Becoming Belle - An Interview with Nuala O' Connor

Firstly congratulations on such a compelling novel Nuala, its such a beautifully written story, and a fantastic read – I devoured it in one weekend!

Thanks a million, Niamh, that’s lovely to hear.

The character of Belle is based on a real person, someone you have known about for quite some time, and who is buried a ‘stone’s throw’ from where you live in Ballinasloe. You have already spoken about your research in previous interviews – so what I would love to know is, was it hard to chose which portion of Belles rich and various life to represent and what to leave out?

Nuala O' Connor

I think this is always the tangly bit for novelists – we do our research and end up with a pile of facts and then we have to finesse them into something readable and, hopefully compelling. And, basically, some of the facts of people’s lives don’t necessarily fit with the story we end up wanting to tell. So writing a novel becomes a series of questions about what caves (of the character’s life) we want to shine our torch into. I’m interested in people and their little madnesses and obsessions, so I wanted to see how Belle handled the various upheavals she found herself at the centre of (baby out of wedlock in 1888; a fraudster boyfriend; elopement with a viscount; his sudden disappearance etc.) I focussed on four consecutive years in Belle’s life and thought my way through the most relevant parts of them, as unearthed through research.

I adored the language of the novel, it evokes Belle’s world in an incredibly sensual and immediate manner. It’s a leap and a lifetime away from our contemporary hashtag /emoji/lol filled language – had you any particular rituals or techniques for immersing yourself in 1880s London when you sat down to write?

The only ritual I have is to read yesterday’s written work before I move onto today’s. That way I get myself back into the mood/tone/language of the piece before moving on. I wanted Becoming Belle to read like a Victorian novel, so I did a lot of research around that through reading contemporary social reports and newspapers, novels of the day etc. It’s important to me that the language sounds authentic so that the reader feels they’re immersed in the Victorian era.

Cigarette Cards Featuring Belle

I really enjoyed reading the Author’s Note where you fill us in on what happened to Belle and the other characters. It felt respectful to their real lived selves and was quite moving. If there’s a particular pleasure in weaving fiction and fact, what would you say might be the cautions – I am thinking of other writers who may be reading this – what would you say are the particular challenges that come with working in this genre?


I suppose I have contradictory thoughts about it. In one way I feel we as writers have a duty to be faithful to the lives and events of the real people we write about. In another way I feel we’re fiction writers, we should have freedom to invent where we feel that’s necessary. I come at my characters with love and respect. That doesn’t mean I present them as paragons, I want them to seem real: lacking, sweet, damaged, fun, blemished, honest and confused in the way that we all are. Belle can come over as selfish at times but who is not guilty of that on occasion? I think it’s important not to make demigods of real people – we all make mistakes, and do regrettable things, even our beloved factional characters.

Your short stories often involve real characters, and this is your second novel inspired by someone’s actual life (Miss Emily being the first) – do you feel you have found a groove, so to speak? Are you hooked? Can we expect more bio-fiction novels in the future?

Yes, I’m working on another bio-fictional novel now. It centres on a strong Irish woman who has been flicked to one side by history, but who I’m bringing centre stage. I love bio-fiction, but it can be a little restrictive, in that you have to hang your fiction on the archway of a real, lived life. Once my novel-in-progress is done, I may have a go at another contemporary novel. I miss the freedoms of unadulterated invention. That’s something to look forward to while I wade through the muddier bits of the novel-in-progress.

Best of luck with that novel in progress Nuala, and look forward to finding out who this strong Irish woman is!  Becoming Belle is available in all good book shops, and Amazon. For more about Nuala's writing,  and Belle (including a fascinating video of her collection of Belle ephemera) check out her Website 

Bossy Post

The deadline for the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair is October 16th. 

Writers are often overly critical of their own work and keep putting stuff like this off, at least until every sentence is a work of art. If you recognise yourself in that description, just take the plunge and submitt your work! I was pushed to enter in 2012 and it led to meeting the publisher of my debut novel. So, in the spirit of paying that pushiness forward...

Go on, go on ! All they need is a synopsis and 10,000 words! You have nothing to lose. Being selected for the fair means by passing the slush pile and increasing your chances of publication, how bad is that?

I posted an interview with Carrie from the Irish Writers Centre last year-  it can be read  HERE 

And another thing...

NUI Kilkenny Campus (St Kieran's College, Kilkenny)are having an open evening this Thursday 29th from 5.30- 8pm - they run the wonderful Creative Writing For Publication Course, which does exactly what it says on the tin. Its perfect for anyone who wants to take their writing further, with accessible fees and a one weekend-a- month schedule.

Ok. End of broadcast :)

Writing Time Rain or Shine - Interview With Nuala Ní Chonchúir

I'm fascinated as to how other writers write, especially those who write across forms, Nuala Ní Chonchúir who blogs at WomenRuleWriter has has published one novel, four collections of short fiction, three poetry collections AND she teaches creative writing part time- so I'm delighted to be able to ask her some nosey questions about how she juggles it all!

Welcome to the blog Nuala, can you tell me how many writing hours you have on an average week, or is there an average week?

I have 3 and a half to four hours a day (mornings, while the kids are at college, school and creche). So that's 18 to 20 hours a week. I can also get to my desk in the afternoons sometimes but I usually just do admin stuff then (emails, subs, a little research etc.) I do the bulk of my research reading at night in bed and take notes then. That reading is for the next day's writing. I am not reading much for pleasure at the mo as I am writing a historical novel and it requires a lot of research.

You write novels, short stories and poems, how do you prioritise one form over another time wise, do you have a set system allocating sections of that time for poetry, your novel, stories or does it vary?

I try to be good and use my mornings for 'real' work (at the moment my novel). I go to the novel first and write as much as I can, hoping to reach 500 words minimum but, more often than not, I don't reach that. If I am working on a story, I get to that next (mostly short-shorts these days because the novel doesn't allow the head space for anything longer). I usually have an essay, article or review to work on too, and that is third in line after the creative work. Poems only come occasionally and I don't worry too much about them.

Do you find different forms almost have their season? I like Sept for starting into a novel as the month has a ‘knuckle down’ kind of energy for me and summer can be difficult for sustained writing sessions as my children are at home so in an ideal world  it would be my short story season.

I'm the same - I like to start something big in September. I think it's because I always loved school and college and I love that feeling of starting something fresh. The novel in hand has proved so up-and-downish that I swear I am going back to stories in September (or when I have finished this current novel).

Also, the kids being around during school holidays is distracting. No matter how much I warn them that I don't want interruptions, invariably one of them comes in needing a lift or saying they are 'starving'. It's no wonder Edna O'Brien sent her boys off to boarding school!

I know, mine are always 'starving' - you wouldn't know it to look at them though! What would you say to your younger self about writing time Nuala, is there anything you wish you had known say ten years ago?

I have always been very organised with my writing time. I had my first kid at 23, so as long as I have been serious about writing, I have been a mother and in demand, so I just had to be organised. What I'd say to others is: Get organised! Books are written one word at a time and if you do not gift yourself the time to write, you won't write a book. Turn off the TV. Get up early. Do whatever it is you have to do to carve out writing time. Anyone I know who is seriously compelled to write, does not use the time excuse. They make the time regardless of what other people want/say/do. Prioritise!

Thanks to Nuala for coming over, and if there are any other writers out there who'd like to be interviews on how they juggle time let me know :)  And have a good weekend!