Sally Gardner

Sally Gardner is an award-winning novelist who’s sold over 1.5 million books in the UK. Her fourth novel, The Double Shadow is realised on 3rd November 2011. Novel Kicks had a chat with Sally and asked her about her typical writing day and the novel she wished she’d written.

What was your route to publication?

I started writing illustrated books for 5 to 8 year olds and I have to thank my then editor at Orion, Judith Elliot, for seeing I had potential. I had worked in the theatre before where my dyslexia had proved to be a problem, and I was quite convinced when I wrote my first book for small children that again it would be seen as a huge hurdle. It was a complete surprise to me to find that it was no bar to being writer. In fact, Judith believed it’s what gave me my voice.

Describe your typical writing day.

I usually work in the mornings in my dressing-gown in the hope that I can hold back the day – I’m always shocked to discover that it’s 12.30pm. In the afternoon I find myself to be slightly sleepy so I tend to go for a walk and then I usually work until about 1am.

What planning do you do before starting a writing project?

I panic. I think panic is a great kick-start to the creative engine. I have a glimmer of an idea and I like to leave it on the back burner of my brain. When it comes to the boil I can get going, which may involve a lot of research depending on the period in which I have chosen to work. I find walking to be very, very helpful for clarifying my ideas and telling myself the story before I start to write. Walking cannot be underestimated as a writing tool.

How do you approach editing?

I approach it by reading all my chapters out loud as I go along. I think that words on the page are just a blueprint, that you only know if they’re going to work once they’re read aloud. A conversation that sounds great in my head can sound ridiculous when I hear it, and in this way I self-edit.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learnt since becoming a writer?

That imagination is gold dust. When I was small I failed rather dismally at school and I was always told I was a dreamer and lived in my head, which I did. What I’ve realised is that I possess something that is priceless – an imagination that hasn’t been crushed, ruined or broken on the wheel of education. I think we should never underestimate the dreamers and those who look like they’re not paying attention. They’re often the ones who are taking the most notes on life. Oh, and thank goodness for Apple computers. RIP Steve Jobs.

Is there an author you particularly admire?

Angela Carter. I adore fairy stories. I always have done since I was a child. They’re dark (or at least should be dark) and absolutely terrifying which is their job. I love Angela Carter’s books because she worked in magical surrealism and was fascinated by the function of fairy tales throughout history.

Is there a published book you wish you’d written?

Great Expectations, because I think that as a story it’s a perfect shape. It shines, it’s immaculate. In this novel, Dickens isn’t sentimental or soppy at all – Pip and Esther are wonderfully flawed. The characters, the conversations, the scenes he paints with his words and the dark, menacing terror he brings to that book is something I’m completely in awe of. It is also a journey about a young boy and girl making their transition from childhood to being young adults.

Which three books have made the biggest impact on you?

Wuthering Heights (the first book I ever read at age 14), Great Expectations and Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus.

Which character from fiction would you most like to meet?

There are so many characters in Dickens that I would quite like to meet. I’d happily travel back to early 19th century Russia to meet Pierre Bezukhov. He’s quietly and unexpectedly heroic and I rather fell for him when I first read War and Peace.

Which three things would you take to a deserted island?

A mermaid’s tail, a limitless supply of champagne and a solar powered Mac laptop.

Who would your ideal dinner guests be?

Albert Einstein. Leonardo Da Vinci. Scott Fitzgerald. Charles Dickens.  Pablo Picasso. No women – who needs the competition?

Any tips for new writers?

Just write – no prevaricating, no excuses. Write. I recently read an anecdote in the introduction to The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. He was in Paris and asked the waiter why he was so tired. The waiter replied that he danced all night, that he dances just so he knows he’s alive. I write so I know I’m alive and will live forever. You need that passion to be a writer and it doesn’t matter if you’re published or not, you still need the passion. Also, any would-be writer should read Stephen King’s book On Writing – if you read it and still want to be a writer, then go ahead.

For more information on Sally, check out her website by clicking here. 

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by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.