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The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Lorraine Jenkin (view source)
Revision as of 14:11, 11 October 2010
, 14:11, 11 October 2010no edit summary
'''* BB: What with two young kids and a new baby, I wonder how you manage to squeeze a single written word into your day, let alone the sustained effort of a whole novel. So to encourage hassled young mums everywhere, when and how on earth do you find the time?'''
LJ: Time is the limiting factor on most of my life. I have four tiers of priorities: One is getting where we have to go, feeding people, washing up and sleep. Two is sorting washing and sort of cleaning the house. Three is writing and the business around it, Four is 'indulgent things for me' – swimming, going for a lone walk etc. In five years, I have never managed to reach four. I wrote [[Eating Blackbirds by Lorraine Jenkin|Eating Blackbirds]] and [[Cold Enough to To Freeze Cows by Lorraine JenkinsJenkin|Cold Enough to Freeze Cows]] between about 9 and 10 pm at night and let personal hygiene out of the window…
'''* BB: I'm amazed that you manage any house cleaning at all! So, what else do you get up to in a typical day?'''
'''* BB: Maybe not, but one day there'll be a chink of light at the end of the tunnel …
The first draft of [[Chocolate Mousse and Two Spoons by Lorraine JenkinsJenkin|Chocolate Mousse and Two Spoons]] was written in South America, and I'd like to hear some more about that trip (maybe this is just a repeat of how on earth did you find the time!!!). For instance, was the writing a product of boredom, homesickness or obsessive writing syndrome (to coin a phrase)? '''
LJ: My trip to South America was the result of a moment of life clarity / early mid-life crisis in 2003. I woke up one morning with a hangover and another busy day ahead, thought, ''Enough! I want to be a writer!'' so I packed in my job, rented out my house and set off. Typically, about a week before I left, I got together with my (now) partner Huw and so flew to Argentina knowing that the bloke I'd left behind was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my days with. The writing was something I'd always wanted to do, but never had the time – in my pre-children days, I had a busy job and a hectic social life and writing was more of a romantic ideal, rather than something I actually did.
'''* BB: How do you go about the business of making up a plot? I'm wondering if it arrives almost complete or is it more or a meandering journey where characters lead the storyline?'''
LJ: So far, I have had the main plot lines in my head and I start writing knowing the main characters and what they will doing. As the plot develops, the other characters develop also and take on little lives of their own. However, [[Cold Enough to To Freeze Cows by Lorraine jenkinsJenkin|Cold Enough to Freeze Cows]] was different somewhat as the planned plot changed and the main character became a side character when my own life changed – I became pregnant again and it seemed only fair that some of the things that were happening to me also happened to some of my characters.
'''* BB: I particularly loved Godfrey in ''Eating Blackbirds'' and Menna in ''Cold Enough to Freeze Cows''. Who are your favourite characters?'''
LJ: Having not done a course, I can't know whether I am right or not, but my feeling is that courses just delay the actual starting of that novel. Procrastination seems to be a legitimate sport in writing and I read countless letters to writing magazines about how to start a book, should they do this or that first, before or after breakfast and I just want to scream, ''GET ON WITH IT!'' There are no right or wrong ways to write something – as long as it works for the reader. I don't think writing can be formulaic and therefore, aside from grammar, it is difficult to teach.
'''*BB: Do you have a web-site? Do you enjoy blogging?''' LJ: I don't have a website yet, but do have plenty of web-presence – within Honno (publisher), Academi etc, so hopefully people can find me if they look. I did set up a blog, but I think that, as a writer, a blog is my shop window, so every blog must be well written and funny. I found the pressure of time too great; I can either think about and write a witty little blog, or I can get on with my next chapter and I think it's best to do the chapter. I do manage a Tweet about once a week. It's all in a list of Things To Do When I Have Some Time…
'''* BB: And last but not least, what's cooking for the next novel?'''