In Conversation with Grace Wynne-Jones

by Nicola Warwick

When you read a book how often do you think about the author writing that book?

I'm referring to the physical process of writing, the sitting down at the PC or at the desk, pen in hand. I Book cover. confess I never really have until now. I've viewed famous paintings in art galleries and imagined the painter standing at a similar distance from the canvas applying the brush strokes that finally conjured up the image in front of me. I've even wondered which bit of the painting he started working on first.

But I've read most books with scant thought to the actual process that put them on the shelf in front of me. I did briefly give the matter some consideration when I saw Shakespeare in Love. The vision of Joseph Fiennes with inky black fingers and a quill caused me to reflect for a moment that all Shakespeare's works were written by hand--long hand--without the aid of electronic gizmos and he literally laboured over a blank page.

When you think of other writers, in particular published ones, you imagine them sitting slavishly in front of their computer, day after day, following a disciplined schedule and churning out several thousand words at a sitting. And, really, you imagine the process to be fairly effortless. You imagine it this way because the process for you is often haphazard and no mean feat. And a published author has a book contract that surely means they must be doing something right.

There's a common and misguided perception that "real" writers drift over to their laptops as the whim takes them. They wait for the muse to be home before they write. And, as they're "real" writers, the muse is always home.

However, you'll be relieved to know reality is slightly different! "Real" writing is work. Maybe not a 9 to 5 job but work nonetheless with its schedules and timetables and if you want to succeed you have to play the game. Grace Wynne-Jones very kindly took the time to provide some insight to the process of being a writer.

Katie Fforde recommended Ordinary Miracles to me. She described it as "beautiful, tender and funny, written with great perception . . . a remarkable novel." I was strolling around Waterstone's, as is my wont, when Katie made this recommendation. Her words called out to me from the lime green cover of Ordinary Miracles. Later Katie informed me, from inside the front page, that she couldn't wait to recommend it to all her friends. Thanks, Katie.

Some time later I was on the other end of the phone talking to Grace Wynne-Jones. Suitably enough it was St Patrick's Day. We talked about a wide range of topics as Grace very kindly shared her experiences as a writer and we could have talked for many hours more.

Writing has been part of Grace's life from an early age. When she was about ten, Grace sellotaped together her first book calling it "Stories for Everyone", complete with cutout photos of a dog, a horse and a pop star on the jacket! Grace's first short story was published in Jackie, a teen magazine, when she was sixteen and they called it a "A Reader's True Experience". In fact, it wasn't true but a teenage daydream.

Grace had a number of articles and some short stories published by the time she was twenty. Of this time she says, "I used to write and try to illustrate piles of children's books--the illustrations were very amateurish--and I got used to the disheartening 'thunk' of a largish envelope sailing through the letter box. I worked in publishing in London for a while as an editorial assistant (in Thames & Hudson and Weidenfeld & Nicolson). Both jobs were great but my time at Weidenfeld & Nicolson was hugely, extremely enjoyable because it was such a friendly and free-spirited working environment. Strangely enough, though, working in publishing actually put me off trying to write books for years. It seemed that so many people were at it and the numbers of rejections were enormous. I began to write feature articles for newspapers because one got such a fascinating peep into so many ways of life and points of view."

A question on many an aspiring writer's lips is "how do you go about submitting articles and stories to magazines or other publications?" so I asked Grace for tips on approaching publications with ideas.

"Make sure you read the publication first so you know the kind of material they use," she advises. "It's best to phone or write to the Features Editor with a few suggestions and don't be shy about contacting them again after a reasonable period if you're waiting for an answer. Don't get too impatient though because they tend to be extremely busy people. Phone calls should be brief and to the point and if they're interested try to find the angle or approach they'd like you to take and how many words they want. They mean it if they say 1,000!"

Grace particularly enjoys writing humorous articles. "I recently summoned up the courage to ring The Daily Telegraph because I knew they sometimes use quirky features." The phone conversation resulted in her sending them some suggestions and draft paragraphs. "That kind of article is very dependent on style and tone so I wanted to give them a flavour first."

Grace believes one of the keys to success in humorous writing is not minding sending yourself up a bit! The Daily Telegraph subsequently commissioned some articles from Grace as a result of her speculative enquiry.

As well as writing Ordinary Miracles and Wise Follies, Grace has also made a living as a journalist. In California, Grace worked as an assistant in the West Coast Bureau of Fortune magazine where she was suitably impressed by the amount of depth and research that went into their interviews. "They were even prepared to fly a journalist from New York to the West Coast to interview someone's tennis coach!"

A favourite question, and possibly the bane of an author's life, is "what triggered the idea for . . . the latest book, the short story, the screenplay?" It's perhaps a common question but one that always intrigues me. So, I posed the question to Grace.

Ordinary Miracles is, to a large extent, fiction although many of the themes come from Grace's own observations of the way life can be sometimes and conversations with friends. Talking about these themes Grace says, "If people say things often enough you know an issue is fairly universal. The themes arose out of the character, Jasmine. She'd already turned up in some short stories that had been broadcast on radio or published in magazines. I think I'd been getting to know her for years and she's like me in some ways and different in others. She just seemed to want her story told and I loved doing it."

Writing, for me, can often take a long time as I get distracted by the 9 to 5. I can also get carried away with attempting to achieve perfection rather than "just doing it". It's intriguing to know how published authors work and the time scales involved in completing a book.

"Ordinary Miracles was written quickly--in about 6 months--I think I'd been preparing it for ages without knowing it," Grace says. "Also I was on leave of absence from RTE--oh, the euphoria of actually having whole days devoted to writing! Finding a publisher was an extraordinary experience. I gave it to my agent and in a very short time a number of publishers said they wanted it so it went to auction. That was both wonderful and scary because I was suddenly dealing with a whole new level of expectation. I frequently felt like a fake actually but then I made the comforting discovery that lots of other people do too!"

Grace admits she learns a huge amount from her fictional characters. "I become very fond of them and they sometimes get up to all sorts of antics that I hadn't expected. That's one of the things I love. Lichtenberg once commented that 'One draws from the well of language many a thought one does not have.' Writing can teach you so much about yourself and others if you're prepared to follow what feels true. I love intimacy in life and in fiction. We all feel we have shameful secrets so it's wonderful to discover that so many of our secrets are the same. In my novels the search for 'True Love' tends to turn into a journey of self-discovery, though there are steamy passages and plenty of romance in them too. I'm very interested in personal growth and spirituality but experience recently taught me another profound life lesson: never ever cut your own fringe. I love using humour in my writing because it helps me not to take things too seriously. The biggest buzz I get from being an author is when readers write to me, especially if they say that what they've read has helped them through tough times. My first novel 'Ordinary Miracles' is about the break-up of a marriage and a number of people have said it was like a friend to them when they felt abandoned. That's what I wanted it to be and that's why I wrote it."

Writing is traditionally a solitary activity. The downside of this is that it can be lonely and also, after a while, the well can start to run dry. The pressure of relentless deadlines can have a negative impact on writing. Grace believes it's very important to have other interests and not to get too isolated and she sometimes takes on office work for a bit of extra variety, though the extra money is very helpful too. "If you don't care too much about status and what rung of the ladder you're on your working life is much more flexible. For example I've recently had a chance to observe the many idiosyncrasies of the average hanging file. I regard this as a valuable piece of research! It's good to meet people and to talk. It's very good for your writing and helps to redress the balance of time spent on your own. The routine and timetable of getting up to get the train creates opportunities to do your own thing, dream and not feel pressurized by those deadlines."

The important thing with writing is to be true to yourself, writing what seems right and true. Whilst it's easy to have an image of a writer sitting in their ivory tower protected from the outside influences of publishers and editors, just like any other job the business side of writing starts to intrude. Aspiring authors have the luxury of writing what they choose, what seems "right and true." Once you've reached the heady heights of having an editor the freedom to be true to yourself is harder to achieve. But this is one thing to which writers aspire. Being true to themselves and finding their own distinctive voice. And, how do you quantify success? Is it that book deal? Or, is it writing something that feels right to you and gives you personal satisfaction?

Grace feels that success is a very personal thing. "Success to me in writing terms means writing something that moves me or makes me laugh and gets some way near to expressing what I wanted to say. I really haven't thought that much about the secrets of success in a business sense though I do think that writing novels requires some bravery and that helps to get them noticed. For example parts of Ordinary Miracles are very candid about sex and feelings and personal foibles. Once I found 'the voice' for the main character of Jasmine it just took off. I'd just decided to try and write a novel and didn't feel it had to be a success. I was writing it for the entertainment of writing it. That's a lovely place to be."

To achieve success in any field you need perseverance. Like many things in life, writing can be subjective.

"People's estimation of one's work is often quite personal so just because one person doesn't like it doesn't mean someone else mightn't love it. Getting a bit thick-skinned about rejection is enormously helpful. That's the 'business' side and you can compartmentalize it a bit because while you're being thick skinned the sensitive writer part of you will need some t.l.c. and validation--especially from yourself! Also be open to good advice from people you respect. Sometimes 'less' can be 'more' when it comes to a story. I worked with a brilliant radio producer (and brilliant writer--Aidan Mathews) when I did a play for RTE radio. He cut quite a bit of what I had written but I didn't mind because I could see the play getting better each time he took something out. 'Show--don't tell' really is good advice. In that play I'd described feelings that were evident in the way the characters were behaving. It was far more forceful to let those actions speak for themselves."

My writing life can be particularly haphazard. The day job can seriously get in the way and leave me less than inspired. Grace adopts a more chilled attitude: "My writing schedule is fairly flexible--there are times when I feel I have more to say than others. Also making notes and dreaming and staring out the window can be quite productive! One does need to be pretty disciplined, especially if there's a deadline (when I first started working from home I got very enthusiastic about morning television and an afternoon's children program featuring a hilariously irreverent 'turkey'.) I find I have to be as disciplined about stopping writing as starting it. It can be pretty addictive."

A question many authors are asked after the first novel is how do you replicate the success with a second novel? Now you've got an editor and a publisher deadlines loom. Grace decided the most sensible approach in her case was to do her best and get it done in time "though I was sometimes tempted to run off to an Indian ashram! I wanted it to be perfect but I knew it couldn't be perfect. I decided to weave some of these feelings into the novel ('Wise Follies') itself. The main character isn't trying to write a book, she's trying to find Mr. Wonderful which is probably more difficult! She eventually realizes that perfectionism isn't a great ally to happiness. The funny thing is that lowering your standards, especially if they're impossibly high, can help you to write better!"

One of the potential causes of writer's block and one that certainly applies to me on many occasions is an attempt at perfection. To write a piece that is perfect, grammatically correct with a beginning, a middle and an end. We set ourselves such high standards that we apply our own subtle pressures to our work. In fact we end up writing less rather than more.

A common fallacy is that you need somewhere specific to write. The perfect desk, the perfect room, with the perfect pen or perfect typewriter. Grace likes to write anywhere. At home on the computer, at the kitchen table, in bed. Or even at a writers' retreat in Rhodes in Greece.

The jury's out on "how to write" books. I confess to reading them from time to time. And so does Grace: "I have read some but not many of them. I have owned about four copies of Becoming A Writer by Dorothea Brande and it always gets given away. That's a classic and has been out for ages. The Artist's Way also seems to have piles of great insights and I really must finish reading it. Writing is such a personal occupation and there are so many ways to be 'a writer'--in the end you need to decide what kind of writer you want to be and what helps you and use the advice that seems relevant."

The different parts of your life and your different interests act as huge influences on your writing. Grace believes that "each of us is made up of many selves with a part that holds it all together. Having an appreciation of the many selves that make up our whole can help in writing. It helps you to access the many parts of yourself. The playful, the serious, the reverent and irreverent. Understanding the different facets of a personality are perfect for dipping in for characters. The wonderful thing about writing is that you can express so many aspects of yourself. Even those parts that you keep hidden away. You become more aware of them and express what you've noticed, in life, conversations."

Sometimes writing can be an uphill struggle. It doesn't come together. And then all of a sudden it starts working. Things have a habit of presenting themselves at the right time. Remember that book that you couldn't get into and couldn't get past page five, suddenly it's the most unputdownable book you have. It all depends on the right mood and the right time.

If you ask a writer why do they write they often say that it's a compulsion. If you wake up in the morning and your first thoughts are about writing, then you're a writer. It's just something you have to do. Writing is as natural as breathing. Combine that with the moments that make the writing worthwhile. Knowing that people out there are reading or want to read your books.

Grace receives letters from readers congratulating her on her books. A number of readers have written to say how Ordinary Miracles has helped them through the break-up of their marriages at a time when they felt lonely and betrayed. "Being a writer might be a funny old business but there are moments that make you realize very powerfully why you bother to do it."

One of the pleasures of being a published author is meeting readers at booksignings and readings. Grace says, "Yes, I do booksigning and readings. I used to find it scary but now I quite enjoy it; there's a real buzz from that direct contact with people though I gulp down lots of 'Rescue Remedy' beforehand." Grace is a mixture of performer and someone who doesn't want to do it. However, there's a feeling of huge fulfillment once it's done.

Writing is an intriguing pastime. It's essentially a lonely occupation yet one that inspires tremendous commitment and aspiration. The key lesson is to persevere. Just keep doing it. Find your own voice and don't let others put you off. And then one day you might well find your novel brushing covers with one of those written by Grace. If so, you'll be in great company.

Nicola Warwick is the author of life's little luxuries. She lives in Manchester in the North West of the UK. Nicola's articles have been published in various writing, computing, and electronics magazines. She currently works as Product Marketing Manager at World Online. Read more about her here.