With my second book, I had ideas, and I had ambitions – but in the aftermath of Eve Green all I wanted to do was not disappoint.

There is always talk of the tricky second novel – and I used to think it was a cliche. But I’d sit at my desk, look out of the window and think, “don’t mess up…” I dreaded, instantly, being a one-hit wonder, and imagined reviews for my second book which called me exactly that – a flash-in-the-pan a one-trick-pony. Such fears were all in my head. I never – not even once! – felt any pressure at all from my publishing house, or agent. They were all so calm and patient with me, and gave me the space to write. But I still felt pressured, simply because I wanted to do well; I didn’t want to let anyone down.

Hindsight is, truly, a fine thing. I see now, perfectly, what I did wrong in the early months of writing Oystercatchers. I withdrew a little; I forced myself to stay at that computer, even if the words weren’t coming; I felt guilty over days-off and holidays and, worst of all, I set myself standards I really had no chance of meeting (eg, 2000 words a day! Some writers might achieve that; I am, by nature, a little slower than that….!) This all came from my own worries – from the “don’t mess up” voice inside me.

This approach didn’t work. It stopped the words, and those words that did come felt jilted, not my own. It took some straight-talking friends and a few days in the countryside to make me realise that if I were to produce anything half-good, I had to listen to my instincts, as I had done with Eve Green. I reverted back to my old writing ways – write in the morning; exercise; socialise; spend time in the places that inspire me; and, most important of all, don’t worry about the critics, the reviews, the ghost of Eve Green. Just write for ME. MY writing. So gradually, I did.

I learnt many lessons in my writing of Oystercatchers. I know myself, as writer, far better. Eve Green will always be special to me, for obvious reasons (it was my first book; it made me so happy to see it do well) – but in many ways Oystercatchers has been the most valuable. I know myself better from writing it. It was a greater challenge, by far – and I was so proud of myself when, after nearly three years, I typed in the last full stop.

I don’t regret anything. My second novel is not as accessible, perhaps, as its predecessor, and it has a darker tone to it – right from the start, I wanted that. But it is also an honest book, I think; through my experiences I hope to have instilled Moira with a truthful sense of introspection, self-concern. She is not me, that’s for sure; some of her choices and actions are as shocking to me as I hope they are to the reader! But there are moments in the novel when I sympathise with her, and recognise certain feelings, and for this reason, despite her flaws, I care for her.

I never expect to have even half the sucess that Eve Green did ever again. But I hope I have learnt from it – and that this learning will inform my other novels in the future.

Reading Groups extra: Got a question for Susan Fletcher? Be it on the writing process, the pressure of writing a second book to live up to her first, her inspiration for Oystercatchers, or on the Whitbread (now Costa) Book Award, you can send your question to readinggroups@harpercollins.co.uk or leave it here on 5th Estate. Susan will answer them all, and we’ll be posting responses on the reading groups site next month at www.readinggroups.co.uk