. So when you combine those two sources of oxytocin – from relatable nostalgia + and the act of storytelling – it’s a potent and highly effective combination. And that’s why so many authors draw on it in their writing.
But to say we cynically deploy this combination on purpose is misleading. I can tell you for an absolute fact that I only learned about the effectiveness of nostalgia after I finished writing my book and I started to learn about the science of storytelling. But it goes a long way to explain why so many people seemed to connect with my story from the very beginning and, hopefully, will continue to do so once it’s published in just a couple of months now (!).
I also intend to lean in to nostalgia when it comes to talking about and promoting my book in the coming months, and one of the things I’m already doing is trawling through my childhood photos and home videos for Christmas pictures and footage, one of which is at the top of this article. That’s me, my dad and my brother playing our brand new game of Hungry Hippos on Christmas Day, 1987 (ish). My mum, as ever, is taking the photo (my dad was in charge of home videos, which he took very seriously!). If this image rings true for you – if it gives you “a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time” – I would love it if you pre-ordered my book and gave it a read later this year. Hopefully, it will make you remember and feel nice things, which is so very important at the moment.
Writing updates
I’ve got just over a month left to send the first draft of my second novel to my agent. Typing those words feels simultaneously surreal and scary – I reckon I’m about 20,000 words from ‘the end’ and, as parents of schoolchildren among you will know, I’m about to enter an incredibly overwhelming period of end-of-school-year shenanigans. Today is sports day. Wish me luck…!
I received a very exciting email from my local independent bookshop this week, inviting me to be a ‘guest bookseller’ very soon as part of Independent Bookshop Week. What an honour – I can’t wait!
I’m also prepping for my first ever author ‘appearance’ at Meet Cute Book Fest at the end of this month (extra tickets have been released here). I’ll be on a mini-panel with
as we set the record straight about the many misconceptions about romantic fiction.Did you spot my secret character art in the *photo at the top of this newsletter? My incredible friend Hannah Raymond – a hugely talented illustrator – brought my two main characters to life in her distinctive style, and went on to insert it into my childhood Christmas photos as per my cheesy vision. I couldn’t love it more. If you need character art (or other illustrations!), drop her a line!
“As an avid reader as a child, the Penguin symbol is one that is imprinted on my brain, and it felt like coming home to be published by them.”
Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things
Bestselling author Jennie Godfrey
is a former HR Director turned writer. The List of Suspicious Things is her debut novel and it’s done amazingly well, topping the Sunday Times bestseller chart and winning awards. Jennie also draws on nostalgic themes in her storytelling, with The List Of Suspicious Things partly inspired by her own memories of growing up in the 1970s while the Yorkshire Ripper was still at large in her local area. And her second novel The Barbecue at No. 9 (just announced this week!), is set in suburban 1985 against the backdrop of the Live Aid televised broadcast. It sounds so good! Here’s her path to publication…
At what point in your life did you think to yourself ‘Yes, I want to write a book’?It was at the beginning of 2020 and I had taken redundancy from my job after a period of poor mental health. I decided to write a book 'while I decide what I am going to do next.' That was over five years ago now, so it turned out that writing was what I was going to do next! I can't imagine doing anything else now.
Do you have an agent? And what made you decide that choice was best for you?Yes. I didn't ever really consider another option. I knew that if I was going to do this I wanted it to be traditionally published. I also wanted an outside / expert perspective on my work, and my agent is really strong editorially so helped me get the manuscript into shape.
How long did it take from starting to write your first book, to people being able to buy it?
Four years, almost to the day. I started in February 2020, it was published on 15 February 2024. I know this is relatively fast.
Why did you choose to publish your book traditionally?
As a bookworm I love bookshops and wanted my book to be sold in them (I didn't know when I started that this isn't guaranteed, even with traditional publishers) and I also REALLY wanted to be published by Penguin (which I am). As an avid reader as a child, the Penguin symbol is one that is imprinted on my brain, and it felt like coming home to be published by them. I think starting off with naive, big goals was a good thing for me, as I unknowingly set my sights really high, and it worked out. If I had realised the odds of this happening before I started I may have opted out!
What part of the writing or publishing process do you find the most annoying?
I hate copy edits. I don't have the patience for anything finicky – yet I know they are absolutely necessary. Thank goodness for copy editors! They have an eye for inaccuracy and detail that I just don't.
Plotting or pantsing: what’s your happy place?
I am a plantser. I have to have some structure or I feel as though I am flailing around, but it's a loose direction as opposed to a rigid plan. I usually start a novel with a big mind map of the story and then build the detail in as I go.
What was your first ‘I can’t believe this is happening’ moment as an author?
I have had SO MANY. I think the day that the novel sold was the most surreal. My agent had managed my expectations so that I wasn't expecting to hear for at least a week or two and maybe longer, but we got our first offer after eight hours. I was in shock – I think I still am.
What one thing is the most surprising thing about being an author?
That writing is only part of the job. Doing events / promotional activity / social media is a big part of being an author these days (unless you already have a platform or are well known already). Luckily I like these aspects, but I often think about what it is like for people who hate them.
If you could change anything about your path to publication, what would it be?
I really can't think of a thing. I have had the most wonderful time, I really have. There are times when I have worn myself out, and I will learn to rest more next time I think – but even then I wouldn't change a thing.
What would be your dream achievement as a writer?
To have a career as an author as long as my previous career (25 years).
What's next on your publication pathway?
I am working on the edits for my second novel, which has just been announced!
A huge thanks to Jennie for taking the time to share this with me! You can follow her on Instagram here, subscribe to her newsletter here, buy her bestselling debut novel here and pre-order her second book here.
Things I’ve enjoyed recently
📰 Strictly speaking, I didn’t enjoy this Substack piece by
in the slightest. But it’s a must-read about the total moral void of artificial intelligence and large language models, and why we should be keeping it as far away from our brains and our writing as possible:
📚 I’m currently listening to the audio edition of
’s brand new book, Breaking, about the history and degradation of modern journalism, which is proving incredibly compelling and informative. I’ve also just discovered this accompanying playlist!📽️ Do NOT watch The Accountant 2. Just awful (although I appreciated this take on its representation of autism). Go back and watch 2016’s The Accountant instead, which I now understand was entirely carried by the luminescence of Anna Kendrick. I REPEAT: DO NOT WATCH THE ACCOUNTANT 2.
🎧 I’ve updated this playlist with all my favourite new tracks from the last couple of months – enjoy!
Can’t wait for your book Hayley! 💫
Hayley you are making this book promo malarkey look deceptively easy. I LOVE how you seamlessly segue from your book, to nostalgia, to your book, back to nostalgia and then throw in an interview with a bestselling author along the way! I am enjoying watching you do this almost as much as I'm looking forward to reading your book (two months!!!!!)