I have what I’d call a weird process for writing my books.
Every time I start a new book, I tell myself the same lie: This time I’m going to write straight through. First draft, start to finish, no looking back. And every time, I believe it.
I start strong. The first half comes fast. I’m feeling good, maybe a little smug. Then somewhere around the middle, I hit a wall. Not writer’s block exactly — more like a structural wobble. Something isn’t hanging together, even if I can’t name it yet.
So I break my vow and go back to the beginning. I read through, then start editing, because inevitably I find holes — timeline gaps, spots where the story doesn’t quite work yet. Once I fix those, I keep going. I write another 25%, then do the whole thing again. By the time I’m writing the ending — always hard, always — most of the editing is done. The last pages usually get written right before I hit send to my editor.
For years I thought this meant something was wrong with me. Every writing book described a process that looked nothing like mine. Every workshop said just get the draft down and fix it later. My plotter friends reacted with horror — how could you not know how to keep going if you’d planned the book? (Spoiler: I often hadn’t, not to that extent.)
But here’s what I eventually figured out: my process works. It produces finished, published, real books. That’s the only test that matters.
Five things I wish someone had told me earlier about writing:
1. Soak up the advice. Then throw it out. Every writer has a system that worked for them. The advice isn’t wrong — it just might not be right for you. Take what fits, leave the rest, and stop feeling guilty about it.
2. Your process is allowed to change. What worked before might not work next time. That’s fine.
3. Consistency beats inspiration. Waiting to feel ready is how years disappear. You need to show up and write badly until you don’t. Many days, you will. That’s just how it goes.
4. Work with your real life, not the writing life you think you’re supposed to have. Fifteen minutes at lunch counts. A notes app in the pickup line counts. Stop waiting for perfect conditions. Write anyway.
5. Embrace your process, however it looks next to someone else’s. If it gets the work done, that’s all that matters.
About those last-minute endings: when I was writing my Pawsitively Organic series, one book gave me real trouble. My pub date got moved up, my editor was breathing down my neck, and on my last extension day, I was up at 3 a.m. writing the final two chapters, with no idea if the ending even worked.
My editor read it the next day and accepted it. His note ended with: “By the way, I loved the ending! Think it was your best one yet.”
I’m not saying procrastination is the way to go. I’m saying don’t discount what works just because it isn’t how someone else would do it.
The writers who finish aren’t the ones with the best process. They’re the ones who stopped waiting to have one and just started writing.
About Cate Conte
Pseudonym for Liz Mugavero.
Liz Mugavero/Cate Conte is a bestselling mystery author, creativity coach, and devoted believer in all things magical. As Liz Mugavero, she writes the beloved Pawsitively Organic Mysteries. As Cate Conte, she writes the Cat Café Mysteries and Full Moon Mysteries. Her 20th novel, Purranormal Activity, just came out in July 2026.
When she’s not plotting fictional murders, she helps writers find their voice and bring their books to life through her membership community, The Creativity Lab, and her podcast, Get Writing.
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