What Writing 28 Books Has Taught Me
That’s one heck of a blog post title, right?
If you’re expecting this post to be about being productive as a writer or perfecting your craft, I’m sorry to say that it isn’t.
This post is a very open, honest insight into my writing journey. Yes, 28 finished novels is a lot. But that’s not a brag — that’s how many books it’s taken me to find my feet as a writer.
This post is about our individual writing journeys. So, if you’d like a little motivation and inspiration, read on!
Looking back at all the books I’ve written…
1. YA urban shapeshifter fantasy (my first full-length novel aged 12. It was absolutely terrible.)
2-4. YA urban fantasy trilogy (basically Harry Potter.)
5-6. YA urban Greek mythology fantasy duology (basically Percy Jackson.)
7. YA Zodiac fantasy (I was so proud of this idea and I’ve never been able to find the manuscript again.)
8-9. YA epic fantasy duology (co-written with my high school best friend. It was a discount The Lord of the Rings.)
10-13. Adult cosy mystery quartet (inspired by Midsomer Murders.)
14-17. Adult historical mystery quartet (inspired by Agatha Christie’s Poirot.)
18. Adult pirate fiction (written as a gift for a close friend at the time.)
19. Adult pirate historical fiction (inspired by true events and a real privateer.)
20. YA historical spy adventure (years later, this novel was briefly published online before Covid hit.)
21. Adult historical romance (inspired by the Jacobean era. I loved the research.)
22. Adult epic fantasy (I shared this novel with a trusted friend who absolutely destroyed it. Their feedback made me quit writing for about a year.)
23. YA pirate fantasy (if you couldn’t tell, I love pirates.)
24. Adult crime thriller (this was my first attempt at a thriller and it was a hot mess.)
25. YA historical fantasy (inspired by Mayan culture. I loved researching this.)
26. Adult historical fantasy (aka Project Balie. This one had Scottish roots and was the first novel I wrote that I felt truly proud to share. I queried one agent, got a full manuscript request, and never heard back.)
27. Adult crime fantasy (aka Project Tea House. This was the first book I queried properly. I received 4 full manuscript requests but realised the genre was too obscure for publication.)
28. Adult locked-room thriller (aka Project Puzzle. I’m currently revising this and hoping to query before summer.)
This list doesn’t include my current WIP (Project Home) or all the books I started and never finished. If I listed incomplete novels, I’d be into the 40s!
Why am I sharing this?
While the number of books I’ve written may be surprising or even impressive, it’s not about quantity. Trust me when I say that the first 9 books I wrote should never again see the light of day. Teenage Isobelle had zero creative writing skill or knowledge beyond stringing together a series of events into something that loosely resembled a plot.
Books 10—22 were a slight improvement, but really I didn’t have a clue. That was probably when my productivity as a writer peaked. I was so inspired and I had so much time.
Books 23—25 were not that bad. They were rough around the edges but there was potential in the ideas. I was studying to be a book editor and then working in the industry at this point. After receiving devastating feedback on my epic fantasy, I struggled to finish anything for a while. As harsh as the feedback was, it was needed to help me understand storytelling as a writer, not just an editor. Books 23, 24, and 25 were my first attempts with the new knowledge I’d acquired.
Books 26 onwards… that’s when I really started to find myself.
Here’s what I learnt…
Feedback is crucial. Receiving feedback is scary, I know. Sometimes it’s devastating. But it’s always necessary. Getting third-party opinions on your work can help you see what you’re not seeing — particularly if that third-party opinion is a trained book editor or writing coach.
You need to study the craft. I took some writing courses and I came to understand the kinds of stories I wanted to tell. I understood which themes were important to me, what kinds of characters I enjoyed, and which areas of writing I was particularly strong in. The only way to get better is to practice and to learn.
Practice makes better. I know it’s nice to believe the first book you write is “it” — “the one” that will get you the publishing deal. Maybe that’s true, but don’t worry if it’s not. There is no expectation that your first book needs to be publishable. Each book you write is an opportunity to grow and learn and improve.
Final words of encouragement
Writing is a journey. Every single book I’ve written has taught me something. It wasn’t until I hit my twenties that I really started to hone my writing skills. And it wasn’t until the last three or four years that I started writing with the intention of publishing. Up until then, writing was free and easy because I had no expectations. Now, I have expectations and knowledge and commitments that make writing harder.
Ultimately, I’m proud of every book I’ve written because each of them was a valuable lesson, but it’s not about how many books you write, it’s about what you learn and how you improve.
So if you feel like your writing journey is too long or too slow, trust me, it’s not. You are exactly where you need to be.
