Hillary Yablon: Finish the Piece You’re Working On

Hillary Yablon lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two young sons. She is a graduate of Princeton University and earned her MA in poetry from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. Her debut novel received the Allegra Johnson Prize at UCLA.

Hillary Yablon

Photo by Alex Jay

In this post, Hillary the process of writing her debut novel, Sylvia’s Second Act, her advice for writers, and more!

Name: Hillary Yablon
Literary agent: Erin Malone
Book title: Sylvia’s Second Act
Publisher: Pamela Dorman
Release date: March 12, 2024
Genre/category: Fiction
Elevator pitch: This is a story about a woman who, upon finding out her husband cheated and lost all of their savings, decides this is the time to leave her Florida retirement community and move to Manhattan and restart her life. She does so along with her best friend, another retiree. It’s “Golden Girls” meets “Sex and the City.”

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What prompted you to write this book?

I’ve always loved the theme of “it’s never too late.” I also, upon reflection, think I drew inspiration from my mother. Due to her battle with Parkinson’s, which she was diagnosed with in her early 60s, she never got to live the next chapter she had wanted to live.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I got the original idea back in 2008—it was simply, “A woman decides to leave a retirement home because she does not want to be retired.” I spent the next few years working in the entertainment industry and completing an unrelated screenplay. And then in 2017, I sat down to write something new and remembered this idea. I didn’t want to write a screenplay. I wanted to write a book. But I had never written a book, so I signed up for online fiction courses through UCLA’s Extension Program. I needed the community and the deadlines and the guidance. I took the course over and over as I began to write pages.

The idea evolved as I wrote. I wanted to portray the retirement community as a fun, vibrant place. This isn’t a story about a woman who is with a bunch of old people and doesn’t want to be old. This is a story about a woman who hasn’t been living the life she wants and decides now is the time.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

I learned so much in this process. Working with an editor really helped me see where to cut, where to expand, and where things were working. I learned to take out all of the cartoonish moments and still keep the humor without ever demeaning the characters. That was important to me.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

Oh, for sure! I wasn’t sure what Sylvia’s occupation was until I was thinking one day and rereading the first few chapters and realized that she was a wedding planner. Sylvia’s best friend, Evie, came to me as I wrote. She was so fun to write, and her story was not something I outlined or overthought. It just came out, and I don’t know where it came from but it surprised the heck out of me to realize.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I hope they will laugh and feel like Sylvia and Evie are real people. They became very real to me, and that was so helpful because when something wasn’t right in the story, I just felt it in a way that was almost visceral. I also hope that people will feel entertained and be rooting for these women on their journey.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Finish. That is the best advice I was ever given. There is nothing more essential to writing than to finish the piece they are working on. 

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