Blog Tour | Interview – Diary of a Confused Feminist: Must Do Better by Kate Weston

Can you pick a quote to introduce Must Do Better, the sequel to Diary of a Confused Feminist!

I think the first line probably does this the best of all:

“This is it! The start of a new year, a new term, and THIS term I am absolutely NOT going to make a tit of myself.”

When you started your writing career, how did you know you wanted to write for teenagers?

I was coming out of a period where I’d been quite unwell and had really struggled with my mental health. A lot of the things I was dealing with had first started when I was a teenager, and it was only as an adult in my 30s that I felt able to get some help and address the things I was struggling with properly.

I really feel a lot of this is down to not wanting to tell anyone what I was going through when I was a teenager. I didn’t want anyone to be disappointed in me, I was desperate to feel like everyone else (Or how I thought everyone else was feeling anyway). But I had no idea that in actual fact so many people go through the same things all the time. As I was getting better, I kept thinking about how much help it would have been to read about someone my own age who was dealing with the same things that I was and how it would have helped me to seek help and confide in others earlier.

I wanted to write a book that helped young people to realise that they weren’t alone, and prompt people to seek help when they need it.

I get massive Georgia Nicolson vibes from these books and I love it, can I assume she was an inspiration of yours and Kat Evans? 

Oh yes definitely! I loved Georgia Nicolson when I was younger, and I still love those books now. I love re-reading and going back to books that make me laugh, especially if I’m having a bad day or feeling particularly anxious.

Georgia was just such a relatable character, she was flawed, she was funny, she was a great source of comfort for me growing up. I really hope that Kat can be that for others.

Did you find any challenges writing your first sequel?

Going back into Kat, Sam and Millie’s world was so nice, especially when the pandemic started and everything in the outside world was uncertain and scary. The thing I struggled with the most was when bad things happened to them to be honest. I spent a lot of time apologising to my characters while I was writing. At this point all of them feel like my friends and I don’t think I’ve given any of them an easy time of it.

What authors/books would you recommend for readers after they’ve read DOACF/MDB?

Definitely read all of the Georgia Nicholson books if you haven’t read them! Other great, funny books are, anything by Holly Bourne, Julia Tuff’s book, Hexed, and Oh my Gods by Alexandra Sheppard which I think I am ALWAYS telling people to read. But I read it years ago and still love it so much.

As it’s children’s mental health week I wanted to focus on a couple of questions on that…

The theme this year is Growing Together – How do you think Kat Evans, the MC has grown between the two books so far?

I think Kat’s grown a huge amount. She’s opened up about her mental health a lot with her therapist, her parents, and her friends. She trusts people more and for the most part she’s learned that if someone thinks she’s weird they’re not worth her time. But there’s still plenty for her to overcome and she’s learning that therapy isn’t a linear process.

What tips would you give to make sure we look after our mental health?

I think a huge one is talking to people. Talking or writing down your feelings help make things feel less tangled and messy. It takes time but one of the things I’ve learned is that if you just keep them all in your head they get more and more tangled. Talking to someone might feel scary, but once you’ve done it things can start to get better, and anyone that says anything unsupportive can do one.

The other thing I do is have a list of things that I know make me feel better, like taking a bath, watching certain happy films, going for a walk or a run. Often when I’m feeling bad I forget the things that make me feel good, so having a list that I can refer to and giving myself as many options as possible is really helpful.

I would also always say seeking help from your GP, a mental health charity or mental health professional is so important. Putting a programme in place to support yourself and get the help you need is vital. If you’re in need of someone to talk to you can always call the Samaritans or SHOUT UK, there’s also a very useful page on the MIND website for young people seeking help, and if you’re over 18 years of age a good idea is to google and see if there are any crisis cafes in your area. These are great places where you can talk to someone in person right away or just sit quietly around people until you feel better.

Finally, what message do you want your readers to take away from your books?

Never be afraid to be yourself and stand up for what you believe in, and also that no matter what you’re going through, you’re not alone!