I know this post may sound a little strange, and I know it is definitely a first world problem, but it’s something that I’ve been struggling with for a while, so I thought I’d share it: I am really struggling to write a second book.

I know that sounds mental: it’s supposed to be the first book that’s difficult! And for many people it is, but I found that my first book Conquests almost flowed out of me. It was a story that I knew inside out, and I really wanted to tell it. And so I did – it only took me about three months, although getting it published was another matter. But once it was done, there, put on paper, it didn’t feel difficult.

But the sequel?

My word, it’s like drawing blood from a stone. Just like my first book, Conquests: Hearts Rule Kingdoms, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, exactly where my characters are going…and yet they aren’t getting there.

I think partly it’s because I’m terrified that I won’t be able to match the success that I’ve had with my first book. From here, the only way should really be up…but what if my readers don’t like it as much? What if they hate it? What if my family hate it, and they start to disown me because it’s just too terrible to be associated with?

I’m also in such a different place than I was when I wrote my first book, almost two years ago. Then, I was just about to graduate with a BA in History and English, and had days and days of nothingness in which I could write. Now I’m working two internships whilst planning my wedding and a move to the other side of the world (New Zealand). Empty days are a distant memory.

But if I’m serious about being a writer (which I am), and if I want to end up writing about three books a year (which I do), then surely I’m going to have to get used to this? After all, life isn’t going to slow down just because I have another chapter deadline. Life doesn’t stop after the wedding and the move – I’ll have a husband to look after, a house to keep, and a social life to create. “Time to write” isn’t going to drop into my lap.

So here’s the challenge to myself – and you, if you’re struggling to find time to finish that first, second, or fifteenth novel. Divide it into chunks, and allot rewards. For every chapter, a chocolate bar. For every character development, another episode of The Big Bang Theory. For every completed novel, a weekend break away.

Whatever it takes to keep you writing, chipping away at the word count and killing off that antagonist, find it and use it.