An optimist and a realist: Gavin Extence on being a novelist
New associate at the Writers Workshop Gavin Extence shares with us what got him started and keeps him going as a novelist, as well as what our members can expect from his new novel-writing classes … plus a few tips for Novel Slam hopefuls this Friday!
How did you get started as a novelist?
I decided I wanted to be a novelist when I was ten! I loved reading as a kid and occasionally skived off school just so I could spend the whole day immersed in some massive fantasy novel (the world’s geekiest truant). I used to write these super-ambitious twenty-page stories, too, until I became a self-conscious teenager and stopped. But the ambition to write never went away; it just became a shameful secret for a while. When I graduated from university, at the beginning of the 2008 recession, I decided I should see if I could actually write a novel. My employment prospects were pretty bleak at the time, so I didn’t have much to lose, and I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t try to pursue the one job I was actually passionate about. Four years, two novels, and many rejections later, I managed to find an agent and sell my first book to a publisher. It sounds simple enough, but it really wasn’t. There were plenty of dark nights of the soul along the way.
You've made a career as a novelist. How do you keep going?
Honestly? With great difficulty! I was incredibly fortunate because my first book was met with a lot of enthusiasm and sold well. But unless you have a runaway hit, writing is always a precarious business. It’s often hard to make ends meet. But I think anyone who aspires to write has to go into it with open eyes. Most authors have to take on other jobs as well. The trade-off is that you get to do something you love. Although it’s not all roses: as with any work, there are times when you just have to keep grinding away.
What does your writing life look like?
I’ve had lots of writing routines over the past fifteen years. When I started, I treated it like a regular job, showing up 9-5 for up to six days a week (in between various part-time and temporary paid jobs). After my children were born, things changed massively. I had to become a lot more flexible. I wrote half of my second novel between 5-8 a.m., which was the only time I had available to me that wasn’t taken up with childcare. Then things got a bit easier once both my kids were at school. Now I tend to work school hours and early mornings (when I’m not too tired!). Given complete freedom, mornings still work best for me. If it’s going well, I can lose hours without ever needing a break. When it’s going badly, I have to work in half-hour bursts in between long periods of procrastinating and eating Hobnobs.
What characteristics do you think novelists need?
So many! 1) Determination, 2) resilience, 3) attention to detail bordering on perfectionism, 4) self-motivation, 5) an ability to be happy working alone, 6) initiative, and 7) problem-solving skills (for all the problems you’ll create for yourself and your characters). There are probably loads more, too. Imagination and writing skills are pretty much a given, although I do believe it’s 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration most of the time. It also helps if you can somehow manage to be both an optimist and a realist at the same time, especially if you’re trying to get published. You need to be an optimist to try to write for publication, and you need to be a realist to understand how hard it’s going to be – you have to be willing to keep on at it, and to keep getting better.
What can our members expect from your upcoming novel-writing sessions at The Writers Workshop?
It begins with a session called ‘16 Ways to Write a Novel’ (N.B., you don’t have to attend the first session to attend the following ones!). I used to collect interesting writing tips in a notebook, and this included a ‘Ten Ways to Write a Novel’ list, which I expanded. But, in truth, there are probably hundreds of different approaches to writing a novel. The key, for any writer, is to work out what makes sense for them and what doesn’t. So, the first session is designed to be a bit of a buffet. We’ll go over a lot of different ideas, and people can go away and experiment afterwards. As a general introduction to novel-writing, I think it’s good to cover as much ground as possible. Then, if people want to dive deeper, there’ll be further sessions where we aim to do just that.
My main goal is to demystify the process. Writing a novel can feel like this huge, uncertain, sometimes insurmountable project, but there are lots of ways to break it down into more manageable chunks. Hopefully, people will leave the sessions with lots of new tools in their writing toolkit, and this will help them look at their own work in a fresh light. We’ll go over lots of plot devices and character development in popular novels and films. The idea is to look at stories the way a mechanic looks at a car – how do we get all the components working so it will run the way the way we want it to?
Novel Slam is happening this Friday. As a judge, what do you look for?
My main tip is: unless you’ve got a really compelling reason to do otherwise, read from the beginning of your novel. That’s the part that should be hooking your audience. I look for the same things every reader/listener looks for in a good novel. I want to feel invested in the story and characters as soon as possible. I want something that compels me to keep going with the book. It can be a great plot, a brilliant premise, a unique voice, beautiful prose – anything that makes me want to continue beyond that first extract. And as a practical pointer, don’t read too quickly. There can be a temptation to race through it, either from nerves or the desire to get as much read as possible. Don’t! Take your time. And remember, we judges all know what it’s like to put your work out there. It’s scary, and just getting up on that stage is an achievement in itself!