Q&A with author Sunna Coleman

1. Could you talk us through your writing journey so far? 

My writing journey has not been smooth. When I started out as a journalist over a decade ago, I had to fight for my place as I had a design degree rather than a writing one and was judged for not having gone down a traditional route. But my love for writing pushed me to keep proving people wrong and I am so glad that I did. Now, with a long career behind me, I am proud to say that I have interviewed the likes of Shaun of the Dead director, Edgar Wright; actor and filmmaker, Aziz Ansari; renowned chef, Heston Blumenthal; and have created content for brands such as Calvin Klein, Ted Baker, Revlon, Lindt, Hotel Chocolat and more. More recently, I am proud of having released my first mystery novel, Her Empty Chair - a best seller that readers have described as an emotional page turner.

2. Your book Her Empty Chair, is a mystery. In your opinion, what are the essential elements of a good mystery story? 

A good mystery needs to pull you in from the very first pages. It sets the tone for the rest of the story and kicks off questions in the reader's mind from the get-go. There's nothing more annoying than a mystery that takes ages to give you any sense of fulfilment. If you wait too long for the big reveal it can often feel underwhelming as you're expecting a huge revelation that was worth the wait. My best tip for mystery writers would be to treat the readers with smaller reveals along the way to give you the space to lead up to the big reveal without readers getting frustrated. 

3. What advice would you give to writers struggling with motivation? Whether that be writers with a great idea failing to get started, or writers who are floundering half way through a draft? 

The most important thing to remember is that motivation doesn't just appear. You need to work for it. I often find that I lose motivation when something is particularly hard to write or overwhelming to start. For example, there is a particularly emotional scene in my novel and I made the mistake of pausing the book there for a while. A while turned into years! What I should have done (and have done since), is either just write the bare minimum every week in order to chip away at a first draft of the difficult part, or skip that part for now and come back to it later when motivation is a little higher. You have to work through it.

4. How do you get into a writer’s mindset? Do you have any advice for those who find it difficult to prioritise their writing? 

Most writers make the mistake of thinking that there is a writer's mindset in the first place! We are all human and we struggle with similar things. Life gets in the way, you don't know where to begin, you feel you're not good enough... Whatever it is, it is all an excuse if writing really is your passion and something you want to prioritise. You have to literally force yourself to sit down, open the document, and just type something. That something is often terrible. But that's okay. You need to get the terrible out of your system to let the great writing flow out. You will never regret trying and working towards your dream.
 

Sunna Coleman is the top ten bestselling author of debut mystery novel, Her Empty Chair. She is also an award-winning writing coach, public speaker and multiple international bestselling co-author of a series of business books.