This interview with Jessica
Duchen was first published in February 2006. To find out even more about the
author, you can visit our Jessica Duchen page.
What
was it that first got you into writing and when did you start writing?
Jessica
Duchen: It began so long ago that I can't really
remember. I vaguely recollect telling stories that my mother would write down
for me, so I can't yet have known how to wield a pen. My favourite toy aged
about 6 was her typewriter.
I was the
smallest child in my class at primary school and was scared of everybody. At
break, all those big kids were out in the playground with their footballs and
skipping ropes, making a lot of noise. So I stayed inside...and had to occupy
the time somehow...writing...
Where were you born and raised?
Jessica Duchen:
London.
Born within the sound of Bow Bells, I'm a real Cockney - though my parents then
took me straight home to Hampstead! I grew up there.
Do you prefer writing fiction
or writing music articles?
Jessica Duchen: When
people ask me about moving from journalism to fiction, I've sometimes said it's
like trying to become a painter instead of a photographer...
I've been in music journalism for over 15 years and I always
enjoy it. There is one frustrating element, however, which is that it's a
basically pointless task! We love music for the very reason that it begins
where words end. Writing about it can never convey the nature of the art
because music reaches us in an emotional, instinctive way that is utterly
unique. Therefore, if I were obliged to choose between the two kinds of
writing, I would choose fiction.
Which writers have influenced
you the most?
Jessica
Duchen: It's very hard to say. I know who my favourite writers are
- and there are a great many, from Tolstoy to Maggie O'Farrell. But of course I
can't claim to be writing anything remotely similar to any of them. My
favourite book is "I Capture the Castle" by Dodie Smith. I would love
to write something that conveys characters, setting and story as vividly and
believably as that.
Where do
you stand on the nature v. nurture debate? Were you born a writer, or were
there factors in your environment that enabled you to become a writer?
Jessica
Duchen: A bit of both. I've always wanted to
write, without really knowing why. I think being rather isolated as a child
probably helped - my brother and sister were a lot older than me and both left
home before I was 10. That meant I was on my own, with a vivid imagination and
access to that typewriter. But equally, I had a great deal of encouragement
from my mother and without that I might not have developed such perseverance.
There
are a lot of courses teaching creative writing nowadays, but do you think that
good writing can be taught?
Jessica
Duchen: I think that aspects of how to improve your writing can be taught. You
can be taught the principles of good structure, for example, and lots of
touches that make a writer professional rather than amateurish. What you can't
teach is inspiration.
Do you
have any short stories or poems published online? (If so, please provide the
URLs):
Jessica
Duchen: Not at the moment. I used to write
poetry, but haven't for about 10 years and am not certain I'd want to put the
old stuff on line.
What kind of things do you
write?
Jessica Duchen:
Novels
and music journalism. My contract describes my books as 'intelligent family
novels'. In journalism, I mainly write features for “The Independent” and
various music magazines - I'm fortunate enough to have interviewed most of my
favourite musicians.
What, for you, is the best
piece of prose that you have ever written?
Jessica Duchen:
Hard to
say, though of course I HOPE it is my first novel, "Rites of Spring".
What are you working on now?
Jessica Duchen:
My
second novel. I have a two-book deal with Hodder & Stoughton and this is
the first time I've tried to write fiction within a set time frame. It's been a
big challenge, but I've loved every minute of it.
What is your writing day like?
Jessica
Duchen: Get up at a reasonable hour, consume copious coffee, set
to around 9am with study door CLOSED. Intensely immersed for most of the
morning, but grab coffee whenever possible. Break for soup around 12.30/1pm.
Afternoons are usually, though not always, hopeless, so that's when I do the
shopping, errands, phone calls etc. Working time good again from about 3.45
until about 6pm, when I often try to get some exercise. Sometimes work in the
evenings, depending on what else has happened during the day & whether my
husband, who's an orchestral violinist, has to go out for a concert or
rehearsal.
Where would you like to be in
10 years time?
Jessica Duchen:
Doing
exactly the same thing, but on a mountain.
What’s the most exciting thing
about writing for you?
Jessica
Duchen: I enjoy everything except proof reading. But the thrill
when you've set out to create something and then at the end the result does
bear some resemblance to your original idea - that sensation is incomparable.
What’s the most frustrating
thing about writing for you?
Jessica
Duchen: The feeling that what you've created does NOT bear ANY
resemblance to your original idea...
What’s
the best piece of feedback that you’ve had from your audience?
Jessica
Duchen: One of my dearest friends read an advance
copy of "Rites of Spring" and phoned me up after finishing the last
page, in floods of tears. That was an unbelievable compliment.
Do you
write for a particular audience, or is your first priority to satisfy your own
creativity?
Jessica
Duchen: I try to do both. It would be nice to
write simply to satisfy one's creativity, but the bottom line is this: if you
don't write with an audience in mind, then nobody is going to read your stuff
and you won't be able to spend your life writing. A sobering thought.
How do you describe your
writing to new readers?
Jessica Duchen:
Literate,
I hope; intelligent, I hope; gripping, I hope; and always readable.
Do you have a homepage? If so,
what’s the URL?
Jessica Duchen:
http://www.jessicaduchen.co.uk
I also have a blog, mainly
about music:
