Sometimes, books I love are written by someone whose main job isn’t as an author. One of these people is Rachael English, who works as a broadcast journalist for Ireland’s state broadcaster.
I’ve read three of Rachael’s books so far, and just recently finished her most recent book The Letter Home. We sat down to talk her traditional method of beating writer’s block, and her biggest vice when writing.
Where does inspiration come from for you?
From everywhere. It might be a snatch of overheard conversation or someone on a radio phone-in or an idea that has spent years lurking at the back of my head. Because I’m also a journalist, I do sometimes get ideas from news stories. My latest book, The Letter Home, began with public records from the 1840s and ’50 which I came across on a library website.
Have you ever based a character on yourself?
Not consciously, but there’s probably a bit of me in some of them. I think it’s impossible to write characters without people you know seeping in somewhere.
Is there anywhere in the world you would love to set a book?
I was born in Lincolnshire in England, and apart from a handful of scenes in the Night of the Party, I’ve never really set anything there. I think that’s where I’d like to go next.
What is your most common method of procrastination?
All of them! Perhaps my worst one is kidding myself that I’m looking up some fact or other and then spending an hour on Twitter.
What snacks do you have closeby when reading?
I’m not really a snacker but I do drink far too much coffee while reading and writing.
How do you work through to overcome writer’s block?
If I’m finding a scene hard to write, I try writing it in longhand rather than typing. Or, if I feel a later chapter would be easier to write, I do that. Solving a plot problem is trickier, but a long walk can help. A solution can pop into your head at the most unlikely time.
What’s your elevator pitch for your debut novel?
A young Irish woman spends a memorable summer in America. More than twenty years later she returns and seeks out the people she knew back then.
What’s your elevator pitch for your WIP?
A woman who’s afraid of nothing meets a man who’s afraid of everything.
What’s your biggest piece of advice for wannabe authors?
You have to find the right story and the right characters for you. If you’re not totally invested in what you’re doing, you won’t finish the book. Don’t worry about finding your ‘voice’. If you write often enough, it will come. Oh, and the obvious one: read a lot.
What’s your opinion on NaNoWriMo?
It wouldn’t work for me. I just wouldn’t be capable of writing thousands upon thousands of words every day. I appreciate, though, that it does help a lot of people.
Pretty Purple Polka Dots 