This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
We're chatting to Jo Mazelis, whose latest book, Significance is out now. Significance is a twist on the classic murder mystery. When Lucy Swann's body is found, her death like a stone thrown into a pool, sends out far-reaching ripples, altering the lives of people who never knew her as well as those of her loved ones back home. We'll be reviewing the book here soon. Today, Jo tells us a little about writing that first draft and what she believes is the biggest myth of being a novelist for would-be writers.
Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?
I begin writing along with my first cup of tea, very often while still in bed. When working on new material it’s always handwritten using a fine tipped black pen in a notebook. I have a dictionary and a thesaurus by my side – book versions – as for one thing the computer versions aren’t as good and for another switching on the laptop can lead to distractions. I try to write until at least midday – or longer if it’s going well. I try to use the afternoon and evening for editing, research, and paperwork.
When you are writing, do you use any celebrities or people you know as inspiration?
No, ‘celebrities’ don’t interest me in the least – some ‘celebrities’ especially those who are merely famous for being famous strike me as fictional constructs anyway. However I have produced some work based on historical characters that I’m drawn to for different reasons.
What is your favourite Women’s Fiction book of all time and why?
If ‘women’s fiction’ means written by a woman and if I can only choose one book then it has to be Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. It is a book that is still mysterious and strange, poetic and breathtakingly powerful, full of wild passion and dreadful cruelty.
What is your writing process? Do you plan first or dive in? How many drafts do you do?
I have ideas but not a plan and certainly not a plot. I feel I discover the story as I go along. I’ve written short stories that were fully formed at first draft, others that take several drafts, with the novel I think it took two major drafts then some adjustment and tinkering including two new short chapters.
What was your journey to being a published author?
I was a daydreamer as a child and didn’t read much at all. I was not academic and didn’t do well at school. Aged 11 I won third prize in the school Eisteddfod for my poem about the French Revolution – I didn’t keep a copy of the poem and the original was never returned to me – so all I remember of it is the line ‘the tumbrils rolled in one by one’. I got the word tumbril from a copy of A Tale of Two Cities of which I’d only read a couple of pages.
On leaving school I went to Art College, but that didn’t work out. I drifted for many years working as a waitress, barmaid, library assistant and life model amongst other things, often writing poetry and scraps of prose along the way. It took me a long time to take my writing seriously and properly complete anything. My journey to being a published author has definitely been ‘the road less travelled.’What do you think is the biggest myth about being a novelist?
For the wider world, the money I suppose. For would-be writers, the idea that the only way to begin or succeed is by doing a degree or an MA in creative writing. It’s hard to imagine these days, but once upon a time back in the early seventies there was only one student of creative writing in the whole of the UK! That young man happened to be Ian McEwan so he didn’t do too badly, but when you consider all of the writers who didn’t study creative writing who came before McEwan and were his contemporaries it would seem it wasn’t the absolute necessity it is considered now. This is not to say that degrees in creative writing don’t have their merits, but neither can they guarantee success.
What advice can you give to our readers who want to write a novel of their own?
You must read novels. Read as widely as possible. You may chose to stop reading novels while you are actively writing one yourself, but getting a feel for the form is an important part of writing.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m working on a novel that I started many years ago which may involve the word tumbril (see above) and has some classic Gothic elements. On the other hand I’ve also begun two or three other novels all of which I really want to complete – so I’m a bit scattered in my approach at present.
Thanks, Jo!