'I Nearly Handed Back My Advance...'

Writer Beware: You might not be the best judge of your own work...

Every writer has a moment where they question everything—their talent, their choices, and whether they have what it takes to keep going.

For Tess Woods, that moment came when The Venice Hotel was torn apart in a brutal professional critique. It questioned her skills, dismissed her setting, and made her wonder if her career was over.

What happened next? She rewrote her opening, ignored the rest, and went on to land a dream deal with Penguin.

This week on Writes4Women, Pamela Cook sat down with Tess to talk about rejection, reinvention, and why even bestsellers battle imposter syndrome.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “good enough” or if your dream is worth chasing, you’ll get a lot out of this listen.

🍿 For paid subscribers: Tess reveals her full creative process—including the edits she fought for, how she rebuilt her confidence, and the real story behind how George Clooney ended up in her book (and why legal almost got involved).

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WRITE-IN ALERT

Want to join other dedicated writers on the path to publication? Next Monday, 17th March at 2pm, join Pam and the W4W family on a paid-subscriber only write-in. Get words down, get inspired and be amongst women who get it!

Zoom link coming soon.

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Here are the top three takeaways from Pam’s conversation with Tess:

1. Not Every Critique Deserves Your Attention—But the Right One Can Change Everything ❌

Before The Venice Hotel found a home at Penguin, Tess received a scathing critique. It claimed:

• She couldn’t handle multiple POVs

• Her setting wasn’t strong enough

• The book wouldn’t sell

For most writers, this kind of feedback would be devastating. But Tess did something different: she rewrote her opening and ignored everything else.

💡 Takeaway for Writers: Sometimes people don’t know what they’re talking about. The difference between amateurs and professionals? Pros know when to listen—and when to trust themselves.

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2. Setting Isn’t Just Scenery—It’s a Statement 📖

Tess originally envisioned The Venice Hotel as a love letter to the city. But when she arrived for research, Venetians told her a different story—their home was sinking, tourism was destroying it, and no one seemed to care.

Instead of avoiding these hard truths, she wove them into the novel, making setting part of the book’s DNA.

💡 Takeaway for Writers: Readers don’t just want beautiful settings—they want meaningful ones. If your setting could be swapped out without changing the story, you’re missing something big.

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3. Imposter Syndrome Never Goes Away—But That Doesn’t Mean You Should Quit ✨

Even after multiple bestsellers, Tess struggled with self-doubt while writing her next book, The Cairo Bridal Shop.

She was so convinced it wasn’t good enough that she considered giving back her advance.

Her editor’s response? “This book is better than The Venice Hotel.”

💡 Takeaway for Writers: Doubt is a sign you care. The difference between success and failure? Some people quit. Others keep going anyway.

Connect with Tess

• Instagram

• Facebook

• Website

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✨ Subscriber Bonus: The Process and the George Clooney Incident 🚀

Paid subscribers get an exclusive look at Tess Woods’ writing process, including:

✨ Why her original structure almost got rejected

✨ The hilarious George Clooney story (and why legal got involved)

✨ How she rebuilt her confidence after rejection

✨ The step-by-step method she used to rewrite The Venice Hotel

Tess also opens up about the emotional resilience needed to stay in the game, how she learned to separate herself from rejection, and why finding the right writing community made all the difference.

Want to hear the full conversation? Subscribe as a paid member for just $7/month to unlock this behind-the-scenes chat and get all the insider insights!

🎧 Get Inspired. Get Encouraged. Get Writing.

Happy writing! 🎉