This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Angela Jackson’s debut novel, The Emergence of Judy Taylor, won the Edinburgh International Festival’s First Book Award 2013. Here, Angela talks about how finding a lump in her breast spurred her to write.
Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?
I spend mornings doing admin, checking and responding to my emails, updating my website, etc. I try to meet up with a friend or other writers for coffee if I can because I think it’s important not to be chained to my desk all day. I may get some writing done in the afternoon, but often get caught up in more admin. I still do some teaching, so usually have work to do on that front. Evenings and during the wee small hours are when I write best. There’s nothing quite like writing at 2am – I love it!
When you are writing, do you use any famous people or people you know as inspiration?
When I read books by authors such as Anne Tyler and Richard Yates, I am reminded of how simple, unpretentious prose can be incredibly powerful. I also love Helen Schulman’s ability to tell a story, to keep the reader turning page after page. I have a framed image of Nora Ephron on my wall right above my desk, so she keeps me on my comedic toes. I also have quotes from other writers dotted around, and usually have a wee pile of books on my desk. When I was writing the character of Judy, I often pictured the brilliant actress Suranne Jones – it really helped me when I needed to visualise the character to create dialogue or action.
What is your favourite Women’s Fiction book of all time and why?To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee started things off for me. I can actually remember my English teacher handing copies of the book around the class; I wish I could go back in time briefly to savour that moment because it really did change my life. For the first time, I felt like I could identify with a character (Scout), which was utterly magical because it meant I could escape the trials of my own childhood and be somewhere else entirely. I have tried to hold onto a key lesson I learned from that book, which is to trust your readers by leaving enough space in the text for them to join the dots in their own way; people are pretty smart – they don’t need everything spelling out for them.
What is your writing process? Do you plan first or dive in? How many drafts do you do?
I absolutely dive in. And there aren’t many drafts, really. I go back, of course, and do a bit of editing, but not much. I try not to edit the spirit out of it. The Emergence of Judy Taylor is not markedly different from the first complete draft.
What was your journey to being a published author?
Circuitous. I loved writing as a kid, and spent a lot of time scribbling stories on scraps of paper. My teachers would have said I was the kid most likely to write a book, but once I left school, I just stopped writing stories. I guess other stuff, mainly work, got in the way, although I spent years in PR, which involved a lot of writing. After a while, I was ready for a change so I went back to university to do a Psychology degree, followed by an MA, and got into coaching and teaching, which I loved. During that period, I found a lump in my breast, which turned out to be fine, but I started writing again the day I got those test results. I completed the novel while teaching full time, writing mainly between the hours of midnight and 3am! I was lucky enough to be signed to United Agents a few weeks after I’d finished it, and my agent secured me a publishing deal fairly soon after that. I still can’t quite believe it when I walk into a bookshop and see my book on the shelves but, strangely, the kid in me is not that surprised.
What do you think is the biggest myth about being a novelist?
When my agent called me at work to tell me I had a publishing deal, my teaching colleagues were utterly convinced that I would become rich and famous overnight. Sorry to say they were way off the mark!
What advice can you give to our readers who want to write a novel of their own?
Keep going! Truly, that’s the main thing. There are probably millions of half-finished novels languishing on notepads, in drawers and on hard drives that will never see the light of day again. Just keep writing until you have a complete draft. And get into the habit of reading as much and as widely as possible – be part of the industry you want to break into!
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m working on my second novel. At the heart of it is a huge marital infidelity. I’ve read a lot of research on the subject and it’s fascinating – I love writing about complex characters so this subject is absolutely perfect for me. Once I’d finished The Emergence of Judy Taylor, I missed the characters because they had become almost like friends, but I’m really enjoying getting to know this new cast. Thanks, Angela!