How I Write - Alexandra Potter

I love talking to my author pals so much I’ve decided to make it a regular on We Are All Creatives. As someone who grew up in a house full of books but never considered ‘novelist’ a proper career, I’m always fascinated by writers’ origins stories, and of course their process. Do they just start writing and see where the characters take them? Or do they plot and plan for months, like I do, filling stacks of Silvine notebooks, interspersed with my to-do lists? (I was thrilled to hear Val McDermid talk at Harrogate about the discovery of Agatha Christie’s notebooks which had shopping lists written alongside future Poirot book ideas. Like so many authors before and since, notebooks aren’t just a work in progress but a brain dump.)

Next up is my pal Alexandra Potter who I met for a drink to celebrate her book going into the Sunday Times top ten. Alex has experienced the author dream of having one of her books turned into a prime-time American network TV show, but she started her writing career in the less starry surroundings of a puzzle magazine.

Thank you! My childhood dream was to be a writer. After graduating from Liverpool University with a degree in English Literature & Film Studies, I set my sights on becoming a features writer for a magazine. The only problem was that all the magazines were published in London and I lived in Yorkshire. Back in those days there was no internet, instead the place to look was in the media section of The Guardian every Monday.

This was how I found my first job in London – as the editor of a puzzle magazine. Thankfully I didn’t have to actually do any puzzles (I love a crossword but I am no Ludwig) but I did learn how to edit a magazine, write headlines and standfirsts and funny, interesting intros. It was an invaluable experience for when I later moved to Sydney to work at Vogue as a sub-editor, before returning to London where I freelanced for all the women’s magazines as both a features writer and sub. In fact, one of my favourite magazines to write for was More Magazine – which you used to edit Tammy – talk about a small world!

I was asked to edit a feature about six female authors, all under the age of thirty, who had just written their first novel. It peaked my interest and, after reading their advice, I was inspired to have a go at writing one myself. As a twenty-something living in London in the 90s, I struggled to find myself represented in fiction, so I decided to write the kind of book I wanted to read. I wrote the first three chapters of my novel ‘What’s New, Pussycat?’ a romantic comedy about Delilah, a girl from Yorkshire who moves to Notting Hill, with just her dog and her beloved collection of Tom Jones albums – and sent them off to various agents. I quickly signed with my agent Stephanie Cabot, who is still my agent today, and wrote the rest of the novel in six months. On submission, a bidding war broke out between several publishers, which was all very exciting, and the rest, as they say, is history!

For years I used to work in the library at the V&A, which is the most beautiful space to write, but now I prefer to work at home.

I’ve turned my spare bedroom into an office and I love the short commute to my desk :)

I have a large cork board in my office that fills an entire wall. I use it to plot out all my books with different coloured cards for all the different characters and scenes. I do have a laptop, but I prefer to use a monitor if I’m spending several hours at the keyboard. It’s important for my workspace to be ergonomic to protect my back. I recently bought a standing desk and often try mix it up.

When I first started writing novels, I wrote one every year, but that’s quite difficult to keep pace with, so now I do a book every two years.

Each book is published in hardback and paperback. I tend to spend about three months thinking and planning a book – I call this noodling – and then a year writing the first complete draft, which I hand in to my editor, who will read it and give me notes.

After any rewrites or editing, it will then go through the various stages of the proof-reading process, until it’s sent to the printers.

When I’m writing, I treat it as a full-time job and work Monday through Friday, with weekends off, unless I’m on a deadline. Writing can be a lonely job, so I really enjoy doing all the book signing events and promotional tours that happen when a book is being released.

At the beginning of the year I went on my first big US book tour to promote the US publication of So, I Met This Guy… it was a whirlwind five days! I went from snowdrifts in NYC, to a blizzard in Boston, to the scorching desert heat of Arizona to the palm trees and ocean breeze of LA. Packing for the trip wasn’t easy!

Nothing in the diary. Just a whole day stretching ahead to lose myself in my imagination and write.

I’d been to most of the locations in the book already, but I did revisit a few when I was researching this novel. I like to walk in my character’s footsteps and really get a feel for what they are experiencing. For example, I made a special trip back to Monte Carlo to play roulette in the casino, as there’s a pivotal scene in the book where Maggie and Flick, my two central characters, do exactly this. Even though my books are fiction, it was important to get this scene right. It was also SO much fun.

I moved to Los Angeles in my early thirties and lived there for many years. It was an incredible experience and one that really influenced my writing. I wrote my first four novels while I was living in London and they were what I’d call classic romantic comedies.

But when I started living in the USA, my horizons widened and my ideas got much bigger. I started writing ‘high-concept’ romantic comedies and wrote seven in total. Each one has a ‘magical twist’. So, for example, in Me and Mr Darcy, the heroine of my novel gets to date her fictional hero, Mr Darcy and I explore time travel in Who’s That Girl? when the main character meets her younger self. Magical romance is currently hugely popular and I often think my magical romantic comedies were before their time, so we’re planning to re-edit and re-release them for a new generation of readers.

When I’m thinking of ideas for new books, I tend to think of both the plot and the main character at the same time. They go hand in hand. Titles usually come later. Though with my novel, Confessions of a Forty-Something F##K Up, I had the title for years before I even wrote the first word.

As an author, I’ve seen huge changes in the publishing industry, from the introduction of e-books and now the threat of AI. I’m currently writing my sixteenth novel and like anyone with a long career, I’ve experienced lots of ups and downs. I count myself very lucky to still be in the business.

I think the downs are often the self-doubt that comes with being any kind of creative. We create something out of nothing and while that’s an incredible gift, with it comes a lot of pressure. There have also been financial worries – authors are self-employed – and we rely on publishers renewing our contracts. Not having a book deal can be a scary time for an author – I know, as it’s happened to me – but conversely, it can also be the most freeing. It was during this time I wrote Confessions of a Forty-Something F##K Up – the book I’d always wanted to write.

The highs have been the phenomenal success of Confessions of a Forty-Something F##K Up, which has sold almost five hundred thousand in print and nearly a million across all formats in the UK and was made into a hit US network TV show by ABC and 20th Century Studios. With its new title: Not Dead Yet it starred Gina Rodriguez and ran for two seasons and twenty-three episodes.

Another huge high has to be seeing my books translated into so many different languages and read all over the world. And another is all the lovely messages I receive from readers telling me how much my books mean to them. I love hearing how my book is the first book they’ve ever read and it’s inspired a new love of reading, or how my book found them at a tricky time in their life and gave them comfort and hope. Social media makes it easy now to connect with readers and honestly, that’s been the greatest joy.

I can honestly say it’s a dream come true. In fact, I recently wrote an Instagram post about my whole experience, complete with lots of photos, so please do go have a look and feel free to leave a comment.

It would be just to keep going. Persistence, determination, resilience. None of those words are particularly sexy, but all of them are key to a long career. My first novel was a best-seller and I’ve written several books since that have sold well and received great reviews, but I’d say my biggest success has come after the age of fifty. I hope that inspires anyone who thinks something has passed them by. As Cricket, the character in my Confessions series says, ‘You’re not too old, it’s not too late and yes you can.”

Thanks Alex

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