Novelist Amanda Sington-Williams explains how people-watching provides a source of inspiration
Amanda Sington-Williams
Amanda Sington-Williams writes novels, short stories and poetry, drawing inspiration from her travels in Malaysia as well as the UK. Her debut novel, The Eloquence of Desire, is due to be published on June14th 2010 by Sparkling Books. Here she describes how she uses different eras, locations and climates to add depth to her fiction.
What inspired you to become a writer?
I have written poetry and short fiction since I was young and always been an avid reader. In 2004, a brochure from Sussex University dropped through the door and I saw they were running a Creative Writing Course. I enrolled and got the bug. I couldn’t stop writing.
Some of my short stories were published and my poetry read out on BBC radio. On the second year of the course, I started The Eloquence of Desire and in 2005, I won an award for it from The Royal Literary Fund.
Then I went on to study for an MA in Creative Writing and Authorship. But I think that growing up surrounded by books was probably the initial inspiration to becoming a writer.
Did you find an agent or publisher first?
I found Sparkling Books through one of New Writing South’s weekly newsletters.
Did you face much rejection initially? How did you deal with it?
I had the usual volume of rejections. It is a bit of a roller coaster ride - with hopes soaring when asked for the full manuscript, then heading for the caverns of self-doubt when rejected. It’s tough. I just kept going.
How do you make the transition between writing novels, short stories and poetry?
I find the transition from one writing form to another almost like using different muscles in my mind. I allocate time for the first draft of a short story or poem and don’t look at the novel I’m working on, then edit in between working on the novel. I find this also gives me space to dwell on the novel I’m working on.
Do you have a favourite form out of the three?
Not really. I like them all. But writing a full-length novel is obviously more time consuming and I get very frustrated with the process. Perhaps because of the prolonged slog, novel writing requires, it is more satisfying once it is completed.
Having said that, I really like the short story form, the way it can explore just a morsel of someone’s life, particularly when I read to an audience. I write very little poetry these days. Maybe I should write some more soon.
What responsibilities do you feel you have as a writer when fictionalising elements of historic events?
I think it is important to get facts about historic events correct from the start to give the story authenticity. For example in my novel, I researched and referred to, the way the British dealt with insurgencies in Malaya during The Emergency.
But it is the social impact of historic events that I find interesting. Placing characters in a historic location and depicting their outlook with all the social constraints and influences that are relevant to that period is as important as getting dates right.
You draw inspiration from a variety of locations. What do you think a specific setting can bring to a story?
The setting allows the reader to create pictures in their mind. It locates the narrative and characters especially if a place, like a particular house, comes up in the narrative more than once.
How a character relates to each setting also adds to the richness and depth of the narrative. The Eloquence of Desire is mostly set in Malaysia during the 1950s.
I describe the heat, the smells, the Colonial houses and this is contrasted with the winter scenes in England. I use weather to reflect mood and the impact of tropical heat on different characters.
What do you find the most challenging aspects of writing?
Getting the characters right.
What do you enjoy most about it?
When the words flow. When this happens, I hang on in there and write solidly for hours on end.
Whose writing do you admire?
Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan, Sarah Waters, J.G. Farrel, John Irving, Andrea Levy. Kiran Desai. The list could go on…
What inspires you?
The different ways people interact with each other. I do a lot of people watching.
What advice would you offer an aspiring writer?
Re-write and edit till it is word perfect. Read it aloud for the rhythm. Join a writing group. Go on a writing course to learn a few tricks of the trade. Then, as long as it works, trust yourself to break the rules.
What are you working on at the moment?
The final draft of my second novel and the characters for my third.
The Eloquence of Desire by Amanda Sington-Williams will be published on June 14th 2010 (Sparkling Books RRP £14.99) and is available from
Related posts:
- Learn to sustain your narrative and complete your novel with Amanda Sington-Williams - Find out how to sustain your narrative for 80,000-120,000 words...
- Book review: The Eloquence of Desire by Amanda Sington-Williams - Beginning in the aftermath of a scandal that sees Dorothy...
- Novelist Wendy Squair describes the influences and inspiration behind her writing - Wendy Squair is the author of The Hippo Pool, inspired...
- Novelist Nikki Dudley describes a love of quirky characters in weird settings - Nikki Dudley is a novelist and poet, as well as...
- Fantasy novelist Sue Rule explains how music influences her writing - Sue is the author of fantasy novels Cloak of Magic...
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment