In this episode:
Lauca started writing in 2018 and enjoyed it so much she decided she wanted to become a published author.
She started with micro stories, which are short stories up to between 400 and 600 words, and the main reason for her doing this was to establish a writing practice.
Because writing was new to her, Lauca knew she needed to find a way of normalising it and making the practice part of her weekly life.
We talk about how she fits her writing in around her job and social life, and for Lauca it's all about scheduling. Every Sunday evening, she looks at the week ahead, puts in all the things that she knows are happening, and schedules her writing around existing obligations.
That way she’s in charge of her time. When it’s time to write, she sits down and does the work.
This is the most important bit. You must show up for yourself if you want to finish the novel.
If Lauca doesn’t hit her goal, she doesn’t despair. She knows she can make up for it at her next writing session.
For example, she schedules nothing on the weekends, so can use a spare hour or so for her writing.
When it comes to starting a new habit, Lauca suggests giving yourself a baseline. If you ultimately want to write for 3 hours a month, start with something small, like 30 minutes.
The next month, write for 60 minutes, and keep building up the time so it feels comfortable.
This gives you the opportunity to be successful, rather than set yourself up for a fall by being too ambitious right out of the gate.
[I have a free cheat sheet to help you schedule your time, which you can get here]
Lauca tells me about the inspiration behind her first novel, Returning East. She was surfing the web and came across a French passenger cruise liner that travelled regularly between Europe and the Far East. Given that “China is my jam” this was the perfect starting point for Lauca’s historical novel.
I asked why she wrote from a male point of view, and Lauca explained that she didn't want to put herself in the book or for it to be autobiographical. By using a male protagonist, she could distance herself from the novel and let her protagonist tell his story.
Lauca explains that being a European writer, as opposed to an Italian writer, enables her to use the many and varied experiences she’s had as an adult.
She has travelled much of the world, moving countries, and sometimes continents, every three years.
This gives her a much more global view of life and she can reflect this in her choice of story, the language she uses and the outlook of her protagonists.
We finish our conversation talking about Lauca’s self publishing experience and what she’s learnt from it. She says it was a steep learning curve and had its challenges, some of which she shares in our conversation.
This week's episode is perfect for you if you are a traveller who wants to incorporate those experiences in your writing.
Connect with Lauca:
- Welcome - Lauca
- Lauca (@lauca_eu) • Instagram photos and videos
- Lauca.eu | Facebook
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