Mike French is the owner and senior editor of The View from Here literary magazine and an author. He talks about his recently released debut novel The Ascent of Isaac Steward and what makes him tick as a writer.
You originally trained and worked as an engineer. How and when did your interest in writing begin?
About five years after giving all that up to become a home dad – I’m more conceptual in my thinking so engineering was a way of making my interest in Physics pay the bills! During those initial five years I’d loved looking after the kids but woven in things to stop my brain turning to mush when they had their afternoon naps. Dipping into writing was a first for me and I thought at the time a completely mad, random desire, but despite my misgivings it refused to go away. Once I finally sat down at my computer and tried it I loved it – it was like discovering without having any notion before that you’re good at – I don’t know – Latin or something – it was that surprising.
Who have been your literary influences over the years?
I love Julian Barnes’ work so I’m keenly watching to see if he finally gets the Booker that has so long eluded him. Others are Tom McCarthy, George Orwell, John Steinbeck and Kurt Vonnegut – Tom for his sense of atmosphere in movement, George for his portrayal of society, John for his understanding of the human spirit and Kurt for his mental gymnastics.
What does the writing process involve for you?
Discovering an idea or theme through just sitting down and writing. Then shaping that into a story and working with each chapter getting the prose sharp, making sure I’m not lingering too long on a scene or coming in too early, cutting out needless words that sort of thing. Next putting the whole thing away for at least 6 months whilst it bubbles away in my subconscious and then continually reworking it much like plasticine until I’m happy. If it doesn’t surprise and delight me then I know I haven’t quite found the shape of it yet. Sometimes I’ll work in silence; occasionally I’ll have some music on. But always it’s a delight, I love it.
What is your favourite book and why?
I can’t answer that. When I asked Barnes the same question he said, “It varies from Shakespeare to the Oxford English Dictionary to the Michelin Guide to France to Flaubert’s Letters to Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book”. So in that vein I’d say it varies from Talking it Over, 1984, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, The Elements of Style, The Chambers Dictionary, Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals and whatever book has currently won it to the top of the huge pile of books next to my bed.
Tell us a little bit about your debut novel The Ascent of Isaac Steward.
I was thinking about the different ways of summing this up the other day. At the moment I’m doing lots of author signings and of course people ask you that very question. And when I pitched the book to agents and publishers again I needed a synopsis and I always remember on a workshop being told, “I suspect that it’s the type of book that doesn’t translate well into a synopsis.
Part of the problem is that there are multiple ways of interpreting and interacting with the text each equally valid. But the one I tell people when I’m signing is, that it’s a book about a man who thinks life is good, but in fact there has been a traumatic incident in the past that his he’s completely suppressed the memory of. The book follows him as that memory resurfaces and he becomes increasingly dysfunctional mentally and physically and how he ultimately deals with that. However I could equally say that it’s a book about love and separation between two people and their journey to connect again. So what’s a strength in the book, in that it will interact with different people in different ways that’s personal to them, becomes problematic in an evaluator type pitch. It’s also mad, funny and atmospheric which again can be lost in a blurb where the book can sometimes sound a bit grim. It’s one of the reasons there are recommendations on the back cover instead of a blurb.
How has running your literary magazine The View from Here changed how you approach your own writing?
I’m more confident in my own style. Beforehand I wouldn’t read anything when I was writing my own stuff for fear it would influence me. I’ve realised that is a common misconception for new writers though and the stack of book’s I’ve read because of the magazine have sharpened and helped me enormously – even the bad ones. From the interviews we’ve done I’ve also seen that there is no correct approach to writing, some will swear blind that you have to write every day others the opposite. Instead, it’s about realising that no-one else can write the way you do and finding the approach that best suits you. I’ve learnt to ignore the Janet and John guides and whilst publishing is a business the writing side is an art and isn’t like following an IKEA instruction leaflet. Of course many do try and copy the current fad and publishers panic about what the next IKEA catalogue will look like, but any author who wants to still have their work around in a hundred years time has to avoid getting sucked into that vortex.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers – creatively and with regard to the publishing industry?
Creatively – don’t worry about what the market wants – the market shifts and is fickle – instead write for yourself, just make it the very best it can be. If that’s good enough it will find a readership if you manage to get published and are prepared to work hard. That and a lot of luck anyway. As far as advice as to how to interact with the publishing industry I’d say take a step back and ask yourself some very hard questions.
Am I in this for the money?
Am I prepared to be rejected and ignored for years – maybe even a whole lifetime?
Do I think I’m God’s gift to the publishing world and they’ll be eating out of my hand?
Am I prepared to edit and re-edit and polish my novel?
Can I handle rejection?
Can I take constructive criticism and learn from it?
Do I see this as an art form and am prepared to invest time and even money in learning my craft?
Am I deluded? Is there someone I trust who can judge if this is something I can be brilliant at?
Once you’ve answered those and you have a finished ms in your hands then I’d advise writers to avoid self-publishing unless it’s just for friends and hold out for a publisher. And don’t just scatter gun your work out to hundreds of them. Treat it like trying to get a job. Research the publisher or agent, get to know their likes and dislikes and then tailor your approach to them specifically. And be patient – the publishing world takes a long time to spin around and give you that sunrise you yearn for.
