How I write: John Boyne
John Boyne is the author of modern classic The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, as well as 16 books for adults. His latest novel is Earth, out now.
When and how do you write?
I’m generally at my desk by 8.30am until around 6pm. I rarely work in the evenings. It’s not about how many hours I do, but ending the day feeling that it hasn’t been wasted. I’ll bounce in and out of my office throughout the day; I’ll do an hour, then go and read for a bit before I come back to it.
Do you have a favourite place to write?
I have two offices in my house, which probably sounds rather grand but really isn’t. In the summer I work in my seomra, which is the Irish for ‘room’, in my back garden. It’s a lovely space but too cold in the winter. I can generally write anywhere, though: trains, planes, hotels. The only time I feel I need to be at home is when I’m writing the first draft of a novel – then I really need to be in one place, working on it day after day to get it down.
Do you have any routines or rituals that help you write?
I do need quiet, writing that first draft. I would never play music. But once I’m editing, I could sit in the corner of a busy, loud pub and tune everything else out. I lose myself in what I’m doing.
How much of a book do you plot before you start?
This has changed since I first started writing. For the first three or four books I was a plotter. For every book since then, though, I have a basic idea but trust myself now to see where it will take me. I find that quite exciting. I think once you get more experienced, you can take the safety net away and allow the story to build in front of you. Some of the ideas that go in will be cut, but some ideas that suggest themselves as you’re writing end up being the heart of the story.
What do you find most challenging as a writer?
On the first draft, it’s that middle third. In the first third, you’re excited about starting and convinced you’re writing the greatest novel ever written; with the last third you can see the end in sight and you’re looking forward to rewriting it and making it as good as it can possibly be. The middle third, when you’re too far away from either, is harder. You have to stay focused and make sure you sit down every day to keep that momentum going. You can’t walk away at that point or you won’t come back!
What do you do when you’re stuck?
I go for a walk or play piano. Even if I’m not consciously thinking about a book, it’s always there in my head and ideas will suddenly present themselves. On some days, though, you’ve put everything you can into it and it’s not happening, so you have to just admit defeat. But I wouldn’t allow myself to do that two days in a row.
What would you say to someone who’s struggling to get started?
Writing groups are fantastic, for a few reasons – you have deadlines and these are so important; you have readers, which is what you need when you’re starting out; and you learn so much from reading other people’s work.
What’s your number-one piece of advice?
Read more than you write! Always have a book on the go. And read widely; old books, new books, books by different genders, books in different genres.
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