‘Writing a novel is a marathon. You just have to keep chipping away’

Her debut novel, The Miniaturist, sold over a million copies. Now, Jessie Burton is back with a new book, The Confession. She talks to Joanne Finney about success, friendship and finding confidence

Your first book, The Miniaturist, was a massive success – what impact did that have on you? I always say it was the best thing that ever happened to me, but it doesn’t mean that it was the easiest. I wasn’t expecting it, so I didn’t really have the tools to process it and it was disorientating. I was so utterly grateful that there was interest in my book that I just did everything I was asked to do. I’ve now learned to carve some space away from being a public author; I think it’s very important if you want to be creative.

Your new book, The Confession, asks important questions about motherhood and whether it’s right for everyone. What are your thoughts? I wouldn’t say that becoming a mother is the driving force in the lives of women, but it is a big part and it sometimes clashes with other dreams and desires that we have. From what I’ve seen, it does really change things and women know that. When I was writing The Confession, I was thinking more widely about the question of being a woman and wanting to do everything and to have everything, and understanding what it means having to make compromises and the repercussions of making certain choices.

When did you first start writing? At school I wrote plays and sketches for my friends that we would perform, and I wrote poetry. I attempted a novel at university, but then forgot about it. My great dream was to act. I was a child actor. I did children’s BBC and that kind of thing so, after university, I trained to be an actor. I did that through my 20s, until things started to drop off. The phone wasn’t ringing so much and it was a bit like, ‘What am I going do with myself?’, because you can’t be sustained creatively by doing one small job a year. That’s when I started writing again, with much more determination, and channelled my creativity into that.

Do you feel your confidence has grown?

I think that every novel is so different: the way you’re feeling, the way you approach it and the way you work at it is different. Having written four novels now, I do understand my process a bit better and, in a way, I suppose that gives me confidence. But I’m still a very cautious person and I still feel like I’m on an apprenticeship. Success can look like it comes overnight, but there’s a lot of hard work behind it.

What’s a typical writing day like for you? When I’m deep in a book, I’m quite disciplined. I prefer working at night, but I know that’s not really compatible with life: you want to see your friends or get some sleep! If I’m in the middle of a draft, I’ll try to write 1,000 words or deal with a particular scene. If it’s going well, I might end up writing for five hours, but if it’s not, it could be half an hour. Sometimes you can write more quality in an hour, rather than forcing yourself to sit at a desk for eight. Writing a novel is a marathon and you just have to keep chipping away.

If you could go back and give your younger self advice, what would it be? When you’re young, you can’t conceive ever being 37, which is the age I am now. I would say, don’t panic, keep doing what you want to do and stay curious.

What are you most proud of? My friendships and the fact that they’re such an important part of my life. Some of my best friends are the ones I met when I was 11 years old. The fact that we are growing through our lives together and sharing the ups and downs makes me proud.

How do you switch off from writing? I like spending time with my boyfriend, watching movies, being in my garden and just chilling. I think that it’s very important to relax.