The Harder We Fall is my tenth novel. I’ve finally hit doubt digits. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all those hours slaving away at my keyboard, it’s this: the process for writing every book is different. This may not sound like a big deal, but for me it’s actually quite horrifying.

When I first started writing, I spent a lot of time reading about the mysterious and unique writing processes of other authors. I always imagined that over the course of writing a few books I would discover my own mysterious and unique process. Writing would be so much easier after that. I would be able to use the same process to produce book after book, streamlining and refining as I went. By the time I reached book number ten, I expected to have the whole process down pat. Smooth, efficient, and stress-free.

The reality? Splinter took forever to write, Our Little Secret was done in a few short months. Writing All the Broken Pieces hurt my heart, but the constant rewrites for Becoming Us hurt my brain. The Experiment seemed to plot itself in my subconscious practically before I put pen to paper. The Harder We Fall started with a spark of an idea for one facet of one character and I had to consciously build the story from there.

Plotting. Characterisation. Relationship arcs. Nothing ever seems to work the same way twice! It’s enough to send a pragmatist bonkers.

Part of me still hopes that one day I will stumble across a tried-and-true path to follow when writing. But the creative part of me loves using a new approach every time – even if my muse is forcing me to do it. Either way, I least I know I’ll never (ever, ever, ever) get bored.