But... is it any good?

The terror of committing to an idea.

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(there aren’t many good stock images for writing, so have a picture of my new cat, Little Bug, in a basket)

One of the most common questions I’m asked by readers – in fact possibly the most common question any writer gets, is: Where do you get your ideas? But the more pertinent question is - how do I know if that idea will make a good novel?

Short answer: you don’t. Or at least, I don’t, until about 20,000 words in. For me that’s the point at which a book either feels like something taking off, or something that is grinding to an uncomfortable halt on the runway.

I have a variety pack of 20,000 word abandoned novels sitting on my desktop, dropped for different reasons. I wrote one, a few years ago, about a grumpy old man in a care home (I had spent a lot of time in care homes for a few years, visiting different relatives and became fascinated by the dynamics) and a care worker from abroad who he builds a relationship with. I thought it was funny, and poignant and I loved writing the male lead. But it was only when I hit 20,000 words that I realized that although the idea was original and the characters and setting were fresh (at least in my opinion) and the plot was good – it contained a too-similar dynamic to my most popular book – Me Before You. And I never want to be accused of retreading old ground.

I have abandoned another novel because I lost confidence in the idea, another because I couldn’t get to the physical places I needed to research it properly (thanks Covid) and then by the time I could, the air had disappeared from the premise, like a deflated balloon.