Jenny Colgan

Jenny Colgan is the author of 10 novels such as ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,’ ‘Operation Sunshine,’ and ‘West End Girls.’ Her latest release ‘The Good The Bad and the Dumped’ is due for release on 13th May 2010.

Describe your typical writing day?

Woken by 2 year old hurling himself on bed, feed, bath and dress baby, 2 year old and 4 year old, take 4 year old to school, prevent 2 year old from sneaking into school again, hand over two littlies to my fantastic housekeeper Geri, go for a jog or a walk down the beach depending on how energetic I’m feeling; have a bath, spend one hour on one project; take laptop down to local bakery, have a coffee and a pain au chocolat, write 2000 words, rescue littlies at 1.30, play with them all afternoon, pick up 4 year old from school, usually with a couple of his wee friends in tow, cook supper, throw them all into bed, collapse on sofa with knitting and chocolate, fall into bed. That’s whilst my husband’s away working; when he’s home he picks up a lot of the slack!

What was your route to publication? Had you always wanted to write?

I did want to write but I viewed it in the same way as I viewed becoming a popstar or an olympic gymnast; nice idea in theory, unlikely in practice.  I was working in a hospital and tried out a little bit of stand up-  I was absolutely terrible, but I found I could write things that were funny, even though I wasn’t very funny as a performer. It was the biggest confidence boost of my life. After that I tried everything- cartooning, sketch writing, performance poetry; children’s stories, and the one that worked for me was a novel I wrote in my lunch hour. Nobody was more surprised that me when it finally happened; it was like ‘no, no, no, no, no, YES.’. You can have a million ‘nos’; all you need is one yes.

Do you edit as you write or do you complete a draft first?

I write about a third, edit that, let my editor see it and if she feels it’s all going fine I”ll complete a first draft and let her see it all.

Which one of your characters is most like you?

Probably Holly in my second book, Talking To Addison. That’s very much what my life was like in my twenties.

What is the most important thing you’ve learnt about being a writer?

The most important thing I’ve learned as a writer is the same as most jobs I think- it’s not always about talent, it’s about commitment. Some of the funniest, best writers I know never made it because they just never got their arses in gear. If you actually finish your novel, you’re already ahead of the game. Just sitting around talking about it or imagining what it might be like aren’t really very useful.

The best thing about being a writer?

The best thing about being a writer is choosing your own hours, it’s brilliant for having a family and getting to spend time with your other partner. Plus not really having a boss; some people thrive on the social politics of an office environment but I never did. I’m much happier to see my friends on my own time.

Where do you get the inspiration for your novels?

I read loads of newspapers and magazines, kind of try and keep up with what women are thinking about. Eg, when I got to my thirties I realised I was still liking pop music and not really ‘dressing my age’ or anything like that, and that inspired Do You Remember the First Time, about a 32 year old who wakes up as a 16 year old.

If you were told you could only keep three books, which ones would they be?

Tricky one. Probably Little Women, because I never get tired of reading it; Middlemarch, because it contains everything in the world, and War & Peace as I’ve been saving it for a special occasion and it would keep me going for a while.

Who would your ideal dinner guests be (dead or alive)?

Ooh Richard Feynman, Douglas Adams, Ben from Armstrong + Miller (he’s Miller); Doctor Who (the real one, not whichever actor is playing him at the time), Claudia Winkelman and Phoebe from Friends. Funny women and scientist guys. I wouldn’t give a toss what we ate; we funny women and scientist guys are like that. Pizza probably.

What are your top five tips for new writers?

1. Read a lot

2. Write a lot

3. Repeat steps 1 to 2 as required

4. Write something you desperately want to read

5. Submit as clean a copy as you can.

Jenny’s new book ‘The Good, the Bad and The Dumped’ is due for release on 13th May 2010 (published by Sphere.)

For more information on Jenny Colgan head to her website http://www.jennycolgan.com

(Photo: Charlie Hopkinson)

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by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.