I
Summer 1976. A heatwave is gripping Ireland. Nine-year-old Megan lives in a
redbrick house in Dublin with her mother, a beautiful and lonely artist, and
her grandmother; her father's whereabouts are a mystery that she often thinks
about. When an American family moves in downstairs and Megan's mother begins a
tentative affair with the father, everything that Megan is sure of starts to
unravel…
Congratulations on your new novel Doreen - What a stunning cover! I love the title 'Night Swimming' - I immediately thought of the R.E.M song, is there a connection? There
most certainly is a connection between my novel and the REM song! When I was
writing the first, tentative draft of what became this book, I was casting
around for a title. I was listening to Automatic For The People, REM’s seminal
album, and on came the song. It fitted perfectly with the themes within the
novel, and with the thread of slipping outside at night to play. I’m a huge REM
fan, so it was meant to be!
Night Swimming is set in the 1970's, it will resonate with a lot of readers that grew up then. What were the reasons for setting it then? Is it an era you always wanted to write about? I
chose the 1970s because it was the decade of my own early childhood, and 1976
was the standout year because of the heatwave. I needed to have good weather in
the story, because the book is essentially about loss of innocence and a love
affair. I wanted to have the weather reflect the passion of the characters, and
I knew that if I set the book in a cold January that the chances of a torrid
affair would be slim! Also, the seventies are really hot nowadays in terms of
their cultural value, and my generation is both nostalgic and protective of
that era. I wanted the story of childhood to be authentic, and what could be
more authentic than my own experience of that time? To set the same story in
the present day wouldn’t work for me, because of technology. There are two
missing fathers, an unbridgeable gap between the Irish and the American experience
of life, and an ignorance of the wider world, all of which can solved instantly
now with a quick Google search. I wanted to keep that innocence, spin it out
and see where it took me.
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| Author Doreen Finn |
Your first novel 'My Buried Life' was told the point of view of an adult. This time, Megan your main character, is a young girl. Was her voice easy to slip into? It’s a
very different experience. My editor, Noel O’Regan, picked up many points
throughout the book where the child’s voice wasn’t childish enough. Because my
first novel, My Buried Life, was narrated by an adult female, making Megan’s
voice authentic took a lot of work. I had to be careful with things that she
would say and wouldn’t say, how she sort-of thinks something may be happening
between her mother Gemma and Chris, the American, but she can’t be sure because
she doesn’t have the world view or understanding to be fully sure. That sort of
thing. I observed my own two children in their interactions with each other and
with their friends, to see how kids see things, what they say in any given situation. So yes, it was actually harder than writing from an adult’s point of
view. My next book will be narrated by an adult, and book 4 will be back to a
child’s narration again.
Your writing is beautiful, so vivid and concise - who are the writers you like to read? That you admire? I love
good writing. I will cartwheel over broken glass for good prose and
well-developed characters. There are so many books being published now that it
takes a discerning reader to pick out the books that will appeal to us
personally. Mostly, I read women, and within that I tend to read Irish women.
It’s not a choice as such, just more the way my tastes lie. My absolute
favourite writer of all is Maggie O’Farrell, who I just adore, and who I wish
would bring out a book every week so I’d never again have to wonder what to
read next! I also admire your good self, Niamh, Julia Kelly, Nuala NiConchuir,
Sally Rooney, Claire Kilroy, Anne Enright, Colm Toibin, Janet Fitch, Sadie
Jones, Kit de Waal.
For mystery, no one beats John Banville writing as Benjamin
Black, and no author makes me laugh as much as David Nicholls, who is such a
sensitive writer. This year, I’ve loved Tin Man, Cape May, Dear Mrs Bird, The
Last of Summer, The House on Vesper Sands, An American Marriage, Daisy Jones
and the Six. In non-fiction, Constellations by Sinead Gleeson is a standout
book. She’s a brilliant writer. Last year I revisited the PD James canon, which
I loved, and I'm already stockpiling books for autumn.’ For me, there is no
greater disappointment than a disappointing book. It grieves me.
Any tips for other writers? In terms of getting from idea to finished novel? It sounds
trite, but the best thing anyone who aspires to write should do is to write.
Keep a notebook with you that you can use to write down interesting things you
hear or read, nice phrases that you hear someone use. If you have any story
ideas, no matter how insignificant they may seem, write them down. And try your
hand at writing, in whatever form you feel suits you best. I don’t believe that
everyone should start writing short stories before they tackle a novel. Short
story writing and novel writing are two entirely different skill sets, and not
everyone possesses both. Flash fiction is great for flexing your creative
muscles, as is trying something really rigid and structured like Haiku or
Tanka. Someone once told me that I should always write with a reader or
audience in mind, and actually that was terrible advice – if you’re writing for
the first time, write for yourself. Don’t worry about what anyone else will
think. You don’t have to show your writing to another living soul until you
feel ready, and you won’t feel ready until you’re confident about what you’re
doing.
So keep at it, stick with it, and see where the stories take you. I
don’t plot and I don’t draw out maps for my books. I start with a character and
a setting, usually a female in a house, and I take it from there. The other
most important and vital piece of advice to budding writers is to read. Read,
read, read, and then read some more. Never stop reading, because it’s only
through seeing what other writers produce that you will learn and understand
what you want to do yourself.
What's the worst writing advice you've ever gotten? As per
the answer above, being told to write with someone else in mind, for an
audience. It was terrible advice, and it wasted a huge amount of writing time
for me. It’s like being told to dress for someone else, or find hobbies that
someone else likes. You write for yourself. Always. If other people don’t like
it, who cares? You’ll always find your readers, and they’ll love what you
write.
Thanks for coming by Doreen, and best of luck with your next novel. Follow Doreen on twitter for all her writing news - @doreen2cv
Night Swimming is available from Mercier Press,
all good bookshops & Amazon
About the author: Doreen
Finn was born in Dublin, where she now lives with her family. A graduate of
UCD, she has lived and worked in Madrid and Los Angeles. Her first novel, My
Buried Life, was runner up for the Kate O’Brien award. Night Swimming is her
second novel.
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