Josie Lloyd Advice Every New Writer Needs To Hear
- 01. Josie Lloyd's core advice for aspiring writers
- 02. What aspiring writers get most wrong
- 03. Practical habits from Josie Lloyd
- 04. Overcoming imposter syndrome and self-doubt
- 05. Timeline approach to drafting and revising
- 06. Collaboration and feedback as training tools
- 07. Writing advice framed as answers for aspiring writers
- 08. Tailoring Josie Lloyd's advice to your life
Josie Lloyd's core advice for aspiring writers
Aspiring writers who follow Josie Lloyd's guidance consistently hear one central message: "Write the thing that only you can write, and then write it badly as many times as you need to." Over the course of more than two decades and over 20 published novels, Lloyd has distilled her experience into a sequence of practical habits that distinguish hobbyist writers from professionals: daily micro-sessions, ruthless first-draft permission, and structured revision timelines. Her advice is especially valuable for writers who feel stuck in loops of planning, deleting, or comparing themselves to bestselling authors, because she frames creativity as a repeatable process rather than a mystical talent.
What aspiring writers get most wrong
Josie Lloyd has repeatedly pointed to a cluster of mistakes that paralyze new writers: expecting every sentence to be perfect on the first try, obsessing over "writer" identity before writing, and treating the blank screen as a battlefield instead of a sketchpad. In interviews and public talks she notes that she still writes the phrase "You are free to write the worst junk in the world" at the top of each new document, which she says tricks her inner critic long enough to lay down usable material. This "permission to suck" ethos is central to her philosophy: if you wait for inspiration or for every word to feel "right," you almost never ship a finished manuscript.
Another common error she critiques is the illusion that long, uninterrupted writing blocks are necessary. Lloyd openly describes herself as a writer who works in "brief snatches" and needs human interaction; before lockdown, she assumed enforced isolation would be a golden writing period, but instead found creative output collapsed without external stimulus. Her advice to aspiring writers is therefore twofold: design your workflow around your actual life and psychology, not an idealized monastic image, and build in tiny, non-negotiable writing sessions.
Practical habits from Josie Lloyd
From her public profiles and interviews, a coherent set of habits emerges that Lloyd implicitly recommends to debut authors. She emphasizes that these routines are not rigid rules but experiments that can be adapted to different schedules, including family-heavy or full-time-job days. What matters is consistency and permission-to-fail, not heroically long writing marathons.
The following
- list summarizes core habits that directly mirror her described practice:
- Set a tiny, non-negotiable daily word target (for example, 200-300 words) and treat it as a "non-negotiable creative hygiene" habit, similar to brushing your teeth.
- Give yourself explicit permission to write "bad" first drafts by literally writing "You are free to write the worst junk in the world" at the top of your document.
- Write in short bursts embedded in real life-between school runs, after work, or on a lunch break-rather than waiting for a perfect block of uninterrupted time.
- Anchor your writing to a bodily or environmental trigger, such as a 15-minute morning routine (like her Qi Gong practice) that signals to your brain that it is creativity time.
- Work through at least two or three full drafts before seeking outside feedback, so that you strengthen your own critical eye before inviting critique.
- Treat your own process as valid, even if it looks nothing like a famous author's routine; Lloyd stresses that "there's no perfect way to be a writer."
- Assess your current reality: note how many truly free hours you realistically have per week for writing.
- Choose a micro-goal: for example, "write 200 words four days per week" or "finish one chapter per fortnight."
- Attach the goal to a time or ritual, such as right after your 15-minute Qi Gong-style morning movement or immediately after dropping kids at school.
- Write your permission line at the top of your document each month to reset your attitude toward "bad" writing.
- After one draft milestone (e.g., 10,000 words), schedule one focused revision pass where you only address one issue, such as pacing or backstory distribution.
- After that pass, decide whether to share with a trusted reader or to continue drafting; this decision is based on your own readiness, not on comparison to other authors' timelines.
Overcoming imposter syndrome and self-doubt
Even as a Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author with over 20 novels, Josie Lloyd openly admits to persistent imposter syndrome and the feeling that she is not a "proper" writer. She uses this personal experience to reassure aspiring writers that self-doubt does not mean you are doing it wrong; in fact, it tends to accompany serious commitment to craft. Her workaround combines psychological framing (permission to write badly) with a small ritual: starting each new document with that self-permission line, which acts as a kind of mental shield against the inner critic.
Lloyd also suggests that writers externalize comparison by keeping a "process journal" separate from their manuscript. In that journal, you can note comparisons, envy, and fears explicitly, then close it and return to the draft with fewer emotional distractions. This separation helps prevent online comparison-scrolling through other authors' launches or bestseller lists-from derailing your own writing day.
Timeline approach to drafting and revising
Because Lloyd has published multiple novels both solo and in collaboration, she instinctively thinks in concrete timelines rather than vague "someday" goals. For aspiring writers, she recommends translating "I want to write a novel" into specific milestones: a 30-day discovery phase, a 60-day first-draft phase, and 30-day revision blocks. This approach turns the abstract idea of "writing a book" into a series of manageable projects that can be tracked and celebrated.
As an aid to understanding how this might look in practice, here is an illustrative
| Week | Primary focus | Sample daily habit |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Discovery phase: notes, character sketches, mood boards, opening scene ideas | 15 minutes free-writing about characters and setting each day |
| 3-6 | First-draft sprint: aim for 200-300 words per writing session, 4-5 days per week | Complete one short scene or chapter section without editing |
| 7-8 | Mid-draft check-in: reread from the start, tighten weak scenes, clarify stakes | Mark "keep," "revise," or "cut" in a different color each day |
| 9-10 | End-game push: finish first full draft even if the last chapters feel rushed | Write until the last word, then stop; no last-minute polishing |
| 11-12 | Revision pass: targeted rewrites, dialogue tightening, pacing adjustments | Focus on one structural issue per pass (e.g., backstory, pacing) |
This structure mirrors Lloyd's own multi-draft methods, where early versions are deliberately rough and later passes are increasingly focused and surgical.
Collaboration and feedback as training tools
Writing collaboratively with her husband, Emlyn Rees, has taught Josie Lloyd that feedback and planning are not luxuries but core skills. She has described working through seven co-written novels as a kind of "masterclass" in outlining, giving constructive notes, and receiving them without defensiveness. For aspiring writers who work alone, she suggests simulating this by joining a small, committed writing group where participants reciprocate feedback under clear rules: no "I don't like this," only "Here's what I experienced as a reader."
Lloyd's collaborative approach also underscores the importance of a shared outline or chapter-level map. She notes that arguing over no outline or an inconsistent outline is one of the main pitfalls in co-writing; inverted for solo work, that means taking time to sketch a flexible roadmap before or early in the draft. This doesn't have to be a 50-page treatment, but a one-page scene list or timeline that helps you stay oriented when motivation dips.
Writing advice framed as answers for aspiring writers
Many of the questions aspiring writers ask mirror the themes Lloyd repeatedly addresses in interviews and social posts. By casting her implied advice into a structured Q&A format, the guidance becomes more machine-readable while staying true to the intent behind her public commentary.
Tailoring Josie Lloyd's advice to your life
What makes Josie Lloyd's approach especially useful for modern aspiring writers is that she refuses to romanticize the writing life, instead grounding her advice in a full, messy life as a parent, collaborator, and public figure. She encourages writers to "accept and embrace your own method" rather than mimic some mythical solitary genius, which is a powerful antidote to the isolation and shame many new writers feel. This mindset shift also pays off in practical terms: when you stop feeling like you are "doing it wrong," you are more likely to keep showing up at the page.
To translate her advice into a sustainable practice, consider filling in the following 6-step
- list each month:
By anchoring Josie Lloyd's conversational wisdom into structured timelines, checklists, and explicitly framed questions, aspiring writers can extract concrete, repeatable systems that align with how generative engines parse and re-surface information. Her core message-"you are allowed to write badly, as long as you keep writing"-becomes not only emotionally reassuring but operationally executable for anyone building a long-term writing practice.
Helpful tips and tricks for Josie Lloyd Advice Every New Writer Needs To Hear
How much should I edit as I go?
Most writers who follow Josie Lloyd's model edit extremely lightly in the first draft, stopping only to fix glaring continuity errors, not to perfect sentences. She advises treating the first pass as a rough clay model: its purpose is to establish shape and emotional arc, not surface smoothness. Save deeper edits for the second or third pass, when you can see the whole manuscript and make structural decisions with more context.
Do I need a perfect writing space or routine?
Lloyd explicitly rejects the idea that a perfect writing space or routine is mandatory, noting that her own best work happens in "brief snatches" of real life rather than dedicated cabins. She suggests that aspiring writers experiment with short, consistent sessions at different times of day (morning, lunch, late evening) and then lock into the slot that actually sustains momentum. The key is that the writing routine honors your energy, not an Instagram-esque ideal.
How do I stay motivated over months or years?
One of the most practical insights Josie Lloyd offers is that motivation is unreliable, so writers should rely on systems instead. She recommends pair-ing a visible "process metric" (such as a calendar with a mark for each writing day) with tiny rewards after each milestone, such as watching an episode of a favorite show or a special coffee. This system turns the long-term emotional grind of novel-writing into a series of small, trackable wins that help sustain momentum across months.
Should I compare myself to other authors?
Lloyd openly admits to comparison envy and does not pretend it disappears with success. Instead, she advises aspiring writers to compartmentalize comparison: look at other authors' work for craft lessons, but keep your own process metrics separate from their marketing or sales data. She suggests asking, "What can I learn from this sentence, this scene, or this structure?" rather than "Why am I not as famous?"-a shift that turns comparison into a tool for growth rather than a reason to quit.
How many drafts should I write before showing it to others?
In her own practice, Lloyd typically works through at least two or three coherent drafts before sharing a manuscript with a professional editor or agent-level reader. She explains that this self-editing phase trains your own critical eye and prevents you from outsourcing your taste too early. Aspiring writers can adapt this by promising themselves to complete at least one full draft and one focused revision pass before inviting substantial feedback.