NK Chats To… Darryl Barkwill

Hi Darryl, thank you so much for joining me today. Can you tell us about your latest book, FC Farce and what inspired the idea?

Thanks Laura. FC Farce follows the mis-adventures of a lower league English football team. Initially known as Henlon Wanderers, the team is reluctantly inherited by Graham Farce.

After a series of mishaps, the club is forced to reform as FC Farce, which sets the tone for what lies ahead. Their debut season turns out to be a hilarious, ridiculous  chaotic whirlwind, packing in just about everything that can go wrong at a football club. And at the centre of all the chaos is Graham, who is forced to try to restore the club’s reputation and ultimately save it from relegation.

What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any writing rituals like needing silence, coffee etc?

With two young kids, I was often writing FC Farce quite late at night, it was the only time I could get peace and quiet. No huge rituals, but at times, when I was struggling for motivation, I would open a beer and try and try and let my mind open up a bit! Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t…

What’s your favourite word and why?

Win. Because all wins are good. Football team ‘wins’. Quick ‘wins’. Massive ‘wins’.

How do you approach the planning, research, writing and editing processes?

Planning wise, I tried to get a strong ending first and work towards that. The ending is what the reader will remember, so it has to be strong. In FC Farce’s case, the research mainly came from my own experiences of being a football fan. The events were unique but inspired by events I’ve found amusing.

I aimed to write around 500 words a day, enough to see progress but not make it too heavy. With the editing, being a new author, I sent the first draft to a beta reader to get some professional feedback. That gave me great tips on how to elevate my writing.

If you were compiling a playlist for FC Farce, which songs would you include?

One springs to mind. Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life by Monty Python. Poor Graham faces a level of chaos that would test even the most experienced of football chairman, so if he hadn’t had the ability to take comfort from the small wins, he would probably have had a breakdown.

Darryl’s Writing Space

Out of all the books you’ve read (but not written,) do you wish you could forget just so you could have the pleasure of discovering again?

Danny Wallace, Yes Man. Probably more for the concept than anything. A true story about a man in a rut who suddenly starts saying yes to everything, and his life completely changes.

Any advice for overcoming writers block?

Just keep writing, even if you’re not quite sure where it’s going. I found that the most natural way to come up with ideas. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, you’ll likely heavily edit the first draft anyway…

What has been the highlight of writing this book? What element of the process was more of a challenge?

Highlight has definitely been the reaction. Everyone I’ve spoken to has found the book funny, which is what I was going for. I’d say the most challenging was the last 5% of the work, the final polishing and tweaking and endless reviews. It gets to a stage where you just have to draw a line under it.

What came first for you – plot or characters?

The two main characters came to me first, the reluctant football chairman Graham and doubting manager Fred. Then it was the book’s ending, which I think is particularly strong, and then everything else slowly fell into place.

What are you currently working on?

Just lots of writing for my day job! Definitely want to do another book at some point, whether that’s a sequel for FC Farce remains to be seen…

Which fictional character would you like to meet and why?

Harry Potter. Just so he could turn me into a frog or something for a while.

Any other advice for new writers?

Just go for it! I dithered for a while as to whether I could actually write a book or not. But when you get into it, it’s surprising how quickly you make progress. And also don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s a big commitment, so just take it slowly and have fun.

Would you rather –

Have unlimited books or have £1,000,000? 

£1,000,000

Be able to fly or be invisible? 

Invisible

Live in the city or the country? 

Country (city a few years ago).

Live in an eternal spring, summer, autumn, or winter? 

Summer.

Be able to read minds or control things with your mind? 

Control things with mind.

Have the ability to spend one day in the future or visit one day in the past? 

Past.

See the movie or read the book first? 

Book.

About Darryl Barkwill –

Darryl lives in Devon with his wife and two young children. His love of football and sharp sense of humour inspired him to write FC Farce, a playful celebration of the beautiful (and sometimes ridiculous) game.

Say hello to Darryl via Instagram.

FC Farce is available to buy on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.