Creating a dedicated writing space with motivating elements enhances productivity and fosters a sense of professionalism.
Effective planning, goal-setting, and time allocation are crucial for balancing writing with other commitments and ensuring progress.
Deep dives
Writing Routine and Space Design
Clare Frost shares about her writing routine and the design of her writing space. She describes her newly built extension where her desk is located under a window, surrounded by piles of paper, notebooks, plants, and photos. Frost explains that she wanted a dedicated space for writing to take her craft seriously and feel like a proper writer. She emphasizes the importance of having inspirational items around her, like pictures and meaningful gifts, to keep her motivated and focused on her writing.
Planning and Goal Setting
Frost discusses her planning and goal-setting process for writing. She meticulously plans her writing week on Sundays, setting word count targets and assessing her availability on different days. Frost strategically allocates her writing day to ensure maximum productivity and sets specific goals, whether it's writing chapters or drafting publicity pieces. She values deadlines and targets as they push her to stay on track and motivate her to accomplish her writing tasks effectively.
Balancing Writing and Work
Frost elaborates on how she balanced writing with her full-time journalism job. She narrates her journey of taking an eight-week sabbatical to write her first book and facing setbacks before publishers encouraged her to commit to writing. Frost explains the challenges of managing time between work and writing, detailing her early morning writing routines, lunchtime sessions, and utilizing weekends for creative work. She acknowledges the mental shift required to prioritize writing and shares her ongoing quest for a healthy work-life-writing balance.
Inspiration and Novel Development
Frost delves into the inspiration behind her latest novel, 'The One'. She reflects on a real-life event from her university days that sparked the central story element of sudden loss and its impact on relationships. Frost discusses the process of transforming this idea into a multifaceted plot, focusing on character development, particularly the dynamics between the protagonist, Lotty, and her sisters. She highlights the importance of drawing from personal experiences to weave layers of authenticity into her storytelling, emphasizing the exploration of female relationships and emotional depth in her novels.
Until very recently, Claire Frost worked full-time as a book reviewer for 'Fabulous'. After years reading and chatting to authors, she chose to work 4 days a week, and dedicate a whole day to writing.
She has published 3 books, 'Married at First Swipe', 'Living My Best Life', and her new book is, 'The One'. It's about Lottie Brown, who has finally found The One. Leo is everything she’s ever wanted – he’s handsome, kind, funny and totally gets her. Three months into their relationship, Lottie is in love and happier than ever before. When Leo tragically dies, Lottie learns more about the man she thought she knew, and starts to question whether Leo really was as perfect as he seemed.
We talk about the pressure of needing to get stuff done in a day, what she has learned from book reviewing, and the moment she finally knew she was a writer.
