Writers Forum #99 January 2010

AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Cally Taylor continued because they don’t fit within the life is hectic. worthwhile.
genre I write, or because they’re ‘There’s a lot to juggle,’ she ‘Orion were kind enough to
not to be over-awed by how long too scant to support 80,000 words. says. ‘I have a day job, I’m work- send me five copies of the jacket
a novel is and set yourself little But they are ideal for short stories ing on the edits to novel two artwork for Heaven Can Wait so I
targets like “I’ll write 500 words and I never ignore what I hope is (currently untitled), promoting framed one and hung it above my
today,” or “I’m going to keep a great idea. Heaven Can Wait and trying to desk. When I’m having a stress-
writing until I finish this scene.” ‘Editing is very different from sell my flat, so it’s all go at the ful day and the phone won’t
Writing is such a solitary busi- writing a first draft. It’s much moment. I’ve stopped watching stop ringing, emails are clogging
ness that joining a writing group more logical and clinical, so it television during the week and up my inbox and I’m struggling
can be helpful. You can swap doesn’t take long before I crave stay up ridiculously late. I also to edit a scene, I look up at that
notes with other writers, encour- the buzz I get from writing. Short put in a lot of hours at the week- print and I’m reminded how
age each other to keep going or stories are a little writing fix and end. If the press report a huge extraordinarily lucky I am.’
even challenge each other to help break up the sometimes rise in coffee sales in East Sussex
write a certain number of words tedious editing process.’ you’ll know why!’ • Heaven Can Wait by Cally Taylor
by a certain date. Cally’s come a long way in her Some things stand out as is published by Orion and is avail-
‘With novels you’ve got more writing career, and at the moment making all the hard work able from all good bookshops
freedom, and a lot more words,
to flesh out your characters,’ says
Cally. ‘I get to know my charac- Chapter One and three-hour chats after sex,’ he ‘Why are you laughing, Dan?
ters so well when I’m writing a said, ‘I’d deﬁ nitely go for death by Stop it, you’re freaking me out.’
novel that they’re like real people What would you do if you thought headchomping, every time.’ He propped himself up on his
to me. Because you’ve spent so you were about to die? a) Scream He looked puzzled when I didn’t elbow and reached for my hand.
much time with them, you grow and alert everyone in the immediate laugh and I looked away at my hands ‘Sorry, Lucy. I shouldn’t have
to care for them – which makes vicinity? b) Tell no one and freak out and twiddled with my engagement laughed, not when you’re at death’s
it much harder to throw obsta- on your own? c) Pretend it wasn’t ring. Oh God, how was he going to door and all. How long have you had
cles in their path and do horrible happening? react to my news? Would he cry? these so-called symptoms?’
things to them! Me, I pulled up my knickers and Shout? Faint? Worse? I counted the days in my head.
‘It’s important that you find burst into tears. ‘Dan,’ I said, ‘I’ve got something ‘About a week. No, deﬁ nitely a week.
something likeable – or fascinat- I’d been worried about my health really important to tell you.’ They started last Friday.’
ing in the case of the ‘baddies’ for a week. I was exhausted, my ankles ‘What’s up?’ he said, his eyes still ‘And what did we buy on Friday
– in the characters in your nov- were puffy and my wee was as frothy ﬁ xed on the screen. that you said we really needed?’
els because you have to spend so as a yellow cappuccino. According to ‘It’s bad news.’ I wriggled my hand out of Dan’s
much time with them. the printout in my hand that meant ‘Is this about the wedding?’ He grip and glared at him. There was
‘Characters in short stories only one thing; I had an incurable, turned the television down, twisted me, pouring out my heart, and he
are more like snapshots than possibly fatal, disease. onto his side, and gazed up at me. was talking to me about food shop-
fully rounded characters, but on My wedding was in less than ‘What’s happened now? Baker put ping. What the hell was wrong with
the plus side, you’re constantly forty-eight hours and breaking bad a lily instead of a rose on the top of him?
creating new characters and dip- news to my ﬁ ancé was about the the cake?’ ‘I don’t know, Dan. What did we
ping into their lives. only thing that wasn’t on my enor- I took a deep breath. ‘I think I’ve buy?’
‘With novels you can explore mous ‘to do’ list. But I had to tell got late-stage kidney disease.’ ‘A new toilet freshener that’s
sub-plots – something you don’t Dan. According to the Internet there The remote control clattered to the supposed to get rid of limescale in a
have time for with short stories. would be twice-weekly visits to the ﬂ oor as Dan sat up and grabbed hold ﬂ ash.’
Although Heaven Can Wait is hospital, dialysis machines, maybe of my hands, crushing the Internet ‘So what?’
mostly about Lucy Brown try- even a transplant. That was a lot to print-out I’d been holding. He raised his eyebrows. ‘You’re
ing to be reunited with her fiancé take on, for any man. ‘You what?’ he said, his eyes not the only one who’s seen bubbling
Dan, I also got to tell Brian the Be strong, Lucy, I told myself as I searching my face. ‘You didn’t tell urine in the pan for the last week.’
Trainspotter’s story and Claire opened the door to the living room. me you’d been to the doctor.’ ‘What?’
the Goth’s, and that was hugely You can do this. Just be strong. ‘I haven’t.’ ‘Lucy, you absolute doofus,’ Dan
enjoyable. ‘Then how do you know you’ve said, poking me in the side, ‘you’ve
‘In a novel you’re exploring Dan was slouched across the got kidney disease?’ been weeing on the toilet freshener.
a period of time in great depth. sofa watching a documentary about I squeezed his hands and rubbed You put it at the front of the toilet
You can take your time building the mating habits of a spindly yel- my thumb over his ﬁ ngers. He was and it sticks out. That’s what’s been
up to an emotional punch. With low spider. His arms were crossed obviously in denial. The Internet making our wee frothy.’
shorter fiction you’re stripping behind his head, his dark hair ruf- had warned me he might react like I stared at him in astonishment.
out everything extraneous to that ﬂ ed, his jaw rough with stubble. He that. ‘Because I looked up my symp- ‘So I don’t have kidney disease?’
punch and getting there faster.’ was wearing low-slung jeans and toms on the web.’ ‘No, Lucy,’ Dan said, rolling his
Cally sees herself continuing his favourite top – a faded black Jimi He frowned and rubbed a eyes. ‘You don’t.’
to write short stories as well as Hendrix T-shirt that showed off his hand over his jaw. ‘What kind of I burst out laughing. ‘Oh my
novels, and sees advantages to broad shoulders and strong arms. symptoms?’ God,’ I gasped. ‘I’m such an idiot!’
juggling the two. That was the thing about Dan, he I stared at the TV. It felt weird to Dan leaped back onto the sofa and
‘I’m currently editing my sec- could throw on any old thing and be discussing the state of my urine pulled at me until I toppled off the
ond novel,’ she says. ‘It’s another still look effortlessly gorgeous. Not with my boyfriend. It’s not some- armrest and landed on top of him.
supernatural romantic-comedy that he cared, he was one of the least thing you really talk about, even He smiled up at me and pushed my
although this time it’s about conceited people I’d ever met – which if you have been together for seven hair back from my face.
guardian angels rather than made me love him even more. years. ‘What would I do without you,
ghosts. After I’ve finished that I’ll As I walked into the room he ‘My wee’s frothy,’ I said. ‘There Lucy Brown?’ he said and kissed me
start thinking about ideas for a shifted his long legs to make space are bubbles in it and the Internet softly.
third novel. for me on the sofa, but I perched says frothy urine is a symptom of I held his face in my hands and
‘I’ll keep writing short stories on the armrest instead. When the kidney failure.’ kissed him back. I felt like life just
though, because I love writing female spider bit the head off the Dan laughed so hard he slipped couldn’t get any more perfect. And
them and because it’s so fulfilling male and ate him, Dan grinned off the sofa and landed on the ﬂ oor. I was right, it wouldn’t.
to create something finished in a across at me, his brown eyes shining I stared at him open-mouthed, then By the end of the next day I
relatively short time. with amusement. reached forward and thumped him would be dead, but not from kidney
‘Also, a lot of the ideas I have ‘Given the choice between that on the arm – hard. disease.
aren’t suitable for a novel – either
8 Writers
’
FORUM #99 Turn to Della Galton’s new series on page 50 for more on this topic
WF99JAN07.indd 2 24/11/2009 09:53:57
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10 | Page 11 | Page 12 | Page 13 | Page 14 | Page 15 | Page 16 | Page 17 | Page 18 | Page 19 | Page 20 | Page 21 | Page 22 | Page 23 | Page 24 | Page 25 | Page 26 | Page 27 | Page 28 | Page 29 | Page 30 | Page 31 | Page 32 | Page 33 | Page 34 | Page 35 | Page 36 | Page 37 | Page 38 | Page 39 | Page 40 | Page 41 | Page 42 | Page 43 | Page 44 | Page 45 | Page 46 | Page 47 | Page 48 | Page 49 | Page 50 | Page 51 | Page 52 | Page 53 | Page 54 | Page 55 | Page 56 | Page 57 | Page 58 | Page 59 | Page 60 | Page 61 | Page 62 | Page 63 | Page 64 | Page 65 | Page 66 | Page 67 | Page 68