Hello Reader,

Welcome back to Word to the Wise! Today, we're continuing the Meet the Author series. I'm excited to introduce you to Julia Seales, author of A Most Agreeable Murder!*

A Most Agreeable Murder is a delightful combination of Agatha Christie and Jane Austen, perfect for fans of true crime and the Regency era alike (plus, there are glowing frogs. What more could you want?).

Julia Seales is a writer and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. She earned an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA, and a BA in English from Vanderbilt University. She is a lifelong Anglophile with a passion for both murder mysteries and Jane Austen. Julia is originally from Kentucky, where she learned about manners (and bourbon).

You can learn more about Julia's work on her website. A Most Agreeable Murder is available wherever books are sold!

You’re a writer and a screenwriter. What does your writing landscape look like?

I did my undergrad at Vanderbilt in creative writing. I always wanted to be a novelist. I always wanted to write fiction—that was my dream. But I also really loved TV and film, and I was drawn to all of that in college. I ended up going to grad school to get my MFA in Screenwriting at UCLA, so I got a degree in each thing.

I stayed in LA and started working in Hollywood, and it's a very different world. I always say the main difference is that when you're writing a book, you're writing a finished product, whereas the script is a map that you're going to hand over to somebody else to get to the destination. It's fun to be able to switch off because they are so different. I feel very grateful that I get to do both of those things.

My first book came out in June and was optioned by Tristar, and they hired me to write the script. I wrote that script and turned it in pre-writers’ strike. The writers’ strike, of course, was a stressful time for all of us, and I'm glad that they were able to reach a deal. I'm not really sure what's happening with the script—movies are so bizarre. As a writer, you just hand it off, and then you're like, “Alright, I hope you make this.”

I'm working on my second book right now! It’s been amazing.

When did you first have the idea for A Most Agreeable Murder? How long did it take to go from “I want to write this book” to “I have a book in my hands”?

I had the idea a little bit before COVID. I had this scene of a young woman in the Regency era who was at a ball, and someone was murdered—and she was really excited about it. Initially, I was like, “Maybe this is a movie.” I pitched it to my boss at the time, and he said I should write it as a book because he knew I loved books, that books were my first love.

When COVID hit, of course, we couldn't do a ton in film and TV because everything was completely shut down. I thought, “Well, this is the perfect opportunity to work,” so I wrote the majority of the book during the pandemic. It was a happy place for me because I love Agatha Christie and I love Jane Austen, and living in both of those worlds was very comforting during a stressful time.

I wrote the first draft over a few months and then worked with the woman who became my agent. I revised it with her several times. We ended up selling the manuscript in May 2021. So then, of course, I started the editing process with my editor. I rewrote the manuscript many, many times, and it took about the typical 18 months from selling it to publication.

Sometimes, you can get so caught up feeling like you want to write the next great novel. I really wanted to write something that people would enjoy, feel entertained, feel comforted, and have some escapism.

I'd love to hear more about your process as you switch between books and screenplays. How are those different for you?

The book was optioned about two months after I sold it to Random House, so I was editing the manuscript at the same time that I was adapting it into a movie, which was a bit confusing! It's the same story, but it was such an interesting study of how these two formats are different.

It sounds simplistic, but the biggest difference is that a screenplay is shorter, and you don't have as much space to explore characters and plotlines. You have more interiority in a book, obviously, whereas on the screen, it's only what you are seeing and hearing. You're not being told what the characters are thinking. So there's an interesting difference between the two.

A screenplay is not the finished product that someone will read. Your audience is not your viewers; it’s executives or actors, people who are going to give you money or be in the movie. You have to have that in mind, but you also have to keep in mind that this dialogue could eventually end up on-screen, too. There are so many more cooks in the kitchen.

What helps you sit down and get words on the page? And what are some things that you've tried that don’t work?

Good question. The most helpful thing is breaking things up into small goals. I feel very overwhelmed when I think about having to write an entire book. Right now, I'm revising the second book, and it can be overwhelming.

I like working to deadlines. That helps keep me on track. I usually count how many working days I have. How much do I need to accomplish? I divide it up, and then it's like, “Oh, I just have to revise 20 pages a day,” or, “I have to just write 2,000 words a day,” which is what I usually do for a first draft. That feels a lot more manageable than a 60,000-word manuscript.

I call it the Stephen King method. His book On Writing* is extremely helpful for getting past that perfectionism. I do the 2,000 words a day when I'm writing a first draft, and I find that very, very helpful. I've also worked with others who are writing books, and I've been in writers' groups, and you don't have to do 2,000 words a day. You could do more if that's better for you. You could do less. There are times when I get really busy, and I have to make the goal smaller because it's too overwhelming to think about the bigger one.

I get stressed when I read most books about writing. I have found that if you hear too much advice, it can feel overwhelming. You have to find what works for you. I've tried other people's methods before, and that doesn't work for me. You know?

Some people will sit down and work from nine to five, just right straight through. I can't do that. I have to have a schedule where if I want to go to an estate sale because I'm stressed, I need to be able to. That's kind of my method.

People want to say, “Well, this is what worked for me, so you have to as well. That's the way to do it.” I see this in screenwriting, too. But there are so many ways to get to that end goal. There's not just one way; there are many, many ways.

Some people think that writing is typing, but I have not found that to be the case. Your mind is always working on these ideas. It's working through them. Yesterday, I was stuck on something. I went to the grocery store, I drove around a little bit, and when I came back, I figured out what I was stuck on. It's easy to say I wasn't productive, that I should have been sitting at my computer typing. But I figured out a big issue. That was writing. It didn't look like sitting at a keyboard typing, but it doesn't always look like that. It can look many different ways because you're creating this entire world inside your head. If you're inside your head, you're working.

Is that the process that you've always had? How has that taken shape for you?

That's definitely been my process. I was a very daydreamy kid, and that evolved into writing stories. My mom got her master's as a reading specialist, and she's a huge proponent of books and reading. From a young age, I was always reading and imagining the stories in my head. That always felt natural.

I think that's just what creating a story is. First, you have to imagine it. I'm an insomniac, so I would be up at night imagining fake stories or playing with Barbies. That was a precursor to creating a story. I still basically use that same method, but now the actors are the Barbies.

What other tools do you have in your toolbox for when you're feeling stuck?

A lot of writers are very hard on themselves. I know I can be! It sounds weird, but sometimes reading or watching something really bad is very inspiring.

Funnily enough, there's this podcast called My Dad Wrote A Porno. I'm such a huge fan. And I think that is such a great, inspiring thing for writers because it's like, okay, this guy's dad wrote and self-published this terrible erotic series of novels. They're so bad, but as I listened to it, I found myself getting invested in the series. From a critical standpoint, it’s probably not good. And it can still create feelings in you and make you invested in the story. I find things like that very inspiring because something doesn't have to be perfect to be effective.

A lot of times, when you're blocked, you need to be reminded of that and do away with that perfectionism. People can still love something and be invested in it, whether or not it's flawless.

I usually create a detailed outline, which is more plot-driven, especially when it comes to mysteries. I find the structure and the plot important for that. But if I get extremely stuck, and I'm like, “I hate writing this. I'm not having fun,” it means something's wrong with the outline. When I have a block, I like to get to the root of that. Is it that something is not working, and I need to go back and fix it because I'm not having fun? Or is it that I'm being too hard on myself?

What's it been like to write post-publication or during the publication of your first book, and what is coming next for you?

I'm working on something that's in the same world; hopefully, I'll be able to talk about it soon. One huge change is being able to write full-time, which is such a blessing, and I don't take it for granted. For many, many years, I worked a full-time job and then started writing after finishing that. It can be done, but it's hard. I feel really grateful to be able to dedicate so much time to writing. So that's probably the biggest change.

I also feel so grateful to have people on my team, like the agents that I've worked with and my editor, who have pushed me to be a better writer. It can feel vulnerable to put your work out there and to get notes back. Leaning into that sometimes very nerve-racking event can be so helpful for growth. Whenever I've received a note, trying to make the edits has always made me improve as a writer. I'm grateful for the hard notes that I get from all the people on my team because they have pushed me to become better.

If you never have any challenge, you're going to stay the same. I don't think that the first book is going to be the best book I ever write, and I don't want it to be. I want to keep getting better. I want to mature in my writing. I want to challenge myself. If someone's giving me a hard note, then I take that as them believing I can do this. So I’ve got to try.

What would you offer to other writers, especially people who are starting out or feeling stuck?

The best thing that you can do is write the thing that you're the most passionate about. I wrote four or five full manuscripts before I wrote this book, and I learned so much through doing it. I don't regret doing that. A lot of the ideas were things I thought could sell, or that were popular at the time. The book that did get published was the one where I decided I was going to think of all the things I love and what would make a book I would want to read and write that. That passion comes through on the page.

There's a lot of talk that says it has to be a story that's so unique, like no one's ever done it before. I had a professor in grad school who said if no one has ever done this before, people will have no way of relating to it or understanding it. That's not how stories work. What's unique is your voice. Whatever story that you're telling, you're telling it through your voice, and that's what's going to be unique about it. It’s okay if there are other stories that are similar; there are always going to be stories that are similar because we're retelling the same things over and over again, but that's a fun thing because we're seeing it in a bunch of different places.

It can be freeing to think about that because I don't know how to tell something that's never been told before. I listen to the same song over and over and over again on my Spotify. If I read a book and liked it, I want to read another book that's similar.

I also don't think you should view books that are similar to yours as competition because people will find that book, and then they'll find your book. They're going to love all of those things. There's room for all of that. It's exciting!

I thoroughly enjoyed A Most Agreeable Murder and my conversation with Julia! Watch out for her next book and get ready to dive into the engaging world she's created.

Word to the Wise will be back in your inbox soon—and I've got an exciting announcement in store!

Happy writing, Bailey @ The Writing Desk​ she/her/hers -- Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here!​ P.S. Enjoying Word to the Wise? I'll never say no to a cup of tea!​ ​

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