Lucy Vine on writing books, confidence, and her best piece of advice
Interview with bestselling author, Lucy Vine!!
Hello, happy Monday! How was your first week of January? If, like me, you don’t have all the get-up-and-go as everyone else, I saw this Instagram reel about not rushing into January and instead resting and getting ready for Spring (where nature also comes alive!) and this article, that January is our warm up month! So here’s to taking the pressure off. I’d love to hear how your January is going!
This is the third instalment of my series where I ask people how they do things and explore confidence in all its different forms. I’m so excited best-selling author, Lucy Vine, said yes and shared with me!
Lucy is the brilliant author of Hot Mess, What Fresh Hell, Are We Nearly There Yet?, Bad Choices, and her new novel, SEVEN EXES. In this interview, she talks about her writing process, how she became an author, imposter syndrome, and her best piece of advice.
I hope you enjoy reading!
Hi Lucy! You were previously a magazine journalist, what made you take the leap into writing your own books?
I was working as a freelance journalist, writing a weekly online column for Grazia, when an editor at a publishing house sent me an email out of the blue. She said she liked my column, and wanted to talk about me writing a novel… I thought it was a prank! But we met up and I wrote her a few sample chapters – they then offered me a two-book deal. It was an absolute dream come true – and still is. I do still freelance for magazines sometimes though!
Where do you get your ideas from and how much does real-life influence your books? Have family or friends (or Seven Exes) ever asked if they’re in your books?
Ha, my family are obsessed with being in my books. I remember after my first book, Hot Mess came out, one of my sisters kept telling everyone she was the sister character in it – which was so weird, because Jen is pretty awful most of the time! And my family are all convinced the dad in Hot Mess is my dad… but if/when I do lift from real life, it’s always a mixture or an exaggeration. As for ideas… it’s probably the part of the process I struggle with most. I’m thinking about concepts for the next books all year around, making notes on my phone and letting things percolate. So then I will pitch a LOT of ideas to my editor, who picks a couple she likes, or if nothing is working, we brainstorm, sometimes with the rest of the team or with my agent. It’s a really collaborative effort.
How did or do you pick yourself to keep trying after setbacks or rejections?
I remind myself that this is the industry I work in. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions and everybody goes through it. I’ve had to learn what works for me when it comes to staying mentally well and healthy, so I can’t really read reviews. I’ll read them if I’ve been tagged in on Instagram because (hopefully!) they’re nice, but I won’t go seeking them out because it hits me too hard when people are mean.
Would you describe yourself as confident? What’s your go-to to feel more confident?
I’m confident in some areas of my life, and not so much in others. And I’m also more confident some days than others! I don’t know, it’s such a fluid thing and I think that’s important to remember when you’re feeling a bit rubbish. This will pass. I know the things that make me happy: my partner, my dogs, being out in my garden, talking to my friends, being in bed… if I need a boost, those are my go-tos.
How do you deal with any doubts you might get whilst writing?
I think the biggest thing is to keep going. I remember with my second book, I spent so much time re-writing the first few chapters over and over for weeks. I wasn’t getting anywhere and I was just making it worse. I’ve realised since that I need to keep going, without looking back and without letting doubts stop me. Everyone has doubts, and I don’t know a single author who hasn’t HATED their manuscript at some point. But you have to believe in that initial excitement you felt about it. Plus, there are plenty of people who will see it – my agent, my editor, etc – so if they have doubts, then I’ll worry, ha.
I read that you’re also writing a thriller - how is that going? How do you feel about changing genres, have you had some imposter feelings?
Ughhhhhh, I’ve been trying to write a thriller for years!!! But the rom-coms take precedence, and then so does life. It’s been put on the backburner for a while, but I’m hoping to get back to it at some point. Next up, I’m about to try my hand at screenwriting. Then I’ll need to write the next book, THEN the thriller!! I definitely get imposter feelings about all of it, but it also excites me.
Do you compare to other authors and if so, how do you not let it negatively impact you?
Of course I do. It’s not a good idea but I don’t think it’s possible to avoid. There are always people doing better and worse than you, so I just try my best to be happy and grateful for my lot. I LOVE writing so much, so if I don’t sell many books, at least I’m enjoying the process. And the messages I get from people are so kind, they make it all worthwhile. My favourite thing is making people laugh, so if I can do that a bit, I’m happy.
What’s one piece of advice that you always come back to?
Find yourself a community in whatever your passion is. So, for me it’s writing, and I’m so f***ing lucky to have a community of wonderful writer/author friends. It’s so important to have people around you who understand what you’re going through and can be there to help lift you up.
What does success look like to you?
In life? Being happy. And I’m there with that, so I know I’m lucky. With books, I’d like to be a multi-million-selling, millionaire please, thanks a lot.
Thank you so much to Lucy for answering my DM and letting me interview you (you never know unless you ask!) If you’re not already, you can find and follow Lucy on Instagram.