Ellen O’Clover is a novelist and lifelong writer originally from Columbus, Ohio. Her debut novel, Seven Percent of Ro Devereux, came out this past January. Today, Ellen is sharing her writing and publishing journey with us, and we’re so happy to have her on our blog!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your novel, Seven Percent of Ro Devereux?
Like most writers I know, I’m a lifelong lover of books and storytelling. “Author” is the job title I’ve chased for as long as I can remember! My twisty journey to finally claiming it included a creative writing degree, a day job writing advertising copy, and several manuscripts that’ll never see the light of day. I live in Colorado, where I love to hike, ski, cook, and snuggle my two bulldogs, Puffin and Gorilla. And read, of course!
Seven Percent of Ro Devereux is about Ro, an eighteen-year-old who creates a future-predicting app based on the game MASH for her high school senior project. When MASH unexpectedly goes viral, she and her app-predicted “perfect match”—who also happens to be her ex-best friend and worst enemy—are thrust together and forced to become the app’s spokespeople as it quickly spirals out of control.
How has your writing style evolved over time?
There’s an artist I really admire, Tim Goodman, who says “You have to make a lot of stuff before you can make stuff like yourself.” I’m so proud of the early unpublished manuscripts that I wrote, but when I read them now I don’t recognize myself in them. I hadn’t tuned into my voice yet, or quite figured out what messages I wanted to put out there—about figuring out who you are, and offering yourself grace, and the balancing act of recovering from the huge mistakes that make us human. I have a much better grasp on my narrative voice now, and a much clearer idea of what an “Ellen O’Clover book” is.
Seven Percent of Ro Devereux is your debut novel. Can you tell us about your journey to publishing? Are there any tips you’d give to other authors trying to get their first book published?
It was a rollercoaster, as it is for many authors! As I’ve mentioned, I wrote two novels before Ro Devereux — I signed with a different agent for each one, and each one died a slow and quiet death on submission. I’m grateful now that Ro is my debut novel, but at the time, of course, it was heartbreaking to shelve those books. But I absolutely had to write them to get to Ro, and I learned so much about the business during those hard years.
My go-to advice for people pursuing traditional publishing is to protect your magic. Writing is the art; publishing is the business. Publishing isn’t going to make you feel the warm, fuzzy, fulfilled way that writing your stories makes you feel. Protect your craft and honor your magic in every moment that you can—especially the tough ones. You can’t control the business, but you can always control the words on the page. Focus your energy there, and don’t let the business side of things erode the magic for you.
What does your day-to-day writing routine look like? Have you implemented any specific habits that you think have helped you become a better author?
I don’t write every day—for a long time I thought that I had to in order to be a “serious writer,” but I’ve realized that working in focused bursts works much better for me. My process usually involves buckling down for a few months to crank out a draft, then taking a few months off to become human again. I go long stretches without writing anything at all, which lets me charge up my creative muscles.
I’ve started writing every project with a beat sheet, which has completely revolutionized my drafting process. A critique partner recommended Jami Gold’s Basic Beat Sheet to me, and now I can’t imagine writing without it. The first time I used beats to plot a novel I completed its first draft in 10 weeks, and that book turned into Seven Percent of Ro Devereux. The two manuscripts I’d written previously took over a year each! Knowing exactly where my plot is going every time I sit down to write frees me to be even more creative because I have the security of knowing my story is clicking along as it needs to.
Can you tell us about any other writing projects you’re currently working on?
I have a second standalone contemporary YA coming out in early 2024, and I’ll be able to share much more about it very soon! I think readers who enjoyed Ro Devereux will be happy to find a similarly tough, mistake-making female lead, lots of juicy family drama, and—of course—a heavy dose of romance.
Do you have a list of “dream projects” you’d like to tackle one day?
I’d love to write an adult romance, and maybe even explore other YA genres!
Is there anything you wish you could go back and tell yourself before you became a published author?
You made your book, but you are not your book. Writing—and publishing, especially—can feel incredibly all-consuming, and it’s so important to fill your life with other things that bring you joy and replenish your well. Get outside, hug a dog, drink a big mug of tea. And write the next story.
Can you provide links to any websites or social channels you’d like readers to follow?
Website: www.ellenoclover.com
Instagram, TikTok, Twitter: @ellenoclover
