Q and As about Writing with Alison Waines
I’ve always loved words, images and metaphors, which I have used as a core part of my counselling work; helping people to explore and find a language for their emotional inner-worlds. I always thought it would be terrific to be able to sustain a whole novel and thought that a writer needed to be able to hold an entire plot in their heads, from start to finish. I could never imagine being able to do that. Then, in 2008, I read Stephen King’s book, ‘On Writing’ where he suggests starting with ‘an incident’ and seeing where it goes. The idea of allowing the story to unfold, without knowing anything about the plot seemed absurd, but also exciting and freeing. The notion that the characters could create their own story, with twists and turns, had never occurred to me! Once I started my first novel (with an incident!) I couldn’t stop. It was meant to be a short story… How do you write? I see the whole day as a landscape for writing and write for a full working day; 8.30 to 5pm, with a short lunch break. I usually start by reading over the last section of work from the previous day and edit it, improve the rhythm or even out a clunky sentence, then I carry on from there and write the next scene. If I remember that any novel is only the next word, which becomes the next sentence, paragraph, scene, chapter etc, it feels less daunting. By the end of the day, I barely know where the time has gone. I enter that amazing state of ‘flow’. I aim to end up with 1,000-2,000 words by the time I finish. There are times when it’s more bitty and the storyline doesn’t feel as well-oiled, or I need to check some research as I go along and maybe I’ll have fewer words that day - but I always aim for at least 500. Do you have a Remedy for Writer's Block? I have a number of handy tricks I use to get around writers block, but I’m
thankful that it doesn’t happen often. If I’m feeling particularly dull-headed, I might read a few pages of the
novel I’m currently reading and remember that others have started with a blank
page and so can I. If I really know I'm not going to write that day, I usually recognise
it early on. It’s a kind of ‘no way’ blankness in my head that means I’ll do
other things that day: go to town, to the library, ironing, meet someone, my
accounts, whatever. I always carry a little notebook, because often when I
switch off from writing, I can get a fresh idea that pops up from nowhere. The story is always there and my mind is ticking over with it in the background. As I boil a kettle or wait at a bus-stop, I may be thinking ‘How do I get a good scene in between this and that?’ or ‘What will the killer do about that?’. So the thinking rarely stops altogether, although the words on paper might. Why do you write Psychological Thrillers? That genre feels like a natural extension of my psychotherapy experience and I've always loved reading the kind of novel where ordinary people are motivated towards doing the most extraordinary things or find themselves in untenable circumstances. I've been in
private practice for over fifteen years and worked with clients
from high security prisons, giving me a rare insight into abnormal
psychology, particularly concerning ‘crimes of passion’, hidden motives
and moral dilemmas. I've also worked with totally balanced people who have had to face the most outrageous situations. I love finding out about (or imagining) what goes on behind closed doors. What goes on in people's minds... Has writing been Fun or a Torment? Since I started writing fiction, I’d say it's become my lifeblood. When I finished my first novel, I floundered for two weeks not
knowing where to put myself. I was lost and unsettled without the focus of
writing every day. I realised the only thing I could do was to start another novel
and as soon as I did, all was well with the world. I could relax again. The
book I’m writing is with me all the time, even when I’m nowhere near a
keyboard. I’m jotting ideas down on scraps of paper every day; plot turns,
things to change, add, take out - it’s always alive. There is a great
anticipation, because, like any reader, at the end of every scene I often have
no idea what’s going to happen next. There’s a sense of eagerness and awe,
because I am guiding that process. I always thought fiction would be much harder than non-fiction, especially in terms of motivation. I’ve written two non-fiction books and once the initial idea is accepted by a publisher, you then know that you’ve got a guaranteed audience for the finished book. With fiction, it’s much harder, because you have to write the whole thing, every word, and never know if anyone will be interested in it. I always thought I’d find that uncertainty too overwhelming, but once I started, I was hooked. Which of your working methods could be helpful to others? 1. I like goals. I set myself writing targets every day and keep records of how much I’ve written. Then I can see a steady progress and get a sense of achievement. 2. I never leave my writing at the end of a scene or chapter. I always put notes or sketches for what is to happen next, so that I can step straight into the feel of the story the next day. A blank page is hard to work with. I also focus on getting the story down without thinking too much about how good it is. I can always go back and fill things out, mend them, improve them at the next stage. This takes pressure off my first draft straight away. This gives me scope to write sections where, at the time, I’m thinking - ‘This isn’t any good, but I know what I’m trying to get at’. 3. I don’t get put off by not being able to find the right word. If my mind goes blank, I write XX in the sentence and come back to it later. For example, near the start of The Mind Twister, my sentence started out as: He’d gone back to the car and was sitting there, hiding inside his XX. Once I’d written the whole scene, I went back and read the line and instantly knew that I wanted: He’d gone back to the car and was sitting there, hiding inside his metal stronghold. That’s the great thing about writing. You don’t have to get it right first time. You can go back to it, tweak it, re-arrange the sentences, substitute different words, play around with it. How would you describe yourself? I love clues and mysteries. I love twists and turns. As a
therapist, I see myself as the most private of Private Detectives; someone who
is privileged to get inside another person’s head and take a look around, to
try to piece together how they make choices, what drives them, what they’re
afraid of. Of course, I write with a strict regard for confidentiality - no one
will ever find themselves in my stories - but it gives me a unique insight into
other people; ordinary people caught up in the complexities of their lives, and
into a process that goes on behind closed doors, that few people openly
discuss. I don’t like small talk, I don’t do it very well, so in my consulting room when I ask someone ‘How are you?’, I’m hoping to dig a lot deeper than ‘I’m fine, thanks.’ Have you ever performed on stage or been interviewed for radio, television or in the press: I’ve given several media appearances following the release of my non-fiction books, including local live TV (Southampton and Portsmouth, 2004); BBC Radio Solent (live) 2004. I had a book launch in Southampton at October Books in 2005. Long before that, I was on BBC Radio Cleveland (live) in 1990 as a representative of the charity, Live Music Now, set up by Yehudi Menuhin. As an orchestral cellist, I’ve given scores of semi-professional performances, between 1980-1990 (Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, The Barbican). I’ve been soloist with a number of university orchestras: Lancaster, Nottingham and Reading University. I’ve played in chamber groups at Whitehall for the Prime Minister, for weddings, on boats, and so on. Have you ever given talks or lectures? I’ve designed and run a variety of public courses and workshops since 1996, including; Self-Esteem for Women (12 week course), Diary Writing for Self-Discovery, Career Review and Making Changes. What are your other interests? Gardening, yoga, pilates, circuit training (from time to
time!), visiting historic homes and gardens, classical music concerts, art-house
films, TV crime dramas (such as Waking the Dead, The Killing),
embroidery, card-making, amateur photography, wining and dining (especially
involving my husband’s cooking). |
