Q&A with Simon Lipson discussion
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Song in the Wrong Key
The Writing Process
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Mar 17, 2012 03:05AM
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I write because I can't stop myself, but I do also write in the vain hope of making a bit of money out of it. In the past my royalties paid for our yearly holiday in France, and one year even stretched to a new front door, but they've been dwindling ever since! I'm currently wondering whether it's better to write what I want to write, specifically romcom and mysteries, or write specifically to sell. The latter case would mean churning out paranormal romance since that's the buzz at the moment, or dystopian YA stuff. They don't really appeal, but ...
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I'm not a published writer yet nor am I a professional, so my writing comes from my own inspiration and imagination. It's easier to write when it's on your own terms and you can do whatever you like. I might not like writing half so much if it was made into a job or chore.Simon, have you always wanted to write a book? Your book is obviously full of your own good humor, it's amazing to me that you decided to sort of combine the two.
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I'd harboured a desire to write a book from an early age, but always thought it was out of reach for someone like me. Although English was my best subject at school, I took a law degree and became a lawyer, a steady, sensible and wholly uncreative pursuit! It was only when I gave it up, set up my own business and started performing and writing comedy that I began to think it was a possibility. I wrote a rather chilling psychological thriller many years ago which was well received but took quite an effort on my part! It was only when I decided to have a go at writing pure comedy - my natural genre - that it began to flow. Writing Song In The Wrong Key was a fairly intuitive process - basic story idea, very little pre-planning, stream of consciousness first draft - and my next book - about a lawyer who becomes a stand-up (where did that idea come from?) is already written, albeit it needs a massive re-draft. It should be out in the Autumn.
You've tried quite a few things to finally be where you are now. It must be nice to be able to write from experience. I'm almost positive I've heard someone say once that writing what you know is best. I tried that once, but I'm not sure I know enough lol I have never read a romcom written by the opposite sex, so it puts a new perspective on things for me. I think I'm enjoying it a bit more lol Are you a lot like your characters then, or do you try and add in attributes unlike your own? Is this the genre you like to read as well?
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The protagonist, Michael Kenton, is definitely me, albeit a heightened version. He thinks how I think, shares a lot of my attitudes, has the same sense of humour and is irritated by the same things. It's my own voice but with a few extras and deviations along the way. And the two kids are versions of my own when they were younger. Not Lisa, though! My wife's very beautiful but an absolute sweetheart. Chaz is also vaguely based on my best friend.
'Write what you know' certainly applied to me (and applies even more closely in my next book). But it's not a general rule - J K Rowling and Terry Pratchett etc have fertile imaginations and rarely call upon their real lives to create their landscapes (albeit I'm sure their characters contain elements of themselves and people they know).
I'll read anything contemporary. I prefer strong, witty voices and a wry, occasionally sarcastic take on life. But I do read thrillers and mysteries and quite like romcoms if the emphasis is on com and they're not too soppy - I hope Song In The Wrong Key falls into this category. No sci-fi or fantasy for me though.
When you say you're enjoying my book 'a bit more' - do you mean, more than you were when you started reading it or more because it's written by a man?!
Well I think your characters were put together nicely, whether they were taken from real life or not. (I loved Elaine!) Purely curious, but why don't you read sci-fi or fantasy?
Ah, when I said I was enjoying "it" a "bit more" I meant I'm enjoying the romcom genre a bit more from a man's point of view; so romcoms in general. Does that answer the question? It can be difficult to find a romcom that's more comedy then mushy romance. In Song In The Wrong Key I found the voice of Michael refreshing and less uh cheesy (for lack of a better word :) ). And it was fun reading things frm the male perspective. The story wasn't too soppy nor was it cliche.
BTW finished the book! Will write a review soon :)
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My next book probably has a similar voice and similar themes, but I think it's a bit harder-edged. I haven't looked at my draft for ages so I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into it...as soon as I've finished all the promotional work on Song.
Well, congrats on Song and good luck with the next! Be sure to let me know when the new one is out :)
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Sorry, I've only just seen your lovely review of Song In The Wrong Key. Thank you. Really appreciated.
My pleasure, I really enjoyed it.
