We have the amazing Catherine Bruton here today!! She's done an awesome post for us - hope you all love it as much as I do!! :D
Confessions Of A YA Writer
Did you know that Michael Morpurgo writes in bed, propped up
on pillows? Or that Truman Capote scribbled his novels on a chaise longue with
a glass of sherry in one hand and a cigarillo in the other? Were you aware that
John Cheever penned his novels wearing just his underwear, whilst the poet T. S
Eliot reputedly composed caked in green make up and answering only to the name
‘The Captain’. And not many people know that Nabakov wrote all his books on
gold rimmed index cards or that Thomas Clayton Wolfe had to lean over a fridge
to scribble his first drafts because he was too tall for a desk (how does that
even work?).
You see, we writers are funny creatures; we all have our
quaint quirks and secret scribbling idiosyncracies. And so I figured, in the
spirit of honesty and open-ness, I’d tell you mine. I may regret this later,
but here they are – confessions of a YA Writer aged 39 3/4 . Don’t judge me,
please! Oh, and then you have to tell me yours.
Confession No. 1: Writing
a novel is like being pregnant. And
no, I’m not talking about being temperamental, forgetful and eating for two
whilst I labour for months to gestate my works of literary genius
(although that does all sounds a bit
like me - apart from the genius bit,
that is!) No, I’m talking about weird food cravings!
You see, for me, every book is associated with the compulsive
consumption of a particular food stuff. For ‘We Can be Heroes’ it was those fizzy astro-belt things. You know
the ones that strip the skin from your tongue if you eat too many? And I
definitely ate too many! I blame this on
the fact that they are the fave food stuff of 12 year old Priti who slurps strawberry laces and bubble gum
astro-belts throughout the book, whilst whizzing around on heelie shoes concocting crazy plans like catching suicide bombers and
solving kidnappings (usually with pretty hilarious – and explosive consequences!)
I ate so many bags of astro-belts them whilst writing that book, that now I
always take them along to give to
students at school events (because everyone in the whole world loves and
astro-belt, I think you’ll find!). And even now and the taste takes me back to writing
about the summer Priti and friends caught a suicide bomber and prevented an
honour killing, bought Ben’s dad back from the dead and made the 10 o’clock
news for all the wrong reasons!
With ‘Pop!’ it was
Cheesy Wotsits and I’m not actually sure which came first – me munching the
dusty orange tubes or them featuring in the book? Either way, it’s no
coincidence that fourteen year old Elfie feeds Wotsits to her baby brother
Alfie to keep him quiet at the ‘Pop Factor’ auditions. In fact she claims they
are actually one of his five a day because they are made of cheese, and so
practically the same as milk (!). But then again, Elfie also tells the judges
that Alfie is her son and that her poor
unsuspecting friend Jimmy is the father of her love child so you can’t always
believe everything Elfie tells you. What I can tell you is that Wotsits are
great creative fuel – although they do leave a lot of orange dust over the
keyboard!
The book I’m writing now, ‘I Predict a Riot’, is all about cake. Don’t ask me how a book about
gangs, riots and videotape features cake, but I can confirm that all types of
cake are highly conducive to literary output. On balance, I think chocolate
cake is most potent but a good lemon drizzle can do wonders for writers’ block!
I wholeheartedly recommend you try it sometime!
Confession No. 2: All my
books contain secret messages. I think
this all comes down to an unfulfilled childhood ambition to be a spy. Because I
honestly think I’d have been brilliant at the whole super-sleuthing,
code-breaking 007 bit. In fact, so determined was I about being a spook that I
chose a module at university purely so that I could have tutorials with a
professor rumoured to be recruiting agent for MI5. Needless, to say he was
unimpressed by a five foot giggly undergraduate and I never did get that call
up from ‘M’ (although I am still available at any time if Her Majesty’s Secret
Service are reading this).
It’s probably also the reason that Priti and friends decide
to ‘turn detective’ in ‘We Can be Heroes’
to foil the bomb plot, prevent her big brothers from honour killing her big
sister, and find out who kidnapped Stevie Sanders. I had great fun writing
about code-breaking and undercover missions which all goes to show that being a
writer is the perfect way of living out all your unfulfilled fantasies. If you
can’t do it in real life – do it on the page. Perfect!
So I may never get to be a super- spook but I can also content
myself by popping secret messages into my novels. Mainly I do it for family and
friends but occasionally I pop one in for some of my pupils past and present
(when I’m not writing books, I teach English part time at a school in Bath). So,
for example, in ‘Pop!’ the graffiti in the toilets at the ‘Pop
Factor’ audition venue is a little love note to my long-suffering hubbie. And all the postcards Ben’s mum sends in ‘We Can be Heroes’ contain secret
messages for my kids! And there’s a little something for my lovely Year 11s in
my next book too – but only they will be able to break the code!
Confession No. 3. Writers
talk to themselves. Well I do, anyway. When I’m writing I turn into a kind of
schizophrenic, role-playing, one-woman-Punch-and-Judy-show. Seriously, if you saw me at my desk some days
you’d have me carried off in a straight-jacket.
I think it’s because I plan my novels in quite a cinematic
way and always write dialogue before anything else. This is probably because I
watch way too much TV and films (‘We Can
be Heroes’ is inspired by ‘Son of Rambo’
and the black and white version of ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’, whilst ‘Pop!’
is basically a mixture between ‘Shameless’
, ‘Billy Elliot’ and ‘The X factor’). I write chapters as scenes and often see them
in my head in terms of camera angles and close ups etc. So much so, that the
main character in my next book ‘I Predict
a Riot’ is an amateur film-maker and the whole book is written as scenes in
the film she shot, a film which ultimately causes the death of one friend and
the disappearance of the other. But you’ll have to find out why when it comes
out next year!
I think it’s also because (and I’m going to sound weird
here) I see writing as a bit like acting. I was a bit of thesp in my younger days (my
greatest claim to fame is that I starred with David Walliams in the National
Youth Theatre the days when he was still called David Williams!) So I find when
I’m immersed in writing a book the characters totally take over my head. So
much so that I end up thinking in their voices. It sounds odd, I know, but I
find to really understand my characters I need to ‘climb into their shoes and
walk around in them’ (to misquote a far greater writer than myself) – even the
baddies. And it’s the way I find my characters’ voices. I sort of let
them chatter in my head - or out loud! I’ll
even find myself driving or walking round the supermarket muttering to myself sometimes.
Yes, I sound like a nutter! I said I might regret some of
these confessions, didn’t I?
Confession No. 4 Every
writer has privately cast the film version of their book. Any writer who denies day-dreaming about which celeb they’d
want to play the lead in the
Hollywood version of their masterpiece is telling you porkies. I personally have a little daydream which involves Daniel Craig falling in love with me on the set of ‘We Can be Heroes’. I’ve decided he can play Ben’s dad who was killed in the 9/11 attacks in New York when Ben was only three and who therefore only appears in flashbacks, because this character is sort of based on my husband which means I technically won’t really even be unfaithful when Daniel and I run off into the sunset together – right?
When it comes to ‘Pop!’
Michael Fassbender is a shu-in for Elfie’s dad, the militant striker, and of course Gary
Barlow would have to be head judge on the ‘Pop
Factor’ panel, alongside Jessie J and Sharon Osborne and I think Will-i-am
could make a cameo appearance. Elfie’s feckless, walkabout mam would be played
by Kiersten Wearing from ‘Fish-tank’ (an
incredible film which was a huge influence on the book) and I think I’d give
myself a small cameo as another contestant on the show. I’d like to play Agnes,
the shy but beautiful Portuguese girl with the voice of an angel whom Elfie
decides is her ticket to fame and fortune but I fear the fact that I am tone
deaf and considerably older than 14 might rule me out for that particular role.
Confession No. 5: Every
book is the wreck of a perfect idea. I’d
like to claim that I came up with that little gem of a quotation but, alas, it
was the incredible writer Iris Murdoch what said it first. I actually met Ms
Murdoch once. It was on my very first day at university and my friend Martin
threw up on her shoes - but that’s besides the point. The point is that love
that quotation – I have it stuck on the wall above my writing desk (apparently,
Ian Rankin does too so I’m in good company!) and I take great consolation from
it.
The thing is that every book starts out in your head as
staggering work of literary genius – a kind of platonic conception of the perfect
novel, an ur-text from which the final fatally flawed and infinitely less
brilliant version finally descends. I suppose it sounds depressing because Murdoch
is saying that you are always disappointed with the final book you write, but it’s
actually a quotation that represents writerly idealism and that’s why it resonates with me. Because I
suppose I am an idealist as a novelist. I set out to write about contemporary
issues like terrorism, child poverty, the culture of talent TV, urban riots,
family breakdown, strikes and inner city gangs, and I do it because I want my books
to make an impact. I hope they’ll make readers laugh and cry and care about the
characters enough to open their eyes to the issues they are facing. I’d like my
books to make readers think. Not that I want to tell them what to think, but I
would like my writing to raise
questions, challenge assumptions, open doors - open minds. And I think if you set off on your
writing journey with the highest of ideals, believing in what literature can,
at its best, be and do, then you may fall short of the perfection you strive
for but at least you’ll be going in the right direction.
So there you have it, the confessions of a lunatic author
who talks to herself, thinks she’s a spy and uses unhealthy snacks as her muse.
What can I say? I’d love to hear any anecdotes you may know about other strange
writers’ quirks – maybe your own. Go on, I can’t be the only utterly bonkers YA
author on the block – can I?
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My crazy writing confessions: The only people I can brainstorm with are my dad and my younger brother because my dad is ruthless and my younger brother loves the characters as much as I do. I talk to my characters - one in particular, who is especially snarky and always makes me laugh (sometimes in public)... And I tend to get distracted from writing by other books... I have a really sucky attention span... ;)
Hope you all enjoyed Catherine's post! What are your crazy writing quirks? :D
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After graduating from the University of Oxford, Catherine Bruton began her career as an English teacher and later went on to write feature articles for The Times, among other publications. She started writing fiction while teaching at a school in Africa, inspired by the children she was working with, and the culture that surrounded her. She still teaches, and her pupils continue to be one of her main sources of inspiration. We Can Be Heroes is her first novel for Egmont. Catherine lives near Bath with her husband and two small children.
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