(With thanks to Matt Haig.)

When I was doing my masters several years ago, I was lucky to be selected for a workshop with visiting novelist Matt Haig. What a lovely man he is: humble, generous, witty, warm and very bright. I’ll never forget a piece of advice he gave me.

‘Don’t plan ahead too much. If it surprises you when you’re writing it, it will surprise your reader.’

Twelve novels later, I’m still taking his advice. I’m a Pantser, pretty much, and it suits me fine. (For the uninitiated, that means I write by flying-by-the-seat-of–my-pants and not by careful plotting in advance.) When I’m writing contemporary fiction/ hens’ lit novels or as Elena Collins, the spooky dual timeline books, I try not to plan too much. Writing that way suits me: if I organise, I’ll only change my mind as I write. It suits me to know where I’m heading, to have a vague idea of how the novel will end, but I need no more detail than that. I work out my characters, my setting and where I want to get to, then I’m off. It’s a creative way that some writers love – others may find it unnerving, but it’s truly exhilarating and I love it.

What I enjoy most about being a Pantser is that I do, genuinely, come up with better plot moves while I’m writing than if I’ve planned something carefully. I so admire those clever writers who know what they are doing in detail from the beginning of the first page. I’m in awe of those writers who stick post-it notes all over the room and follow each chess-move with precision. But it’s not me.

I thrive on those scary moments of not knowing what’s around the corner for my characters. I’m having one now in the Elena Collins novel I’m writing: how can I get my character to a certain place, physical or emotional? How can I make this scene more tense or meaningful? How can I make this chapter work harder to push the action forward? For me, if I plan in advance, it won’t be as fresh or exciting or effective. It keeps me up at night a lot, but flying-by-the-seat-of–the-pants works for me, so I’ll stick to it.

Or so I thought….

When I was asked to write cosy (cozy)crime, I jumped at the opportunity. I read everything I could get my hands on, from Frances Evesham to MC Beaton, from Mary Grand to TA Williams and Kelly Oliver. I made lists of the elements of the genre. I worked out what style would suit my writing, then I created my characters and setting. My heroine is Morwenna Mutton, a silver-haired sleuth, librarian and wild swimmer, who lives in stunning Seal Bay on the Cornish coast. She has a close-knit family, friends, a handsome ex, a supportive community. There is a pet, a ghost, a lot at stake for the characters involved. I was ready to go.

Or so I thought… again.

There was one problem. Although I almost knew the ending: there would be a big reveal, the sleuth would find the murderer and there would be a dramatic show down, I couldn’t throw myself in at the deep end yet. I needed to plot my suspects, red herrings, changes of direction. I’d hit a snag. I couldn’t fly by the seat of my pants.

I have so much respect for people who write a series of books. I compiled a ‘series bible,’ sorting out my characters’ birthdays, hair colour, all sorts of details I couldn’t allow myself to forget. I wrote down facts about minor characters who may loom large in book two or book four. I made decisions about my character’s journey, emotional and physical – where did she need to be by the end of the series, and what were the pointers on the way? And what about her family and friends? How would they change?

Hold on – this is more plotting than I’d ever done! Red herrings, suspects’ moves, twists and turns? I scribbled pages of notes, more graphs, more diagrams.

Then I needed to research facts. I set up meetings with my fabulous neighbours, who are members of the Devon and Cornwall Police Force, and inundated them with far too many questions about their organisational practices, terminology and methods.

Finally, I started to write, and whoosh! The chapters came rapidly. But there was one thing I hadn’t plotted – who the killer was. I didn’t know myself – not yet. I went back to my memory of Matt Haig and held on tightly to his words.

‘Don’t plan ahead too much. If it surprises you when you’re writing it, it will surprise your reader.’

So I decided not to pick the killer yet. I’d work out who he/she/they were as the novel progressed. Now that idea really appealed to me as a Pantser. And I sat at the laptop and I wrote and wrote and wrote.

I love writing cosy (cozy) crime! I worked out for myself how to approach the series and, as I write in all genres, I’ll continue to read and think and learn. It’s about writing the best novel I can for my readers always, and so I hope you’ll all enjoy the first in the Morwenna Mutton series, ‘Foul Play at Seal Bay.’ It’s out on 7^th August.

I’ve now found out I can be a plotter and a Pantser at the same time. There’s no crime or reason to it, but there it is!

And I can’t wait for you to meet Morwenna and immerse yourself in some Foul Play in Seal Bay.