Second Book Syndrome

Some books are harder to write than others is a fact, I think, but is there such a thing as Second Novel Syndrome?

When speaking to those more in the know than me in the world of publishing, about writing my second book, I was rather surprised by the reaction. There was a general sucking in of cheeks, pained expressions and mutterings about That Tricky Second Book. So much so, that even if I hadn’t doubted my ability to write another book, I certainly began to.

I’m sure everyone has at sometime or other, suffered from so-called Imposter Syndrome. I know I have at various times in my life when my inner child questions how on earth I got to be doing something or other. Publishing a book can take those feelings to another level. Is this a one off? Am I a one-book-wonder? Will this be the pinnacle of my achievements? I like to think these feelings of self-doubt are fairly normal and I try to let those thoughts flow in and out of my mind, never letting them grow to the extent they threaten to stifle me. I make sure I counter them with thoughts like, yes but you have done this before, therefore you can do it again.

But I began to find that the more horror stories I heard about the dreaded Second Book, the more difficult my task of writing it became. Now, don’t get me wrong, that wasn’t the only thing which made it difficult. When I wrote my first novel (People Like Us/Daughter of the Reich) there were zero expectations, no time pressures and I had no idea if this book would remain forever hidden away in a dark drawer so I wasn’t worried about what anyone might think if they read it. But the next book was a different matter entirely. The biggest challenges for me were writing to a deadline, and the paralysing thought that there were people eagerly waiting to read it, namely my agent and editors, not to mention readers! This weight of expectation truly weighed me down. Especially when adding into the mix all the research I needed to do in a short period of time to ensure I wrote a historically accurate and authentic story.

But somehow, the concept of That Tricky Second Book being an actual Thing felt even more crippling. Have I got Second Book Syndrome? I wondered feverishly as I struggled to find a structure which would work. I threw away my first sixty-thousand-word draft and started all over again. Oh help! I thought, slightly panic stricken as I realised six-months of my twelve-month deadline had passed already and I was back to starting again. This must be a symptom of the dreaded Syndrome! I woke often in the middle of the night in a cold sweat imagining my editors shaking their heads at my truly awful second book, and hearing their whisperings that my first really had been a fluke.

Of course, there are authors who have really struggled with their second book, but also those who have done so with their third, fourth, fifth or fifteenth book. I know of authors who have spent a year or more working on a book, only to ditch it themselves, or submit it to their publishers only to be told no, this won’t do for whatever reason. This may well happen to me. BUT, what I also know from other authors’ experiences, is that even if this happens, it is NOT the end of the road. It is all simply part of the creative process. It is possible to go down a road to a dead-end and have to turn back, only to find another, better route. That does not mean a previous book is a fluke, or that you are no longer capable of writing a good book. Nothing is wasted. Without the dead-end, one might not find that better route at all. That is completely okay. The important thing when things get difficult is to keep going, not give up, but see all of it as part of a learning process.

In the end, I was determined not to give in to the self-doubt, however much I felt like it. It took three attempts, much hard work, late nights and early mornings to get the first draft of my second book right. I suppose it wasn’t helped by the fact that I was writing much of the book during lockdown and having to homeschool my youngest child. With my husband working from home, my elderly mother to worry about and anxious and tetchy teenagers at home to add into the mix, it wasn’t easy. But plodding on, I got it done and proved Second Novel Syndrome to be not a Thing after all. Writing a book, any book is challenging and difficult and each one comes with a different set of problems to solve. But if thought about in just that way - a challenge to solve, it looks a whole lot different than imagining you are in the grip of some sort of syndrome over which you have no control. Realising this helped me to bring a different energy to the task.

And so, I am happy to have finished my second book, The Hidden Child, which my publishers do love and will be hitting the shelves in Autumn 2021. I can’t wait for the book to be out in the world, and am also happy and excited to move on to work on my third book.

I am also pleased to reflect on the fact that, as far as I know, there is no known Third Book Syndrome, which I now need to grapple with.

Happy reading and writing to you all, and stay safe!