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louise
voss
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Superb author of To Be Someone and Are You My Mother?, Louise Voss discusses her writing practices and emphasises the need for getting a good agent.
What
inspires you to write?
For me I think it’s as straightforward as having a good story to
tell, and creating memorable characters. There’s something very
satisfying about the process too - when it’s going well, that is.
When it’s not, it’s like pulling teeth… But I love the
feeling of getting lost in what I’m writing.
How
long does it take you to write a novel?
About nine months, like gestation. Seven months on the first draft, then
a pretty intensive two months of tinkering/editing/fleshing out.
Do
you have a writing routine? If so, what is it?
‘Routine’ is perhaps an optimistic way to look at it! But
my aim is to write a thousand words a day. Sometimes, when I’m on
a roll, this only takes 45 minutes; sometimes it can take hours. When
I’ve done the requisite number of words I go and play tennis. I
love this job!!
Is
it harder to start or finish a novel?
It’s easy to start when you have a great premise; hard to start
when you don’t. Finishing, however, is easier than that tortuous
bit in the middle when the end isn’t yet in sight. That’s
the worst bit for me – I get so bored with it and think that everyone
who reads it will be yawning too. The best part is after you’ve
finished the first draft, and you can really start to lick the whole thing
into shape and inject some energy into it.
How
did you go about finding an agent and do you think it's necessary to have
an agent?
The usual way, at the outset: letters and a few chapters to people in
The Writers and Artists’ Yearbook. I had a rather unenthusiastic
agent for the first two years who I feel, in retrospect, shouldn’t
have sent my work out at all because it wasn’t good enough. By then
I had a better feel about how the publishing business worked, and figured
out that an ambivalent agent was almost as bad as no agent at all. I nearly
gave up after two years of rejections, and then decided to give it one
last shot. I was lucky enough to get taken on by a new big agent who absolutely
loved my work, and auctioned my novel. So yes, I think it’s imperative
to have an agent. An agent who really rates you.
How
do you cure writer's block?
Depends on my mood, and the severity of the block! A minor block can be
fixed by skipping over the section of the book which isn’t flowing,
writing something new from further on, and coming back to the blocked
bit later. Even writing rubbish is better than writing nothing at all
– you can always ditch it later, but at least it got you going again.
A more serious block might need a trip to the gym/shops/tennis court! When I’m really stuck I force myself to count my blessings and remind myself how much I love the freedom of the job. The thought of having to go back to a 9-5 usually makes me pull my finger out.
What
is your all-time desert island book?
I don’t think I could pick a single novel as a desert island book.
Although there are dozens of novels which I’ve absolutely adored,
I can’t see myself enjoying any of them after the first ten times
of reading. Assuming I’d be on the island for a very very long time,
I reckon I’d need something really challenging and meaty, so I’ll
say the Bible. Besides, I’d need a bit of spiritual solace, what
with all those wild animals, creepy crawlies, and no chips.
What's
the biggest myth about being a writer?
I don’t know that it’s the biggest myth, but it’s certainly
an irritating one: the supposition that practically everything you write
has to be something you’ve experienced in some way yourself - as
if writers don’t have the imagination to create their own worlds
and characters.
What
advice would you give budding authors?
Get a GOOD agent, not just any old one. Don’t be put off by a few
rejections, or even loads of rejections. If you have enough people whose
opinions you trust telling you that you’re a good writer, then it’s
a case of finding the right agent, and then editor, to make it happen
for you. I know that makes it sound easy, and unless you’re extremely
lucky, it isn’t, but you have to keep the faith.
What
can readers expect from you in the future?
I’m just finishing my third novel for Transworld, called Lifesaver,
based on the premise that if you save somebody’s life, you become
responsible for them. That’ll be out in summer 2004, I think. Meanwhile,
the paperback of my
second, Are You My Mother? is coming out this June, 2003. And the BBC
are making a two-part drama from a stalker thriller called Killing Cupid,
which I wrote last year with my friend Mark Edwards.
