Elsa Neal interviewed by Susan Letham of
Inspired2Write
On teaching
MS Word | On writing | On
reading | Advice for beginning
writers | About Susan Letham
Susan (SL): Elsa,
what prompted you to create the "Make Word Work For You" class?
Where did the idea and techniques originate?
Elsa (EN):
I’ve used MS Word for six years, and I created a general MS Word course
about two years ago due to the many requests I was receiving for
assistance.
Developing
the course made me aware of the many facets of Word that I wasn’t using
properly because I’d fallen into the same habits many of us develop –
doing something the same way I’d always done because I was too rushed to
investigate a quicker way. Writing the course gave me a chance to play
around with some of the tools and incorporate them in my work. The more I
learnt, the more I was able to try something new even if I was in a hurry.
Recently,
I was looking at the features of a few different writing software
programs, and kept thinking “I can do this in Word”. I sat down and
listed all the ways I used Word to make my writing life easier, and soon
realised that other writers could benefit from my knowledge. I dusted off
my original Word course and re-wrote it, incorporating the elements
specifically for writers.
SL:
Why
do you write?
EN:
I write because I feel strongly about a
theme or concept – I’m either angered by something, or fascinated by
it.
I don’t often enjoy addressing an issue directly by writing a
non-fiction piece, instead I prefer to study my chosen theme through
fictional characters. Humans have been telling stories for millennia, so I
don’t think I’m the only one – it seems so much more pleasurable to
wrap your brain around a topic (even an unpleasant one) through a
fictional story.
In
my first book I highlighted sexism and racism by exclusion, themes I feel
many writers have already tackled. Most of my characters interacted
without this “prejudice” – therefore the single homophobic character
really stood out.
All
my books have a number of strong female characters who don’t wait for
men to arrive to sort their problems out. I balance that with strong male
characters who behave against stereotype. Manipulation and abuse feature
in a few of my books as I feel very strongly about one person or group
believing they can control another.
SL:
When
did you begin to see writing as a professional option?
EN: I
completed a diploma course in creative writing, and received a lot of
encouragement and marketing advice, but I learnt far more when I
discovered an online community of writers all taking their writing
seriously. Before that I found the industry quite confusing and daunting.
By interacting with people who loved writing, I learnt that to be a writer
you have to write, not merely dream about writing, and not use anything as
an excuse to procrastinate.
Instead
of feeling guilty about not being able to write as often as I wanted, I
rearranged my schedule and gave myself the opportunity to write something
everyday. The transition to “feeling” more professional crept up on
me. I stopped adding a “but…” when I told people I was a writer.
SL: What
was your first professional publishing success? How did it feel?
EN:
My first publishing success was a bit
of a shock. It was a once-off column in a national newspaper and they
asked for a photograph to publish alongside it. I really wasn’t
expecting it because I’d emailed the piece to them as a dare. It was
wonderful to see my name in print like that, but they also edited a
section slightly for effect – leaving it with a glaring grammatical
error. I had to console myself with the thought that I was probably the
only one who noticed it.
SL: What made
you decide to write a novel?
EN:
I’ve always wanted to write full
length novels, and I’ve been working on various forms of my first novel
for way too long. I wrote two drafts of it, and then decided to take a
different approach, so I scrapped it and rewrote it. It took me five years
from that point until completion. It is a psychological thriller, as are
another three books I have planned.
SL:
Who
do you read?
EN:
I enjoy books by Donna Tartt, Arundhati
Roy, Zadie Smith, Greg Egan, Peter Straub, and Salman Rushdie. It’s a
bizarre mixture of tastes which probably sum my personality up quite well.
I also read books on Greek mythology, quantum physics, and forensic
pathology for reference purposes (or, at least, that’s my excuse – no
one believes I read them for fun!)
SL:
Who
are your writing heroes or heroines?
EN:
I
don’t have writing heroes as such, but there are a few anecdotes that
inspire me:
Jane
Austin writing her books secretly, covering them up with her needlework
when anyone entered the room, reminds me that there was once a greater
rift between the rights of the sexes than there is now. Perhaps the unfairness that still exists today will be gone in
another fifty years, but perhaps it will rear up again, or even be
reversed. It’s a reminder of one of the reasons literature and art is
created in the first place – writers and artists reflect some situation
that needs to be reflected, for whatever reason.
Whenever
I grumble through yet another re-write, I have to smile when I remember
that Tolstoy rewrote War and Peace seven times. By hand. It reminds to
stop at a certain point.
SL:
Which
qualities should a beginner develop in your view?
EN:
It
sounds obvious, but many people forget about being willing to be a
beginner and to learn. I’ve met people who close their minds to new
information because they feel they know more than others about a subject. It's
amazing how quickly trends can change.
Another
obvious tip (but a pertinent one) is to keep writing - as much and as
often as you can, and when you're doing all you think you can, make even
more time for your writing. Half of the skill of writing is developing it
as you would any craft - it takes time and practice. The other half is
talent, which can be eroded by lack of attention.
Trust
your writing voice. Everyone has a unique style, and you'll develop yours
over time as you write. The more you write, the more focused your voice
becomes.
Susan
J Letham is a British writer, creative writing
tutor, and owner of Inspired2Write.com
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