Jenny Colgan: “I was a real book worm as a child”

Jenny Colgan is the author of 14 bestselling novels in the romantic fiction and science-fiction genres. Her most recent books include Resistance is Futile and Little Beach Street Bakery.

Q: What inspired you to write?

“Well I was a real bookworm as a child and loved reading more than anything, so writing books was just as close as I could come to reading for a job!”

Q: Which is the one book that changed your life?

“Reading in general shaped my life, although I must have read Alice in Wonderland more than was healthy; I read it so many times. I just read it to my daughter and had forgotten how incredibly weird it is. It must have warped me in some way!”

Q: Is there any author who has greatly inspired you?

“I’m absolutely nothing like him, but Kazuo Ishiguro is amazing to me. He produces these perfect books in all these different genres, I think he’s astonishingly talented.”

Q: Share 5 hacks to write better.

“1. Don’t wait for the ‘muse’, there’s no such thing. Set your wordcount and hit it every day. It’s that simple.

2. Pitch smart. Which market are you writing for? Who agents the kind of books you like? If you don’t think you’re like anyone, this is problematic. You MIGHT be an undiscovered genius, but it’s probably slightly more likely you haven’t quite found your voice yet.

3. If hitting even a small daily wordcount like 500 is proving too difficult, consider that perhaps you don’t really want to be a writer, you’re just a committed reader. That’s fine, too. I wanted to be a stand-up comedian, but I hated actually performing. I hated putting the hours in, and that’s how I learned that it wasn’t for me.

4. Read anything and everything. I don’t know a successful writer who doesn’t.

5. If you get stuck, take a long walk. You’ll be amazed by how often this helps.”

Q: What’s the one phrase from a book you read, that stands out in your memory?

“It’s actually from a film, but it’s a film that is about writing, and I love it. It’s from Shakespeare in Love.

The scene is like this:

Henslowe: The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.

Fennyman: So what do we do?

Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.

Fennyman: How?

Henslowe: Nobody knows. It’s a mystery.”