From the Orange Prize Readers' Day, Saturday 9 May 2009.
Session 3: Joanna Kavenna and Diana Evans: 'You have to get out of your own space to discover new stories'
Session 3: Joanna Kavenna and Diana Evans: 'You have to get out of your own space to discover new stories'
Kate Mosse: You were both winners of the Orange Award for New Writers, how did that feel?
Diana: It was very strange, winning the prize in 2005 for 26a, it was a complete shock, I felt like I had to be a real writer after winning it. In a way the prize got in the way of my creativity, I had to construct a whole new world for my next book and it was a challenge to get away from the outside world and back to the voice inside.
Kate to Joanna: Was it hard to write non-fiction after fiction?
Joanna: It was a relief! I got this great idea and felt that I wouldn't be writing another failed novel ( I wrote an awful lot of terrible novels before I won the 2008 prize with 'Inglorious').
Kate: How is the process different?
Joanna: With fiction you can be totally subjective and enclosed in yourself and your own reality, you are no longer responsible for a general sense of reality like you are with non-fiction.
Kate to Diana: Did you make a conscious decision to write male characters for your next novel?
Diana: Yes, I made the decision to come away from the female voice and - we are the same! I can write about a man masturbating! You have to get out of your own space to find new stories. The inspiration came from researching dancing and reading the stories of male dancers..I also became fascinated by stories that I came across that talked about dancing and madness. I used to be a dancer in an African Dance Troupe and that has stayed with me, performing before audiences like that takes you to another place and I wanted to write about that. I relished the challenge of getting into men's heads!
Kate to Joanna: What will you write next?
Joanna: I wanted to finish my latest novel, which is coming out next year, before my second baby was born and I managed that and then I was awarded the prize for 'Inglorious' the first book! With the latest book I was looking to do something different, something that cut across time, explored a dystopian future, something with lots of characters....
Kate to Diana: Do you feel nervous about the second book coming out?
Diana: I've been through it once now, having the book published and then reviewed etc so I know what to expect this time and I'm excited. I think it is important to try to start a new book before your previous one is published because I like to be able to develop my persona as a writer before I get swept up in the publishing wave - I don't like to have too much interference from outside.
Joanna: I'm the opposite. I like to hear the readers' response to my last book before I begin the next. If I have an idea I want to give it time to gestate. I think you have to keep your old and your new books separate, you don't want to be inspired for a new book and then find yourself caught up in the publicity for the old book.
Question from audience: How hard was it to find a publisher?
Joanna: I found it very difficult, I couldn't get any of my novels published for years, but looking back I can see they weren't ready. I think when you have the right idea, when the novel is good it will be published.
Diana: Getting an agent was harder for me but once I had acheived that it all went quite smoothly.
Kate: It is a tricky time for writers at the moment in that it is easier to sell new writers but the market conditions are difficult. But what you have to do as an unknown writer is actually write your novel - a good idea won't do! You have to write your novel and be proud of it, you need to actually write to be a writer!
On courses and publishing:
Diana: I did the MA in Creative Writing at UEA and I went to do the course with my novel already completed. Work-shopping your writing can be hard on the ego and I felt I needed something to hold onto, an objective I was aiming for. I did the course in order to polish and finish my novel.
Kate: Courses allow people to take themselves seriously as writers. I run courses in order to to teach people the tools of writing, you can't teach imagination. And courses are not just for those who want to be published, some people simply want to learn a the craft of writing so that they can express themselves.
by Karen
Diana: It was very strange, winning the prize in 2005 for 26a, it was a complete shock, I felt like I had to be a real writer after winning it. In a way the prize got in the way of my creativity, I had to construct a whole new world for my next book and it was a challenge to get away from the outside world and back to the voice inside.
Kate to Joanna: Was it hard to write non-fiction after fiction?
Joanna: It was a relief! I got this great idea and felt that I wouldn't be writing another failed novel ( I wrote an awful lot of terrible novels before I won the 2008 prize with 'Inglorious').
Kate: How is the process different?
Joanna: With fiction you can be totally subjective and enclosed in yourself and your own reality, you are no longer responsible for a general sense of reality like you are with non-fiction.
Kate to Diana: Did you make a conscious decision to write male characters for your next novel?
Diana: Yes, I made the decision to come away from the female voice and - we are the same! I can write about a man masturbating! You have to get out of your own space to find new stories. The inspiration came from researching dancing and reading the stories of male dancers..I also became fascinated by stories that I came across that talked about dancing and madness. I used to be a dancer in an African Dance Troupe and that has stayed with me, performing before audiences like that takes you to another place and I wanted to write about that. I relished the challenge of getting into men's heads!
Kate to Joanna: What will you write next?
Joanna: I wanted to finish my latest novel, which is coming out next year, before my second baby was born and I managed that and then I was awarded the prize for 'Inglorious' the first book! With the latest book I was looking to do something different, something that cut across time, explored a dystopian future, something with lots of characters....
Kate to Diana: Do you feel nervous about the second book coming out?
Diana: I've been through it once now, having the book published and then reviewed etc so I know what to expect this time and I'm excited. I think it is important to try to start a new book before your previous one is published because I like to be able to develop my persona as a writer before I get swept up in the publishing wave - I don't like to have too much interference from outside.
Joanna: I'm the opposite. I like to hear the readers' response to my last book before I begin the next. If I have an idea I want to give it time to gestate. I think you have to keep your old and your new books separate, you don't want to be inspired for a new book and then find yourself caught up in the publicity for the old book.
Question from audience: How hard was it to find a publisher?
Joanna: I found it very difficult, I couldn't get any of my novels published for years, but looking back I can see they weren't ready. I think when you have the right idea, when the novel is good it will be published.
Diana: Getting an agent was harder for me but once I had acheived that it all went quite smoothly.
Kate: It is a tricky time for writers at the moment in that it is easier to sell new writers but the market conditions are difficult. But what you have to do as an unknown writer is actually write your novel - a good idea won't do! You have to write your novel and be proud of it, you need to actually write to be a writer!
On courses and publishing:
Diana: I did the MA in Creative Writing at UEA and I went to do the course with my novel already completed. Work-shopping your writing can be hard on the ego and I felt I needed something to hold onto, an objective I was aiming for. I did the course in order to polish and finish my novel.
Kate: Courses allow people to take themselves seriously as writers. I run courses in order to to teach people the tools of writing, you can't teach imagination. And courses are not just for those who want to be published, some people simply want to learn a the craft of writing so that they can express themselves.
by Karen
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment