Scattered thoughts for the weekend

On journalling and overthinking, meeting your heroes, and why we write

Getting to set your own schedule (I tell myself as I get yet another job rejection) can be joyful. But it can also be paralysing. Where do you start? What do you work on first? Should you check Instagram one more time in case something earth-shattering has happened, or someone has given you fleeting validation in the form of a like? The occasional deadline helps a lot but when you’re writing fiction, more often than not no one is waiting for your masterpiece. You have to pick a project, make up a deadline, and convince yourself it’s worth pursuing even if there’s a good chance it might be total rubbish. It’s so easy to slip into busywork – responding to emails, writing newsletters(!), making lists, when the Real Work of writing fiction feels too hard and doomed to fail. Journalling can feel a bit like just more busywork. But when you’re adrift it can be a great way to ground and focus you. On studio days I’ve started a habit of a quick journal entry over coffee when I arrive, to curb the overwhelm and focus my intentions for the day. (Ironically I don’t feel the need to do this at kitchen table writing sessions! They feel less precious and I usually have less time to get lost.) Occasionally I get to finish something before being yanked away, but mostly I have to abandon things halfway through because school pick up has rolled around again, in which case I do a quick post-mortem entry too: this is what I achieved and this is where I want to pick up next. Do you journal as part of your writing practice? If you feel like sharing, let me know in the comments. I’m curious to know how and why others do it.

On meeting your heroes
I only made it to one session at Melbourne Writers Festival this year, but it was a goodie: the brilliant Hannah Kent chatting to Richard Fidler about her stunning new memoir Always Home, Always Homesick, a love letter to Iceland and its enduring hold on her, and an insight into how she came to write Burial Rites and what happened next. Hannah is such a beautiful writer and a magical thinker and it was enthralling to hear her speak of dreams and obsessions and her student exchange to Iceland when she was just 17 and Iceland was far less frequently visited. I remember finishing Burial Rites in the middle of the night and wanting to wake people up to discuss it. I also have my own Arctic Circle obsession thanks to a student exchange to northern Norway when I was 22. I wasn’t as brave as Hannah (I was older, surrounded by English speakers and only stayed for the summer and not a full year), but it has always stayed with me – the breathtaking landscape everywhere you looked, the surreal experience of living under the midnight sun, standing on a mountain with new best friends from all over the world, watching it skim the surface of the sea and rise again, or stumbling out of a club at 3am and into broad daylight. And the formative experiences you have on exchange when you are far from everything (and everyone) you know. After Hannah’s session I joined the epic signing queue outside the Athanaeum and tried to cram all of this into my allotted 30 seconds with her and wound up sounding like a squirrel on speed. Hannah couldn’t have been more lovely and gracious though, and I did manage to slip her a copy of Ella for her daughter. I also bumped into fellow 2024 debut crew member Marion Taffe (whose historical fiction debut By Her Hand is out now) on her way out, and furiously exchanged excited post-Hannah texts with 2023 debut crewer* Rijn Collins (whose contemporary gothic novel Fed to Red Birds is set in Reykjavik, was blurbed by Hannah and gets a mention in her memoir!)

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Ergo chair photo shoot in the university library; turf house in Kjerringøy; Kjerringøy Trading Post pier; letterbox art; midnight sun magic; is there anything more fun than supermarket shopping in a foreign country?; stocking up at our local; view from the bus to uni – everywhere you turned in Bodø there was a view fit to make you weep on public transport.

On why we write
Kazuo Ishiguro says everything better than I could, and this quote of his is one I’ve been thinking about a lot lately:

‘In the end, stories are about one person saying to another: This is the way it feels to me. Can you understand what I’m saying? Does it also feel this way to you?’

That’s it, isn’t it?

CURRENTLY…

WORKING ON: Incredibly, I have three books out next year! This is nothing for some seasoned creators but feels like a milestone for me. Books 3 and 4 in the Ella series and a picture book. Having three on the horizon means that in the past few weeks I have been frantically finishing copyedits for Book 3, brainstorming plot lines for Book 4, approving covers and internal art, tweaking back cover blurbs, and planning writing workshops. It’s all work and takes time, but it feels a bit like cheating because it’s mostly going over old work (in the case of editing) or other people’s work (covers and illustrations) and not making something new, which feels like the only Real Work. Sometimes I fantasise about throwing my phone in the bay, locking the door of my studio, and hunkering down with a cup of tea and a new idea – one that no one is waiting on. But I reminded myself the other day that past me only dreamed of this stuff. I bet you do this too. Consider this your reminder to quit hustling for a moment and enjoy how far you’ve come.

READING: Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent. It’s a thrill experiencing Iceland through Hannah’s eyes, but I also loved diving back into her early years as a sensitive kid enthralled by books and nature, and a brave seventeen-year-old embarking on a Rotary exchange to Iceland which was far more unknown to tourists back then, and to hear how Hannah came to learn Agnes’ story and be haunted by it, and all the incredible things that followed.

WATCHING: Severance. I was gripped by the early episodes and the themes of work/life balance and the different selves that might live inside us and the idea that we can’t ever truly divorce ourselves from them although we might try. I have to admit I appreciated the finale more after watching the behind the scenes interviews after the credits, which got me thinking about how much work goes into creating things that may not always be received the way we want. Season 2 of Bad Sisters. I wasn’t sure how they could possibly follow season 1, it seemed complete and perfect and was based on an existing Belgian miniseries. S2 was written by Sharon Horgan and had a different vibe but still had lots of twists, heartbreaking turns and great characterisation. I loved hanging out with the Garvey sisters again. Also rewatching Ted Lasso. My husband (who – like Roy Kent – enjoys glowering, grumbling, and a weekly yoga class with old ladies) missed out the first time I binged it so we’re going back in together. It’s made a good palette cleanser post-Severance.

LISTENING: Lots of music podcasts, especially nostalgic ones. Loving Zan Rowe’s Take 5 (she’s such an insightful and passionate interviewer) particularly the episodes with election guru Antony Green, Luke from the Kooks, and Leigh Whannell (horror film legend and my teen crush on Recovery). Also loving Music Mothers and Others.

I have more Meet the Creator interviews coming up with some amazing authors starting next week, so stay tuned for those! Til then, friends, happy reading, writing, making and creating. I’d love to know what you’re working on. Feel free to keep yourself accountable in the comments!

Cassy

*If you’re wondering how you can be a debut two years running, they were different demographics/markets, orright? Besides, we need all the help we can get.