In the first of a series of author interrogations, I posed my questions to the lovely David Wailing, author of Fake Kate and Bang: Memoirs of a Relationship Assassin
How do you strike the balance between writing something you
want to write and writing something that people want to read, in terms of the
compromises you make, if any?
I must want to write it. That’s
always top priority, much more so than writing for other people. I’ve got to
enjoy writing it, even if it’s hard work! And it’s common knowledge that if you
write for everyone, you fail to reach anyone. I write for me, and then invite
everyone to the party!
Recently I stopped
rewriting Cupid’s Warhead, an older book of mine, for precisely this reason. I’d
put months of work into it but it was becoming a slog, and I wasn’t enjoying it
any more. So even though a few lovely people were keenly awaiting it, I decided
to stop and move onto something I would enjoy. It’s really important for me to
stay excited about whatever I’m writing, otherwise the motivation fades away,
and all the distractions take over.
Having said that, I do try
to keep in mind how commercial a book might be, or at least whether there’s an existing
audience for it. I have done a few things from time to time to broaden the
appeal, such as reduce the amount of swearing. But I see them as improvements
rather than compromises, as long as my original story or characters are not
weakened as a result.
Just thought of a perfect
example. Scott, the main character of Bang: Memoirs of a Relationship Assassin,
is a man who splits up couples for a living. I knew some readers would be
appalled by this, and refuse to read the book. I considered changing his
personality but that would have completely ruined the entire story. Instead I
added a short introduction by the publisher of his memoirs, which makes it
clear he is going to be changed by his experiences, and is just as susceptible
to romance as the rest of us. So Scott remained intact, but readers knew he
wasn’t going to remain the heartless swine they expected. Afterwards I felt an
introduction helped give his story context and feel like more of a personal
memoir, so again, an improvement rather than a compromise.
What excites, attracts or appeals to you about the genre(s)
you write in.
This is an odd question for
me because I don’t think of ‘genre’ until the book is written. Usually at the
point when I’m categorising it for Amazon!
Recently I’ve found my
books fitting into the Mystery and Thriller genres, which is fine, but I’ve
also had people tell me they should be classed as Humour, or Drama, or even
Chick-Lit! There’s a little of everything mixed up in there.
More appealing to me than
genre is theme, and I’m still excited by the theme of identity. In one way or
another, I think every single thing I’ve ever written is based around the idea
that we all have multiple sides to us. I’m interested in characters pretending
to be something or someone they’re not. There’s just so much potential for
drama, conflict, and gags too! So that’s my main attraction, rather than genre.
Do you have a box, drawer, folder etc where you keep
thoughts and ideas for future stories? Such as names you have come across, bits
of dialogue, ideas, characters - even if you have no idea when you might use
them?
Yes, I’m constantly storing
nuggets that might be useful in future. In the old days I used to scribble all
my notes in exercise books called Dave’s Big Book Of Really Great Ideas! Now
they’re kept as various Word documents and so on.
Quite often I will think of
something (or overhear some priceless dialogue) at work and then email it to
myself. So I’ve got an email folder full of nameless characters saying
hilarious things to each other!
How much of you is in your characters? Which of your
characters is the you that you’d most like to be? Or be with ?
With primary characters, I
think there’s always some element of me within them. Since I have to think like
they do, I must be able to properly live inside their heads, so naturally they
can’t be totally alien to me. The problem is trying to make them more unlike me – I don’t want everything I
write to feel autobiographical!
The character I’d most like
to be is Ben, the Kiwi traveller dude from Fake Kate. He’s just so happy and
upbeat and excitable, always wanting to have adventures and enjoy life to the
full. I’d love to be more like that. Plus a lot of readers have told me how
much they fancy Ben and would kill to get their hands on him!
The character I’d like to
be with socially is Scott, the relationship assassin, purely to observe him.
Scott’s something of a mystery even to me... he’s the ultimate mask-wearer, and
as someone fascinated by identity, I would want to get to know someone with his
abilities.
As for who I’d like to be
with romantically... well, I wouldn’t trust any of them. They’re all two-faced
one way or the other!
Do you become so wrapped up in your writing that your spouse
wonders if they're married to you or one of your characters?
I do get very wrapped up in
writing. I’ve been known to deliberately ignore my phone and doorbell and,
once, the fire alarm. But my OH is a teacher and even more busy and
work-obsessed than I am!
What type of book do you like reading? Is it the same genre
as you write?
It’s more the style of book
that I like reading rather than genre really. I like modern, urban stories,
because as a Londoner I can relate to them well, but the characters have to be
believable and the plot intriguing. I used to read a huge amount of science
fiction and fantasy, and can still be tempted, but again they have to be
believable in some way. I’m not so keen on books firmly set within a
professional world, like police procedural or legal fiction, because everything
always feels locked in a pattern. I’d be willing to give anything a go as long
as the initial premise was exciting, and there was potential to be surprised. A
little unpredictability goes a long way!
What lengths do you go to to convince us readers that your
book has the X factor?
What a question! I suppose there
are two sides to this. One is to make the book itself as attractive as
possible, which is no mean feat. I think the key is to have an interesting
central character and an intriguing hook into the plot. (I see them as one and
the same – I don’t think character and plot are two distinct things.) But
that’s much easier to say than do!
The other side is the
promotional and marketing stuff, which if you’ve done the first bit well, is
much easier. One reason all my book covers feature a human face is that I want
readers to see whose story it is, to meet the protagonist, and hopefully be
drawn into their world. I think people respond to images of other people more
than landscapes or abstract illustrations.
Something else I do is
build fictitious websites which are then featured within the book itself, to
make the world it’s set in feel more real. For example, the company Infidelity
Ltd from Bang has a corporate site at www.infidelity-ltd.com,
and all the online dating profiles used in Fake Kate exist at www.otherhalves.com. I see them as bonus
material, to be discovered by readers as nice little extras!
How do you feel when a reader points out the spelling
mistake(s) you have made?
I feel like this:
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh! That’s the sound of me grinding my teeth together. I’m genuinely
grateful if anyone takes the time to point out errors, and if nothing else it shows
they’re properly reading my book! But I’m frustrated that I didn’t spot it
first, and get annoyed with myself for being unprofessional. Hence the
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngh.
What do you like most about visiting KUF?
I like joo the best. She’s
my favourite. I only come to KUF to be near her really.
But there’s lots of other
reasons! It was a turning point for me to discover KUF, and realise what a
fantastic place it is for both indie authors and readers. It felt like walking
into a bar and realising they play your favourite music, serve your favourite
drinks, and it’s already filled with your mates. It’s a cliché, but I honestly
felt like I’d found somewhere I fitted in without having to work at it, and
still feel like that now.
Bearing in mind how
hot-headed forums can become, and how shockingly vicious things get on the
Amazon forums, I think KUF is truly one of a kind. The moderators do a great
job with a light touch, and everyone just goes out of their way to be friendly.
The worst thing about KUF is that it’s a massive distraction when I should be
writing!
What is on your near horizon?
Two big projects this year.
The first is a short story collection called Halves. I wrote two short stories
for KUF’s Hearts and Arrows anthology in January, and enjoyed it so much I wanted
to write more! Halves will include a full-length novella plus the
’novelisation’ of a short film (hopefully!), and will be out in the summer.
The second is Shot, which
is the sequel to Bang and the next in the Memoirs of a Relationship Assassin
series. I’m aiming for that to be finished by the end of the year, with
hopefully another two books in the series next year. Plus plenty of other ideas
for new novels bubbling away.
Where can we find you for more information?
