This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
With the big-screen adaptation of his (yes, his!) novel Before I Go to Sleep out today, author S. J. Watson took the time to answer our questions about how his novel came about and just what it felt like to have his work adapted for the big screen (and meet the impressive cast!).
Where did the idea for this book come from?
It sprang from an obituary I read about a man called Henry Gustav Molaison, who died in 2008. He’d been unable to form new memories since undergoing surgery for epilepsy in 1953, and it occurred to me that he must have woken up every day thinking he was still in his twenties. I thought there might be material there to write a novel, and sure enough over the following weeks more and more ideas started to develop. I think the best ideas are magnetic, they attract other ideas to them.
What was your journey into being published like? It's been an impressive one, especially for a debut author.
I met my agent Clare Conville on the Faber Academy course I did, when she came to talk to us about her role as an agent. She liked the premise of my novel and asked to see it when it was finished. Luckily she loved the finished book and then her enthusiasm sold it to publishers around the world. For me that part was easy, but that’s because I’d worked extremely hard to make the book as good as it could be before I showed it to anyone.
I've spoken to many people who are surprised to learn you're a male writer! Was it always your plan to write a female protagonist?
Yes! Still people are surprised. My original idea for the story was for a man, but then I saw an image in my head of a woman, staring at her reflection in the mirror and realising with shock she is not the twenty-something person she thought. From there, the story grew.
How did you react when you found out Before I go to Sleep was being made into a film?
Very excited! In fact, I keep pinching myself now – it’s been a fantastic experience and I’m very happy with the treatment [writer and director] Rowan Joffe has given it.What are your thoughts on the casting?
I think the casting is very clever and certainly adds to the suspense of the story. Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong – who wouldn’t love that line up?
We're you involved in the adaptation process at all?
I had several meetings and discussions with Rowan, who was keen to retain the original story but needed to make adaptations for the big screen. Going on set and meeting the cast and crew was such a terrific experience too.
Thanks, Steven!