Hi friends,
I did a major, cathartic spring clean of our storeroom the other day. In one of the boxes I discovered a cheesy pink and turquoise notebook with a princess on the cover. The notebook was the only one I could find in the corner shop on the small island where Rhys and I went on honeymoon. In its pages are the first few handwritten chapters of Shame on You. Of course, it was nowhere near becoming a published novel then - that would take a few more years, countless revisions and many rejections - but I was amazed to see how much of those early thoughts made it into the final copies. Most of all, I was inspired by the magic of how a long-past urge to follow a story, ended up with a book of mine finding its way onto shelves across the world.
It got me thinking about what makes a book idea go the distance from a scrawled note to a story. My process have evolved over the stories I have written. I used to just write what was on my heart and not plot at all. As I got deeper into thriller writing, I plotted my book over spreadsheet so I could hit all the character and story arcs. In reality, I now fall somewhere in between - I plot loosely, but mostly follow my nose and hope that my story becomes a living thing that pulls me along on its own volition. I focus a lot more on fleshing out the characters and all their idiosynchrasies, because that is what truly makes a book memorable. But most of all, I enjoy the time spent scrawling in my notebooks and living in the ideation phase. There is something about writing by hand that sparks a story into life.
Respected author Amor Towles talks in this podcast about how he captures one idea per notebook and sometimes mulls over them for several years before drafting. This was a method that really captured my imagination, because I think it really lets your ideas exist without the pressure to become published right away.
Anyway, some recommendations.
Podcasts and audiobooks:
I’m currently listening to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt, about a woman who befriends an octopus in the wake of her husband’s death. Weird, wonderful and heat-opening.
Zadie Smith has a new novel out, and this podcast is a fascinating behind the scenes look at her process for the book and her journey as a writer.
The wonderful Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel interviewed me for their fantastic SA writing podcast called The Hidden Lives of Writers. If you are writing and looking to find an agent, my episode contains everything you need to know about getting an agent overseas.
Books
I just finished Kate Sawyer’s The Stranding, which was absolutely magnificent. The story revolves around two characters that seek shelter from a climate-change apocalypse inside the mouth of a whale. Obviously, this is sombre reading in our current times, but the story is so human, deeply imagined and full of hope. A true gem I will be thinking about for a very long time.
I mentioned I was waiting for Lauren Beukes Bridge, but I just couldn’t get on with it in my current headspace so I’m going to save it for another time. This is why I keep a personal library, because sometimes one isn’t ready for a book the moment one buys it.
Next, I’m waiting for The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff. Her previous novel, Matrix, was a favourite of mine last year so I can’t wait!
On a non-fiction note, I am also reading The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. This year has held many lessons for me. I feel like this book (another book that I bought years ago but wasn’t ready for at the time) is tying everything together for me.
I bought Zach a copy of Pip and Egg, by Alex Latimer. It is a deeply moving story how two best friends grow in different directions, while staying connected. Karina, the publisher of the book I am bringing out next year said it was one of her books of the year, so I had to find myself a copy!
That’s it from me for today. Wherever your creativity takes you, remember to write it down, mull it over and make it happen. And while you’re at it, you may as well motivate yourself by buying a new notebook!
Amy