Today it's my pleasure to welcome author Elizabeth Coffey to the blog to talk about publishing her memoir And the Little One Said.
As a child I would listen to my dad’s bedtime stories, it fuelled my imagination so much I would interrupt him and end up taking over. One day he came home from work with an unused office diary for me to write in. I remember the excitement, it looked like an empty book waiting to be written, so that’s exactly what I did. Luckily it was red so I was able to write the title on the hard front cover in black marker pen so it looked like a real book. I called it ‘Murder on the 4.30’. I didn’t bother to mention if it was a bus or a train or where it was going or anything (minor detail).
Do you have a typical writing day or routine?
I sit at my desk and stare at the trees for a bit, get distracted by social media, then have to hide my phone so I can focus. I take the dogs out after lunch, get a bit of fresh air and mental space then it’s back to it. I stop about 4pm for a couple of hours to sort out dinner (and lie to myself that that’s enough for one day) then end up writing until about 8pm.
If you had to give an elevator pitch for your memoir And the Little One Said, what would it be?
My memoir; And the Little One Said is about our close-knit family of ten becoming two. It struck me, at an early age, being the ‘little one’ of the family, there was a high probability my dearly loved much older brothers and sisters were all going to die before me. I didn’t expect it would be quite so soon and each one in spectacularly tragic different circumstances.
What comes first for you, characters or plot? And does this apply when writing a memoir?
That’s such a good question, I believe, yes, it does apply. For me, the characters had to come first because I wanted the reader to know my family and love them, so I wrote mini-bio’s for each of them before unravelling the story. It’s also very important to keep in mind just because it’s true, it’s still a story and needs a good narrative structure. Non-fiction still needs a protagonist, a plot, and a flow and keep the reader wanting to read on.
Having also written fiction novels, what led you to decide to write and publish this memoir?
I did it for historical reasons and for my children, to help them process their grief. As a family we experienced a lot of tragedy in such a short space of time it was a confusing blur for them, by writing it down I was able to assemble the jigsaw pieces. When I had finished writing I realised my memoir contained universal themes we could all relate to; love, loss, addiction, mental health, suicide etc. I felt that by sharing my journey it might be help others.
How hard was it to relive some of your family memories whilst deciding what to include in the book? Did you find the process cathartic?
It wasn’t a cathartic exercise, no. It would have been a very self-indulgent and different story, possibly very dark too and I didn’t want that. Funnily enough, I actually enjoyed writing it more than anything I’ve ever done. Recalling memories made me laugh out loud to myself sometimes, I felt as though I had brought my family back to life. When I tackled the tragic parts I went into a zone. I felt like I was watching a film, like it wasn’t me, that enabled me to balance the dark with an equal amount of light, helped by the fact I have quite a dark sense of humour at times.
How have you remained so resilient in the face of so much loss?
I love the saying by Bob Marley; ‘you don’t know strong you are until being strong is your only choice.’ It really resonates with me. In the face of so much tragedy I had to dig into reserves of strength I didn’t know I had. I have faith that there is more to life and death than we know and that’s what keeps me going really.
What message do you want readers to take from your book? Something my partner, Ollie, said to me in my darkest hour. “We’re all on the same bus, Liz, going to the same party. It’s just that some of us get off the bus before others, we owe to those we have loved and lost to enjoy the rest of our journey instead of feeling sad.” As silly as it sounds that sentence helped me think about death differently and not be afraid of it.
If you could give some advice to your younger self about writing, what would it be?
Do it now! Don’t keep procrastinating!! I often wonder how many books I could have written if I’d started sooner. More importantly believe in yourself, never think you aren’t good enough. It’s taken me too long to achieve that.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who are thinking about writing a novel? Don’t think – write! One of the most common things aspiring writers say is; ‘I don’t know where to start’. Sometimes that’s enough of a barrier for it not to happen, so my advice is this. Start writing anything, the first thing that comes into your head, once you start writing the creativity will flow. I chose to start my memoir in a happy place, at my brother’s wedding, that is now chapter five, I think!
What would you say is the best thing about writing, and on the flip side what would you say is the hardest?
For me, the best thing about writing is creating your very own world. I love it there, hours flick by so there is no time for boredom. I absolutely love the whole writing process, from that first initial spark, the brilliant ideas that follow on from it, and the immense satisfaction that comes from typing ‘The End.’ The hardest part for me is to curb my need to edit, and edit, and edit some more. It can get in the way of the story. On a good day I can write a thousand words. On a bad day I can type one sentence… and then take it out again, ha, ha!
Elizabeth Coffey resides in Buckinghamshire with her partner Olly and and her two scruffy dogs Izzy & Belle. She grew up in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, the youngest of seven crazy kids. Elizabeth is widely travelled and has lived a colourful life. She has been a hypnotherapist, a make-up artist, a fitness instructor, as well as being a mum of three. Now her children have flown the nest Elizabeth has time to focus on her life’s dream. “Writing is my new baby”, she says.
Elizabeth self-published her debut fiction novella PLAYING MUM a cosy crime story followed by THE DREAM CATCHER a whodunit style novella. She has since released PLAYING DAD the sequel to PLAYING MUM and E.A a satirical drama. "Writing has been my biggest hobby since I was old enough to hold a pen," Elizabeth says, "I have a bottom draw brimming with stories!" Elizabeth's personal rule of thumb is 'to make every sentence count' and create a romping read with characters who are three-dimensional and multi-layered. Her latest work AND THE LITTLE ONE SAID is a memoir published by Mereo Books and is receiving rave reviews.
Follow me: Facebook @elizabethcoffeywriter
No comments:
Post a Comment