I’m currently writing this post sat in the supermarket car park. I’m in the backseat of the car, sister eating an ice lolly in the front, with a dog lying
on my feet. You didn’t really need to know this information, but I’d like to give a bit of context.
A few weeks ago, I was having coffee with a friend. We got to discussing my writing and I said that although I’ve seen a lot of authors who’ve been
influenced by the world around them, I don’t think I’m influenced by anything or anyone. She told me that I mightn’t think I’m being influenced but I’ll look back and realise that, subliminally, the little things will have influenced by writing substantially. It was one of those, ‘start considering what you’re writing, Charlie’ moments. Believe it or not, I actually have a lot of them.
Over the past few days, I’ve realised that my friend was right. This is usually the case, she’ll give me a small tit-bit of advice and I’ll think nothing of it until weeks later. I’ve been sat around thinking about how all my characters drink copious amounts of tea. It’s become the staple scene; my characters will be having a conversation whilst making tea. And I like how there is all this conflict, and this unusual situation, yet my characters make tea.
I’ve really be influenced by the ‘keep calm and carry on’ mentality. The same friend told me that it’s the typical British thing, that when any crap is happening, we will, ultimately, make tea. It’s what we do. It’s also influenced by my family: we drink a lot of tea, my teeth are tea-stained I drink that much; we went through forty tea bags in two days. It’s just what we do. We make tea when someone dies, when a baby’s born, when we’re congratulating one another; it’s a part of our day-to-day lives.
The familial aspect of the novel has also been influenced by my own family. I have a huge extended family; if we had a family reunion we’d have to book one of the Orkney Islands, just to accommodate us. I think this led to me having Juniper passed around to various family members throughout her childhood. There’s also an estranged sister, based upon my aunts on my Dad’s side of the family.
One aunt I didn’t know existed until I was twelve years old at my Granddad’s funeral and the other stopped speaking to us after we contested said Grandfather’s will. It was that old adage that for everything you gain you must lose something. Maybe she wouldn’t appreciate me being truthful, but I feel that I’ve told you everything about myself so this isn’t really going to change the fact that she wasn’t a very kind woman.
The novel’s also turning out more humorous than I anticipated, and I think this comes from my family’s constant taking the piss out of itself. We’re not afraid to hold up the mirror to ourselves for our humour and I think that’s something you need to do. It’s what my characters are exceptionally good at.
Another influence is something we were told this year in my creative writing class. According to our tutor, Raymond Carver once said that he didn’t write for stupid readers. I feel that when I’m writing, the prose should be easily understandable. I don’t want my readers to need a degree to be capable of understanding what I’m talking about.
I do think there’s a slight problem with my prose though. I’m hoping critique partners will highlight my problems, though, because I like my style of writing too much.
I wonder then, if I am being influenced as a writer, then have these things also influenced who I am as a person? I think so.
With this in mind, what are your influences?
Answers in the comment box below.
Until next time, that is all.
