HOW I WRITE
Veronica Henry
‘Show up, be disciplined, stick to a schedule’
Veronica has done it all. From starting out as a production secretary for BBC’S The Archers to being a script editor and publishing her debut novel, Honeycote, in 2002, she has gone on to write over 20 more, exploring love, relationships, second chances, and all the wonderful and messy parts of life. Her latest novel, The Secret Beach, sees Nikki face up to the secrets from her past – because there are no secrets in a small town.
Veronica lives in Woolacombe, Devon. She has three grown-up sons and a schnauzer called Zelda.
The idea for this book was a bit of a cocktail. I was obsessed with the programme Saving Lives at Sea, and wanted to write about the impact of a lifeboat disaster on a small town. Secondly, I met the wonderful Lucy Lo-vel, who is a volunteer for the RNLI crew at Appledore, and who very much inspired my heroine Nikki. Thirdly, I used to take my boys to a wonderful secret beach and that gave me my title.
Place definitely comes first when writing a book, but usually with that place comes a theme I want to explore. With Thirty Days in Paris, there was definitely a part of me that wanted an excuse to spend time in the city! I had to go three times to make sure every detail was right. Poor me.
There has to be drama, conflict and dilemmas, even in paradise.
I love characters who are navigating problems the reader can identify with. I’ve covered all sorts of issues – infidelity, alcoholism, divorce, debt, bereavement, empty nest, the dreaded menopause – but there is always hope.
My favourite thing is when I see or hear something, and a potential story starts to unfold. There’s a special tingling feeling and out comes my notebook. When the words start tumbling out, I know I’m onto something. It feels like a superpower. Almost magical. Of course, wrestling that initial spark into a full-length novel takes skill, resilience and stamina, which is not so magical.
I have a study with a huge desk so I can spread everything out – research, Post-its, notebook, coffee cup. But sometimes it gets too cluttered up with other stuff, so I escape to the sofa with Zelda. I can see the sea from there, which is always inspiring.
The advice I give myself, and always to aspiring writers – is to treat it like a business. Show up, be disciplined, stick to a schedule. It’s so tempting to displace because there is no one there to check how much work you’ve done. Be your own boss. Procrastination is a terrible thief. It steals your confidence and your word count.
✢ The Secret Beach by Veronica Henry (£16.99, HB, Orion) is out now.