When I initially started writing my first novel, I didn’t ever expect it would one day become published. The truth is I just started writing about a woman that I felt was so different to myself and I used her story as a stress release. I have always been a big softy who wears my heart on my sleeve and strives for perfection. This woman I had created and was writing about was confident, independent, mentally strong, and aware of others. She did not care what others thought of her as she understood where she stood in life and used it to her advantage, even if it made her seem cold.

I have always been more of a private sort of person and have been known as prudish in the past as I don’t like discussing my personal or sex life with others. Which is quite funny for those who really know me after reading my book because Ella’s story was quite the opposite of my own.  Thinking no one was ever going to read this story, I wrote my first sex scene sitting at our dining table one night while my partner played PlayStation two meters away from me. I don’t think even to this day he realizes that! I feel like there are a lot of women who, after being married for a few years, feel underappreciated in their relationship so I wrote a scene about how I felt a lot of women wanted to be touched and even looked at intimately and I made sure the scene was all about her and not him. After I had read it back, I felt so embarrassed that I had put those words down on paper, then I reminded myself, it’s not me, it’s someone else and no one is going to read this anyway so what does it matter. As soon as I took the shame or embarrassment out of the equation, my writing boomed. I just couldn’t stop and touched on subjects people wouldn’t normally say out loud and I didn’t care as this was her story, not mine.

I have heard so many writers say that they work on the story from the start and would continue to write in order until the last chapter. My writing style is very different from that. I first wrote the first three chapters then jumped to the last two chapters then filled in the rest knowing exactly how I wanted the story to read. Everyone is different and that is what is so beautiful about creative writing, the fact that your individual flare is able to shine through without any judgment.

Excerpt from the book;

‘I tell myself all the time that there has to be something wrong with me! As I sit in traffic on my commute, I sometimes wonder, Do the people in that car next to me have similar thoughts? Are they happy with their lives? Sometimes I dream about running away or making a big move, and then sometimes they become more sinister fantasies of my being someone else, being with someone else. It’s not necessarily cheating; it’s more imagining what it would be like if I were in a different body with a different life with a different man? Would I be truly happy? Would I still be bored? Or would I finally be myself?’

I was surprised by the feedback I received for this particular scene I wrote.  When I put this out there, I thought people may think I was crazy but I have had a lot of women approach me telling me that my writing is real and has even struck a raw nerve at times because when you write honest from the heart, people can relate to your words and it empowers them, making them not feel guilty for having similar thoughts at times. We live in such an artificial world these days where everyone and everything is perfect on social media. I believe this is what is causing so many problems with people who find themselves striving for the perfect life or to be the perfect partner or mum. I have come to realize that the moment I stopped trying to be perfect, I found my true self and have been growing and learning each and every day since then.

So whatever journey you are on whether you like painting, writing, whatever it is that makes you happy, make sure you do it for yourself. At the end of the day, having one special fan and keeping true to yourself is much more important than pleasing a room full of people. You will find by doing this, other people can relate and will love your work and that is exactly how Moore, Than a Pretty Face, was crafted into what it is today.

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