On Writing and Place – An Interview With Me

A litttle while ago (well, months probably) I agreed to write a short piece on writing and place for Tania Hershman’s excellent blog. I started it many, many times over but couldn’t work out what I wanted to say. I knew what I thought about it, and I thought that that thought was a simple one. But just like that last sentence it was far more complicated than I’d anticipated.

Anyway. I’m interviewed today over at Tania’s blog, about writing and place. I think it makes sense. It does to me now. I’m interested to know what you think of it.

Special Birthday Post

A very warm welcome back to my very good friend, the super-talented Tania Hershman, who’s here to talk about things one year on (and is also here to talk to us about a free book giveaway…).

 

Tania, September 1st is a bit of a special date, isn’t it? Can you tell us why?

It’s the first anniversary of a dream come true, a dream I have had since I was 6 years old. It is the day, one year ago, when my book, The White Road and Other Stories, was published, the day no-one can ever take away from me, the day I became an author.

 

 

What’s happened over this last year?

It’s been quite a rollercoaster year, the highs were very high, but they came with some pretty bad lows. On the day of publication, I didn’t have a copy of my book yet, it hadn’t reached me in Israel, although other people had it in England. The day before Sept 1st I was pretty upset about this, it felt as though I’d given birth and someone else had my baby and I couldn’t see it.  However, the day itself was wonderful! I was utterly serene, I loved every minute of it. And then, when my book arrived a few days later, it was a wonderful, magical moment all to itself.

           

Because I am published by a small press, Salt, even though they are amazing and they made me this beautiful book, most of the marketing and promotion was and is down to me. And I have no clue about selling a book! Well, perhaps now I have a bit more of a clue. So, basically, I made it up as I went along. I built a website for the book, I set up a Facebook Page, I organised a hectic 11-stop Virtual Book Tour where I was interviewed on 11 blogs over 11 weeks about everything from my love for science to writing and religion…. I cajoled as many people as possible into writing reviews….I obsessively checked my Amazon rankings, searching for some indication of whether what I was doing was working. And whirring through my mind, all the time, was: “How can I sell the book? How can I sell the book?” It was a bit of a shock, having to not only become a salesperson but having to overcome my natural modesty and shyness and shout out: “Buy my book!” but every time I find it on the shelves in a bookshop, just after Hemingway (!) I am close to tears.

           

Getting used to the idea of people reading my book was another odd thing. I didn’t imagine many people would, and I never dreamed that they’d want to talk to me about it. And slowly, slowly, over the 12 months, I have had to get used to the idea of people I don’t know and who are in no way related to me who want to talk to me about my stories!

           

I would be lying if I said that this was pure and unadulterated joy. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I found some of this extremely stressful. I am going to be honest here and say that I got to a point, several months in, when I felt completely overwhelmed by it all, by the unexpected attention in my home city as well as online, and it caused me to physically retreat from the world for a while. I am by nature quite a shy person, and I began to suffer from anxiety for the first time in my life. My body, it seems, decided to protect me in rather an extreme manner!

           

However, luckily, I have a rich online life and I have wonderful writer friends who understand that while many people would assume having a book is easy and joyful, it can also be difficult. Your dream has come true, so what do you do next? And who are all these people reading your book??! But – and this is important – I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is totally wonderful. When someone says to me, “I don’t normally read short stories, but I really enjoyed your book,” there is nothing better than that! And when New Scientist magazine not only gave my book a glowing review in their Christmas Books Special but also published the title story, which is inspired by a New Scientist article,  on their website – all my wildest dreams were realised!

 

 

What’s been the biggest surprise?

Being commended for the Orange Award for New Writers was an enormous surprise, and a shock! I had no idea I was being put in for the award, and found out about the commendation from a Google Alert for my name. But somehow, while I couldn’t get my head around my book being noticed in this way, what I felt about this was pure and unadulterated joy. It lifted me, that the judges said of me and the other commended writer that they want to see more of our writing. It made me grin and grin and grin.

           

The other surprise, though, is that I thought that the validation of my book being published would last for a while. The “your writing is good enough” feeling. And yet, the very next day, September 2nd, I was back to checking on the stories I had submitted to contests and to literary magazines, wondering when they might reply to me, hoping they accept what I’d sent, that I might get longlisted, shortlisted. So, 24 hours of validation. That’s it. But again this is a good thing. Otherwise I might have stopped, rested on my laurels, not cared. The stories in my book were written between 2003 and 2006, I have many stories, mostly flash fiction, written since then, and am writing more all the time. I don’t want to stop. I don’t want to stop caring. Each acceptance is a boost, but I never want to feel so complacent, so confident that it doesn’t matter anymore.

           

And the third surprise was finding out a few weeks ago that I am currently Salt’s bestselling book – and no 4 on their all-time bestsellers. That was hard for me to process, I just don’t know what to make of it other than that it doesn’t really have much to do with my writing (lots of people may have bought it, but they might not have enjoyed it) but that my marketing efforts definitely did pay off! I was doing something right, it seems.

What’s the biggest change that being published has been responsible for?

Hmm. Biggest change. Well, it’s not in my bank account! I guess that it’s about my confidence. This has been an enormous shift for me, from writer to author. I had had stories published, but to hold your book in your hands, as I am sure you know, Nik, is a completely different feeling. And when the Orange commendation happened, this intensified: I felt suddenly that I  was being seen, and that I could do anything. I am still feeling that way, happy in my own writer’s skin, writing what I want to write, not what someone else might want me to write. There are several agents I am in touch with, but I don’t feel in a rush now with anything.

 

 

Is there anything you’d have done differently?

Another good question! I don’t think so. I really don’t. No regrets. I am a first-time author, I learned as I went along, everything was useful. Other writers were enormously supportive and helpful, the Bookarazzi Bloggers with Book Deals group especially, they listened to my rants and moans and gave me the benefit of their experience.

 

 

Has anything disappointed you?

Going to the Orange Awards ceremony was the biggest disappointment. Even though some might say I was ungrateful, I felt I had to write about this on my blog because I was so upset. First, it wasn’t about books, it was about champagne and shmoozing, which I was naïve about so now I know! But Salt was going through enormous financial difficulties at that point, and a mention at the awards ceremony of the two of us who were commended could have been wonderful for them. The stated aim of the award was to give new writers a boost, so not to mention the two of us who were singled out for commendation was a shame.

           

But then, the worst disappointment came when the judge of the award, which is for “novels, novellas and short story collections”, told the assembled throngs how much she enjoyed reading “all the novels on the longlist”. Short stories? Gone. Novellas? Vanished. On the bus home, I cried.

 

 

What have you learned?

I’ve learned that I can sell something, that I am pretty good at this Web stuff and can use it to promote my writing. I’ve learned that it’s sometimes more about creating “buzz” than about the quality of the writing. I’ve learned that it’s ok to ask people to buy and review your book, it isn’t vulgar or shameful! I’ve learned that being published by a small press is most certainly not a disadvantage, that Salt loves their authors and the books they publish and are doing everything they humanly can (and sometimes more) to keep on doing what they do. I’ve learned not to put enormous stock in what reviewers say, both the glowing and the critical. I’ve learned not to respond to questions about particular stories because I have to let them go, it’s not about me any more, it’s not up to me to “explain”.

 

 

Do you think that there’s been a shift in the perception of the short story at all over this past year?

I don’t really see it myself. As editor of The Short Review, we get many offers of short story collections for review every week, so there are more out there than you might think, but are mainstream publishers shoving aside novelists as they rush towars the hot new short story writer? No. They aren’t. Foolish, foolish people! But at least there are publishers like Salt, Comma Press, Two Ravens Press, Dzanc Books, Rose Metal Press and others who are championing great writing in whatever form it happens to be. Please support them!

 

 

What will this year bring?

A calmness, I hope, and a move away from thoughts of promotion and selling towards more focus on writing, but not necessarily on “the next book”. Just writing for the joy of it. Last week, we  relocated ourselves and our two cats from Israel, where I  lived for 15 years, to Bristol, UK. It seemed the right choice for many reasons, among them the thriving arts scene here. In Israel there is no funding body for artists and writers, and if you are writing in English, there is not much of a literary scene. I am already looking forward to reading at the launch of the latest issue of the London Magazine  (ICA in London, Sept 11th ) and at Ride the Word XV (The CAFE YUMCHAA 45 Berwick Street, Soho, London W.1 Wed. 23 September, 7- 9.15pm Free admission), and to hearing Margaret Atwood in Bristol on Sept 9th, and then going to the Small Wonder short story festival in Lewes, E Sussex at the end of Sept. It feels like a treasure trove of delights, and it’s all in English… which is certainly a relief and a delight. 

 

I have many, many ideas, some related to short stories and cake, which I am looking forward to developing! Nik, thanks so much for having me. Just a quick last promotional plug: I’m doing a 1st birthday giveaway of signed copies on my blog, so pop over there and you could win!

And Some Good News – The Future’s Bright…

Well I’m very happy to be able to post something cheering following yesterday’s rather miserable entry (thanks so much to you all for your comments and messages; they do help).

My great friend and great writer, Tania Hershman’s had a special mention by the Orange Award judges, which is not only brilliant, but thoroughly deserved. Congrats to the shortlisted authors too.
This is what was said: 

“We were deeply impressed by the tremendous quality of this year’s new writers,” said Mishal Husain, BBC World News presenter and Chair of judges, “it was a very competitive field and therefore an excruciating process to choose just three of the 80 books we read. The shortlist we eventually decided upon reflects the dynamism and diversity of the entries, showcasing three authors with very different voices but an outstanding talent. We believe their extraordinary novels will appeal to a wide range of readers and also inspire the writers of tomorrow.”

She continues,” We would also like to commend two other authors, Tania Hershman and CE Morgan, whose work stood out for its remarkable quality. We look forward to seeing more of their writing in the future.”

Angels, thefts, stories and questions for you

My very short story, The Angel in the Car Park is now live over at Rainy City Stories. This makes me happy because Rainy City Stories is a project I think is really cool (and has an editor who has been a dream to work with).

And I have a confession. I stole the title. There’s a story in Tania Hershman’s exceptionally wonderful collection called the Angel in the Car Park (which is also exceptionally wonderful) and it inspired me. So thanks to Tania for that (who, again, for the record, is exceptionally wonderful also).
(This act of theft has actually given birth to a very cool and top secret project of my own. If you’re lucky, and if you’re good, then maybe, one day, I shall tell you more about it.)
*
And now a question.
I was with friends a couple of evenings ago, both of whom are considerable movie buffs. They know their stuff.
They’d been to see a film and had been disappointed with it. This led to a discussion during which one of them critisised the ending for being depressing. He said, when we go to the cinema we don’t want to be depressed. And then he said, ‘Or do we?’ – and reeled off a list of great films which were not joyous in theme.
The following day I read something I’d recently written to my writing group. It’s a short piece and it starts of being quite funny. And then it plummets in mood and the ending is, well, not one to leave you grinning – and I think it left the group collectively feeling sad. It’s also an ending which I absolutely believe is right for the piece.
So it got me thinking. Not in too much depth, but thinking all the same. As writers, as artists, whatever, are we guilty of not thinking too much of what an audience wants? Or is it our job to give them something different?
The way I see it, most of people’s most memorable films or books, the ones people tend to find the most affecting ARE sad. So is sadness done well better (for want of a better word) than something cheery? And are people less likely to buy a book or go to see a film which sounds miserable or tragic?
Now, I have my own opinions on this (a story is what it is, and should be delivered in the best and most effective way) – but I’d love to know what you folks think.
So, over to you…
*
And I read Slaughterhouse 5 over the weekend. Wow. I think it might be my favourite novel. Sorry Shelley.

Which Shelf for The White Road?

In my house there are many bookshelves. Two of these will feature in this post. 

The first is a rather exciting and lovely one, where all the books written by people I know live. The second is in my office, and on that sit my favourite books. Inspirational ones. Good ones. Ones I love. Glancing at it now I can see Hemingway, Keret, Sebold, Bender, Gaiman, Creech, McGregor, Salway, a book about The Clash, a book on local hauntings (forgot about that one!) my book, The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. You get the picture.
Recently though I’ve faced a bit of a dilemma, because I’ve not been sure where to place some books – they’re from people I know AND I love them, find them inspirational, think they’re literature worth learning from.
The latest book to offer such a dilemma is Tania Hershman’s The White Road and Other Stories. Now, I’m a writer so to say I love books is, well, obvious. I do. But some I don’t just love, it’s something more than that. It’s marriage as opposed to a good relationship; it’s the sea as opposed to a lake. If that makes sense.
So, back to the book. I love it. But why? Well, I could go on. And on. Each and every story included in this collection is beautiful, affecting, clever, poetic, deep, funny, sad, desperate – sometimes many of these together – and always expertly written. Each story is exactly as long as it needs to be. I know a lot has been made of half the stories being inspired by science articles (which is cool) but let’s forget about that for a moment, because really, that doesn’t matter. What matters is the stories are wonderful, alive, sincere – what inspired them doesn’t matter when they’re that good because, as with any great story, they are good enough to stand on their own. And boy, do they.
It’s a thrilling, rewarding and entertaining debut and I can’t wait for more.
My copy’s on my desk at the moment – but soon it’ll be returned to its home. Can you guess which shelf that will be?
***
And while I’m on…
Here’s a link to Strictly Writing,  a brand new blog about writing some writer friends have started – knowing them as I do I’m pretty certain it’ll be well worth a read.
***
ADDED: See the last leg of Tania’s virtual tour at Debi Alper’s blog.

Sharing Words

It’s what we do, as writers and readers, isn’t it? Sharing our words, or other people’s.

Tonight there was a bit of time over with my group. I had the library’s copies of two of my favourite books to hand (some members have been reading them, see) so I read from them. And it was brilliant.

I read Toad in The Hole, from Sarah Salway’s Leading The Dance, and they loved it.

Then I read Plaits, from Tania Hershman’s The White Road and Other Stories *and they loved that as well.

Sharing words is good. And to be encouraged.

*scroll down a bit and you can see Tania reading the story herself (and making a much better job of it than I could).

Faves

This is one of my favourite pieces from Tania Hershman’s The White Road and Other Stories. It’s called Plaits. And as it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to upload me reading I thought I’d treat you to this instead – Tania reading at the Frank O’Connor festival earlier this year.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2108078&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1
‘Plaits’ from James Murray-White on Vimeo.

Tania Hershman Interview

I’ve mentioned Tania Hershman here before, and with good reason. She’s a lovely person, a good friend, great writer, top editor (at The Short Review) and, most importantly, the author of The White Road and Other Stories, which was published on Monday.
I am extremely pleased to interview her about the collection, right here on the blog. Here she is…

So Tania, tell us about the book.
Well, it’s my first collection, it’s called The White Road and Other Stories, and it’s published by Salt Publishing, a wonderful small press in the UK where “small” actually means dynamic, innovative, great lovers of writers and writing. It contains 27 stories, half of them “flash fiction”, less than 500 words long, and half of them “science-inspired” meaning that they took as their inspiration articles from New Scientist, the UK science magazine (see below for more about this).

It was published on September 1st. As of the time of writing this, I haven’t seen a copy yet, since I live in Israel and the postal service is appalling, but the publication date was, nevertheless, wonderful, a dream come true.

Why short stories?
The “short” answer is that I love short stories. I love the minimalism of a great story, how it fills the space it needs and no longer. I read both short stories and novels, I also love to immerse myself in a long read, but when it comes to writing, short stories are all I want to write. I won’t say I will never write anything longer, but I don’t have a story in my head that would warrant that kind of length, that kind of commitment.
Who would you say it’s for?

If you mean what is the book for, well that’s a very interesting question. I guess it’s for me, to get me to the next stage on this writing journey, the next step on the ladder (oh dear, cliché after cliché!). I suppose it must also be, in some way, for a reader, or, if I am fortunate, several readers. Publication is a necessary part of being a writer, hand in hand with the actual writing. Some might disagree with me, but having my work read by someone else – apart from my writing groups who help me immensely and from whom I learn – is a very special and intimate dialogue, even if they and I are not in touch. My stories are a small part of me that I am sending out into the world, and I can only hope they make some kind of contact with someone, somewhere.
If you mean, on the other hand, what kind of person am I aiming the stories at, well that’s much harder to answer. I don’t think about a reader when I am writing. It’s easier to say who is not aimed at: someone who likes plot-driven fiction, who isn’t interested in language and what can be done with it, who wants realistic fiction. I would say my writing is a little strange, odd, magical realist at times. Not traditional, I don’t think.
How long did it take you to write? How old is the oldest story in there?
The oldest story is from 2004, written when I was studying for an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Most of the longer stories in the book – over 1000 words – were written during the MA. Most of the flash fiction, half the book, was written since then.
Do you address any particular themes in these stories, or does each stand on its own?
I don’t consciously address any themes in my writing, I just hear the characters’ voices in my head and follow where the stories lead me. I am sure that, when read all together, themes do emerge – there are several stories that deal with the weather in various ways, for example! – but I would rather leave that to the reader to decide what they are. I don’t believe in short stories as educational tools, trying to get across certain ideas or information. I believe that fiction should entertain, should move, should leave the reader changed by the reading experience. I only hope some of my stories might succeed in this aim.
Who, or what, have influenced these stories?

The half of the book that is longer stories are all what I called “science-inspired”: they take as their inspiration articles from New Scientist, the weekly UK science magazines, and then I let my imagination spin from there! I should stress that this is not science fiction, it’s science-inspired fiction. For example, the title story, The White Road, was inspired by a story about how the Americans are paving a “white road” through the snow to the South Pole in order to enable them to deliver supplies to the Pole when the weather is too bad for aeroplanes. My story is actually about a woman who, fleeing from tragedy, sets up a roadside cafe along the White Road. That’s the odd way my imagination works!

The other half of the book is flash fiction, short short stories only a page or two in length, and many of those were written during prompt-writing sessions in various online writing groups. I am quite new to flash fiction and have fallen wholeheartedly in love. There is something about the restrictions of such severe word limits (500 or much much less) that seems to work magic for me in my writing. You can write a complete flash story in one sitting, in 15 minutes. And often they need a tiny amount of tweaking before they are ready to be sent out somewhere. Whereas long stories are something I can work on for years – literally – trying different things, trying to get the voice right, trying to decide what to leave in and what to take out. A completely different process using a different part of my brain.

Did you use a fountain pen to write them?
Never! I can only write on a computer, on my laptop. My fingers moving across the keys seem to be part of the creative process for me.

Tell us something about you.

I’ve wanted to write fiction since I was 6, when I first attempted – and thankfully abandoned – a novel. I was distracted at school by a love for Maths and science and, because of the way the British school system was then, had to choose between science and literature. I chose science, and went on to study Maths and Physics at University, where it became very quickly apparent that I would never be a scientist! I just wasn’t shaped that way. I wrote articles for the university newspaper, then when I left, I moved to Israel, where I now live, and became a science and technology journalist.
After ten years or so, I started getting the itch to write fiction again and began going on short courses, in the US and the UK. On one of these courses six years ago, an Arvon course in Writing and Science – which I was astonished to find because it seemed tailor-made for me – I met my partner James. I went to England for a year to be with him, and did the MA in Creative Writing, and then there was no looking back. 18 months ago I gave up journalism to write fiction full time, and in June 2007 received the news I’d been waiting for since I was six: Salt wanted to publish my collection. It was a dream come true.
What’s next for you?
I am working on a collection of flash fiction, all the stories will be under 1000 words. I have quite a lot of stories already. There is also one character who appeared in one of my newer stories that is demanding I write more about her. Not a novel – but perhaps linked stories. I won a fellowship to the La Muse writing retreat in France to work on both these projects and will be there for the month of November, getting a lot of work done, I hope!
Anything you’d like to add?
I would like to say that I really only write for myself, I write what I would like to read, I write to move me, to make myself laugh or cry. I write, I think, to find out about the world, to get inside the skin of people whose experiences are different from my own, to learn things. I believe in writing what you don’t know, in letting the characters tell you their stories. My stories are not consciously about me, they are often set in places I have never been, and I don’t generally do any research to try and add “realism”. I believe in the power of the imagination, the power of story. Since my first story was accepted for publication, I am continually astonished that anyone else wants to read them, wants to publish them, connects with them in some way. I am both excited and nervous to hear what people think of the White Road and Other Stories. I appreciate honest feedback, I don’t want to hear just platitudes, so if you read the book, please email me through my website or leave a comment on my blog and let me know. Thank you.
And thank you Nik for interviewing me on your blog. I am always interested in finding out what I think!


Tania Hershman

***
And I can only apologise and chunner at Blogger for ignoring everything I do regarding line spacing.