Sarah Salway interview

Sarah Salway is the author of Something Beginning with (2004), Tell Me Everything (2006), and Leading the Dance (2006). She is also, with Lynne Rees, the co-author of Messages (2007). This interview was first published in December 2007.

Where were you born and raised?

In a very safe suburban town in the east of England, where I could spend whole days reading by the river and never having to tell my parents where I was because they wouldn’t be worrying about where I was. It feels like a different world now. I went to school at Ely Cathedral, and so got to know nearly every stone of that lovely building. That was a privilege I was aware of even then.

What was it that first got you into writing and when did you start writing?

I started off as a fashion journalist, studying at the London College of Fashion. I always wanted to write creatively though, but thought it wasn’t for people like me. After ten years of journalism, I plucked up courage to go to one of the external courses in creative writing run by Edinburgh University, and it was as if every light had gone on inside me. I couldn’t believe how exciting and scary it was to write my own stories. Still can’t.

Which writers have influenced you the most?

I have always loved short story writers – Alice Munro, Joyce Carol Oates, Raymond Carver and, of course, Chekhov. Other writers who have inspired me at various times are Colette, Denton Welch, A M Homes, Carol Shields and Margaret Atwood. Probably the most influential though is an American writer called Alice Duer Miller. I found her novel in verse, Forsaking All Others, in a holiday house, and it led to my first novel, Something Beginning With. Her writing sets out to entertain, and has a brisk, slightly cruel humour about it. She wrote a series of satirical columns called ‘Are Women People?’ for the New York Tribune to support the suffragette movement – all in poetry. I can’t imagine that happening now.

What kind of things do you write?

Novels, short stories and poetry. I think my style is to write about the dark side of the domestic and ordinary. And I love that dark side, especially in things people normally overlook!

What are you working on now?

I am working on the final edits of my third novel, The Seduction Committee which is a version of Dangerous Liaisons set in an English old peoples home, and a memoir based on the role models I’ve had in my life. Ongoing is a second collection of short stories.

What is your writing day like?

Partly because of my teaching, I have no regular daily routine, although I do make sure I write something every day. My only rule is that I write in my journal as soon as I wake up – either just random notes, or something from a series of prompts I give myself. Once I’m involved in a project, I become obsessional at finding every minute I can to write, but it seems to take me longer than I’d like these days to get involved. Mind you perhaps that’s why I still have a family and friends who talk to me!

What’s the most exciting thing about writing for you?

Nearly everything. It’s extraordinary how we can pull stories and characters from seemingly nowhere and make them real. I think of myself as that giant Monty Python foot sometimes, my little characters are going their own way and – splat! – my great fingers crash down on the computer keyboard and I make their lives completely different. What’s not to like about that? However, hand on heart, while I would say I’m most excited about the writing process, even and including editing, the moment I saw my book on sale in New York, I thought I might scream with joy!

What’s the most frustrating thing about writing for you?

When I waste time, playing solitaire or looking at emails, and don’t use the time I should spend writing. Argh…

What’s the best piece of feedback that you’ve had from your audience?

I once had a woman queue up after a reading to sing to me, which was strange but enjoyable. She wanted to show she was tone deaf (like my character, Verity) and, you know what, she really couldn’t sing. Other than her, I’ve had amazing support from other writers I admire, and that feels extraordinarily lucky.

Do you write for a particular audience, or is your first priority to satisfy your own creativity?

I write what I want to, and what I need to. I have particular readers in mind, but they have been chosen (or have chosen themselves) because they are interested in what I’m trying to do rather than the other way round.

Do you have a homepage? Do you have any short stories or poems published online? (If so, please provide the URLs):

www.sarahsalway.com

www.sarahsalway.blogspot.com

www.yourmessages.org

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