Writing novels definitely helps you learn more about yourself.

It’s not just about things like Impostor Syndrome, which I know a lot of writers have, and I can understand how that feels completely. I’ve been there.

I don’t really have a sense of loneliness and isolation at the laptop, or self-doubt or plummeting confidence. I’ve never had writers’ block; when I need an idea, I’m like a ferret down a hole until I get the right one. And I’m not scared to throw ideas away.

I love collaboration – and research. At the moment I’m involved in a webchat with an academic from Winchester and I’m learning lots about a specific period in history in terms of socio-cultural attitudes. (Thanks, Simon!)

I am good with sharing others’ ideas and upgrading my work, learning from my mistakes, moving forward. And I read others’ books and lots of reviews – it’s taught me more about genre, style, pace, humour, what works, who to respect and why. I believe I’m always learning as a writer. And as a human. It’s about achieving balance in all that I do.

I’ve discovered the reason why I work non-stop, like I do. (Prolific is the kind word.) Big G can be speaking to me while I’m writing at my laptop or planning, and I don’t hear him – I’m so deeply into what I’m doing. And I can work for hours at a stretch without noticing how much time I’ve spent, although I know what’s good for my body and mind and when to stop.

Recently, at a party, someone told me I’d ‘burn myself out’ if I continued to write so many books. I smiled and said at least I wouldn’t be bored. Boredom is my worst enemy. I’ve never been good with it. I’m not a patient person.

I have something called hyperfocus.

Hyperfocus is highly focused attention that lasts a long time. I concentrate on something so hard that I lose track of everything else that’s going on. Doctors often see hyperfocus in people who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Research shows that people with ADHD report higher frequencies of boredom. I’ve done an online test and I might have ADHD. I’m fine with that. It explains a lot. And it helps me understand myself. That can’t be a bad thing.

So, against that background, I am writing a new Elena Collins novel, and I’ve come up with an idea that I’m really excited about. I’ve written a synopsis, to check with those I work with that they think it has legs. Now I’m at the stage where I’m about to throw myself in.

So, once I’ve taken this step, what does it mean?

First, I’ll immerse myself in the two dual timeline stories. By researching the history, I can envisage how both timelines will affect and complement each other. I have characters to create, locations to work out, then I have to think about what type of ghost I need to write, why they are a ghost, what is at stake for all parties.

The next bit of my research is really important. I visit the location I’m going to write about, spend time in buildings, open fields, talking to people, imagining, soaking up the atmosphere. I take what I’ve already learned on a tour around the place, and think for a while. Then I come back and start reading and researching again.

I like to write the opening to the novel, to see how it sits, and read it back. For The Witch’s Tree, I created the tension in Slaugh Cottage. For The Lady of the Loch, I put Agnes in the tower, looking out. For The Daughter of the Fens, I examined the pivotal moments that changed the lives of two thirteen year old girls, Hanna in the present and Brea in AD 49 in an Iceni village. For the fourth one, I wrote and recorded a song, then I wrote the prologue, focusing on a scary moment in the present.

I don’t know what I will do for this one, but it will set the atmosphere.

Then when I’m ready, I’ll write. It will probably be every day, excluding weekends, although I sometimes can’t help drifting back to the laptop and writing some more, reading through, reviewing when I’m supposed to be spending a Sunday with family.

I’ll walk in the woods every morning, at six thirty. It gives me time to plot, to resolve problems, to use a natural environment to help me think clearly. I swear by that hour before breakfast to prevent me becoming ‘stuck.’ Then I hit the gym.

Night times are not quiet either. The characters wake me up with their problems:

How will I resolve…?

What will happen next?

How can I make more jeopardy?

How can I develop this character arc/ relationship/ tension/ moment?

And I absolutely love it.

So, as I embark on a new novel – and I’m unlikely to take a breath until I write The End, then start again to go through it to get rid of repetition, dead wood, nonsense – it will be an exciting time.

Please do excuse me if I’m a bit distant for the next couple of months, or if I get lost in thought. Or if my timing becomes erratic, if I’m late, or I forget things. I promise you, you do come first. I just have my priorities temporarily muddled.

But I hope it will be worth it as another novel emerges. I’ll do my best to write a cracker. And I do hope you’ll enjoy it. With every one I write, I’ll learn a bit more about the craft and accept that I’m a flawed being, and try harder.

It’s all part of the exhilarating, exciting, rewarding roller coaster that is writing. And I’m so lucky to be doing it.