Caroline Smailes’ first novel, In Search of Adam was published in August 2007. I am pleased to interview her about her online experiences and her third novel Black Boxes.
Do you feel that the networking tools you use make it a worthwhile investment of your time? Do you have to balance the time between promotion and writing?
Definitely! I really would question any modern writer who is not utilising some of the social media available to them. For me blogging, maintaining a website, Facebook and Twitter are part of my daily routine. I truly believe that they help me (as a writer) to reach a wider audience and to interact with readers. This, like most things in life, carries negatives too. Any writer using social media has to be aware and has to set themselves firm boundaries. I have learned (through mistakes) that I need to be very precise with my use of time and there are certain topics that I will never blog/Twitter about. It would be very easy to become absorbed in the online world and for my writing to be neglected, so I believe that the true success in the use of social media is the finding of balance. For me, it's about having fun and interacting with all the tools that are available. I tend not to take myself too seriously and this makes the whole experience more pleasurable.
Have you found blogging to be a wholly positive experience or would you issue any cautions?
I am lucky that the vast majority of my readers are truly friendly, open to interaction and 'get' me. I have had quite a few abusive comments left on my blog and clearly my writing is not liked by everyone. I love blogging and the connections that I have made from it, so the negatives do not in any way outnumber the positives gained. I would suggest that any blogger has some form of statistical tool, so that they can keep track of visitor ISP. This would allow the recording of the author of any abusive comments.
I bought and read your Black Boxes because I saw it on your blog. It is a stunningly original mixture of styles and ideas. Have you ever experimented with other genres such as play scripts or poetry?
Thank you so much! And no, I've never attempted any other genre. I have a feeling I'll take another course, at some point, to learn about play scripts as I am becoming increasingly interested in that form.
Black Boxes breaks taboos about the sexual experiences of young people and the difficulties of post natal depression. Where do you get your ideas from?
An over-active imagination and real life. In my fiction, I tend to draw on the real and then twist into fiction. In Black Boxes, I pulled on my own experiences of postnatal depression, mixed it with imagination and also drew from some of my teenage diaries. As I don't initially plot and plan, I tend to find that my ideas come from the taking of small steps with each character.
I read your blog about chaotic writing, which made me laugh. How is novel 4 coming along, is it breaking any taboos?
I've nearly finished the first draft of novel 4 (currently titled '99 Reasons'). It's possibly my most experimental novel, but in a subtler way and I'm thoroughly enjoying the challenge of writing it. It's about family life and no taboos are being broken, just yet!
Do you have any tips for us 'soon to be graduates' of the MMU Writing School?
First off, huge congratulations on finishing the course and on soon-to-be graduating! I know how difficult a course it is. My tips to anyone attempting to enter the world of publishing would be to develop a tough shell, be prepared for a few knocks but to never ever lose sight of the end goal. It's simple advice, but really you should never ever give up. I'd love to hear about the successes of fellow Writing School graduates.
I am so grateful to Caroline for giving her time to answer my questions and I wish her luck with the fourth novel.
