Along with other young writers in the UK, I attended the Wicked Young Writers' Awards in June. It was a fantastic afternoon which inspired me to kickstart this blog -- albeit it took me a while! Luckily, some of these talented writers agreed to let me interview them to get an insight into their motivation and aspirations. Finalist entries can be found here: http://www.wickedyoungwriters.com/downloads/Wicked_YWA_2015_18-25.pdf . And Sugar Scape finalists can be found here: http://www.wickedyoungwriters.com/downloads/Wicked_Sugarscape_Award2015.pdf
Interview with Grace Haddon
Tell me a little about your writing
journey. When did you start? Why? How many pieces have you written so far? Have
any of these been published? Where are you hoping your writing will take you?
I am a Leicester writer of fantasy short stories. Growing up, I always loved fantasy books the best: Chris D’Lacey’s The Fire Within series, Georgia Byng’s Molly Moon and Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart trilogy to name just a few. However, it wasn’t until I was twelve years old that I started to think seriously about a writing career. In 2008 I saw Doctor Who for the first time and it completely blew my mind. One episode a week simply wasn’t enough so I did what any writer would do: I wrote fanfiction about it! The positive reviews I received online prompted me to write more, and I eventually wrote a novel-length adventure story in which the Doctor visits the dinosaurs. Nowadays I’m a creative writing student at Nottingham University and just as big a whovian, but instead I write fantasy short stories and I’m working on two novels. Only this year I’ve made a serious effort at getting pieces published, and already I’ve had some success. My first published piece was a YA horror in Growing Pains (Horrified Press). I also won Malorie Blackman’s Project Remix competition in April this year and was shortlisted for the Sugarscape Fanfiction Award. I’m sending out new stories all the time, so I hope to build up some more publication credits whilst working on my novels, which is my real love.
I am a Leicester writer of fantasy short stories. Growing up, I always loved fantasy books the best: Chris D’Lacey’s The Fire Within series, Georgia Byng’s Molly Moon and Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart trilogy to name just a few. However, it wasn’t until I was twelve years old that I started to think seriously about a writing career. In 2008 I saw Doctor Who for the first time and it completely blew my mind. One episode a week simply wasn’t enough so I did what any writer would do: I wrote fanfiction about it! The positive reviews I received online prompted me to write more, and I eventually wrote a novel-length adventure story in which the Doctor visits the dinosaurs. Nowadays I’m a creative writing student at Nottingham University and just as big a whovian, but instead I write fantasy short stories and I’m working on two novels. Only this year I’ve made a serious effort at getting pieces published, and already I’ve had some success. My first published piece was a YA horror in Growing Pains (Horrified Press). I also won Malorie Blackman’s Project Remix competition in April this year and was shortlisted for the Sugarscape Fanfiction Award. I’m sending out new stories all the time, so I hope to build up some more publication credits whilst working on my novels, which is my real love.
That’s fantastic. How many novels are you
writing at the moment? Do you find it difficult to have more than one project
going on at once?
Just two at the moment, though I’m working on vague plans for two or three others. There are definitely drawbacks to working on multiple projects: it can seem like none of the stories are coming along fast enough, and if there’s a short story deadline approaching then I have to prioritise. On the other hand, it’s nice to move between things so I don’t get bored very often. It means that I don’t spend every day editing, as I would if I was only working on one novel.
Where did your inspiration come from for your WYWA piece? What’s your favourite thing about the piece? What did you struggle with?
I entered the Sugarscape Fanfiction Award, which ran alongside the Wicked Young Writers Award, so my first decision was to choose a book series that had potential for a short story. I eventually settled on Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, which is a gritty but comedic urban fantasy series about a wizard detective in Chicago. I wanted to write a character study for Harry Dresden, the protagonist, so I wrote a short prequel about how he finds a cat in a dustbin and adopts him. The books are quite dark, so I really enjoyed exploring a lighter, softer side to Dresden’s world. The competition had a 750 word limit which I struggled with; I have a habit of pushing towards the limit regardless of how many words I’m allowed! It was also tricky to find a plot that was compact enough to fit into those 750 words. A useful exercise in cutting words, nevertheless!
What do you think are the main problems you face when writing? How do you combat this?
Funnily enough, it’s the plot that I find the hardest! Almost invariably my story ideas begin with a character and I have to then figure out the plot that would work best for them. It’s a real pain when working on longer projects such as novels. My solution is to write scenes as they come to me patchwork style, and then stitch them together at the end. Motivation is also an issue when you’re running the writing marathon, so I like to make YouTube playlists for each project which I can listen to when the writing gets slow.
Just two at the moment, though I’m working on vague plans for two or three others. There are definitely drawbacks to working on multiple projects: it can seem like none of the stories are coming along fast enough, and if there’s a short story deadline approaching then I have to prioritise. On the other hand, it’s nice to move between things so I don’t get bored very often. It means that I don’t spend every day editing, as I would if I was only working on one novel.
Where did your inspiration come from for your WYWA piece? What’s your favourite thing about the piece? What did you struggle with?
I entered the Sugarscape Fanfiction Award, which ran alongside the Wicked Young Writers Award, so my first decision was to choose a book series that had potential for a short story. I eventually settled on Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, which is a gritty but comedic urban fantasy series about a wizard detective in Chicago. I wanted to write a character study for Harry Dresden, the protagonist, so I wrote a short prequel about how he finds a cat in a dustbin and adopts him. The books are quite dark, so I really enjoyed exploring a lighter, softer side to Dresden’s world. The competition had a 750 word limit which I struggled with; I have a habit of pushing towards the limit regardless of how many words I’m allowed! It was also tricky to find a plot that was compact enough to fit into those 750 words. A useful exercise in cutting words, nevertheless!
What do you think are the main problems you face when writing? How do you combat this?
Funnily enough, it’s the plot that I find the hardest! Almost invariably my story ideas begin with a character and I have to then figure out the plot that would work best for them. It’s a real pain when working on longer projects such as novels. My solution is to write scenes as they come to me patchwork style, and then stitch them together at the end. Motivation is also an issue when you’re running the writing marathon, so I like to make YouTube playlists for each project which I can listen to when the writing gets slow.
Oh that’s interesting. What kind of things
are in your motivation playlists?
Anything that fires up my imagination, really. I enjoy noisy drum and bass music, so there’s plenty of stuff on there to wake me up in the morning! For the days when it’s hard to concentrate, I have quiet background music and the sound of crashing waves to block out noise. If I’m writing a scene that requires some research, I might find informational videos that I can refer to when I’m stuck. It’s a bit like creating a soundtrack for a film; if I find a song that fits a character or a scene it can be very helpful when planning or drafting. I was inspired by my favourite author, Sarah J. Maas, who uses a similar technique of creating imaginary soundtrack playlists for her books. Music can be very effective at capturing a mood or idea, and I highly recommend it as a writing technique.
What are you working on at the moment?
Quite a lot! I’m determined to make the most of my time at university, so when I’m not busy with coursework I have my own projects. At the moment I’m working on a science fantasy short story and planning out a few others for submission to anthologies (in the holidays I can send out two or three per month). The rest of the time, I’m working on my novels. One is the first in a YA trilogy, which has become something of a headache now that the first draft is finished and it needs a LOT of editing. The other is a comic fantasy standalone which I’ve been having an insane amount of fun with (probably because it’s still in the planning and drafting stage). I try to keep up with new calls for submissions, though sometimes it’s hard to divide my time between so many projects.
Anything that fires up my imagination, really. I enjoy noisy drum and bass music, so there’s plenty of stuff on there to wake me up in the morning! For the days when it’s hard to concentrate, I have quiet background music and the sound of crashing waves to block out noise. If I’m writing a scene that requires some research, I might find informational videos that I can refer to when I’m stuck. It’s a bit like creating a soundtrack for a film; if I find a song that fits a character or a scene it can be very helpful when planning or drafting. I was inspired by my favourite author, Sarah J. Maas, who uses a similar technique of creating imaginary soundtrack playlists for her books. Music can be very effective at capturing a mood or idea, and I highly recommend it as a writing technique.
What are you working on at the moment?
Quite a lot! I’m determined to make the most of my time at university, so when I’m not busy with coursework I have my own projects. At the moment I’m working on a science fantasy short story and planning out a few others for submission to anthologies (in the holidays I can send out two or three per month). The rest of the time, I’m working on my novels. One is the first in a YA trilogy, which has become something of a headache now that the first draft is finished and it needs a LOT of editing. The other is a comic fantasy standalone which I’ve been having an insane amount of fun with (probably because it’s still in the planning and drafting stage). I try to keep up with new calls for submissions, though sometimes it’s hard to divide my time between so many projects.
What is your YA novel about? What are the
problems you’re finding when editing, and do you have any support networks for
motivation or help with editing?
The YA project has been very close to my heart for two years now. It’s an urban fantasy (trilogy, hopefully) about a university student who discovers that she’s a pyromancer, only she’s terrified of fire. It’s very much my first novel and I made plenty of mistakes along the way, but it is slowly improving with each edit. I do find that editing restricts my creativity. It’s not as fun as the writing part, and I’m also a bit of a perfectionist so it’s hard to decide when a project is truly “finished”. At university, I have a lot of supportive friends who can sympathise with my pains and my tutors have been invaluable for all kinds of advice, but it’s my mum who has been my ultimate beta reader. She’s read just about everything I’ve written and I can always rely on her for constructive criticism and support. Of course, ultimately it’s up to me to stay motivated and to decide what changes to make, but she certainly helps me to put things in another perspective and gives me encouragement when I’m having doubts about my writing. My family have been nothing but supportive of my choice to write, so I’m very grateful to them.
The YA project has been very close to my heart for two years now. It’s an urban fantasy (trilogy, hopefully) about a university student who discovers that she’s a pyromancer, only she’s terrified of fire. It’s very much my first novel and I made plenty of mistakes along the way, but it is slowly improving with each edit. I do find that editing restricts my creativity. It’s not as fun as the writing part, and I’m also a bit of a perfectionist so it’s hard to decide when a project is truly “finished”. At university, I have a lot of supportive friends who can sympathise with my pains and my tutors have been invaluable for all kinds of advice, but it’s my mum who has been my ultimate beta reader. She’s read just about everything I’ve written and I can always rely on her for constructive criticism and support. Of course, ultimately it’s up to me to stay motivated and to decide what changes to make, but she certainly helps me to put things in another perspective and gives me encouragement when I’m having doubts about my writing. My family have been nothing but supportive of my choice to write, so I’m very grateful to them.
Is writing solely a hobby, or would you like it to lead onto something else in the future?
Writing is the core of my life. It’s what I think about on the train, in the bath and even when I’m drifting off to sleep. Obsession might be a better word! I’m not certain where my writing will take me – university is a means of exploring different options and honing my skills – but I know that it will be with me for the rest of my life. It’s something I love doing, so I will always do it. Who knows, perhaps one day I’ll even have a few published novels of my own...
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