Simon Groth:Fellow Traveller Number 4 Hachette/QWC Program

April 28th, 2010

simongroth1

In twenty words or less tell me why you write.

I started writing because I had a yen to do it. I continue to write because I am a writer.

Do you have any formal training in creative writing? And how long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing stuff since high school. Fortunately, I started writing stuff I was prepared to share with the world almost exactly ten years ago. I have no background in arts or humanities (I did health sciences for reasons I am still grappling with), but I did a postgrad in professional writing, editing, and publishing a few years back so I would have such a huge discrepancy between what I did in sunlight and what I did in the wee hours. I started a proper Masters in Creative Writing too, but I didn’t get far. I’m not sure if or when I’ll get back to that.

What do you consider to be your successes as a professional writer?

Background stuff. I have to say this, because (to use fishing terminology) I’m yet to land the big one (whether in writing or in fishing). This will sound wanky and it’s quite accidental I assure you, but I seem to be awfully well connected these days. A big part of this is longevity: I keep turning up. As a result I have lots of people in the industry whom I know and who in turn appear interested in what I’m working on. I figure one of these connections has to pay off eventually. My job is just to keep turning up. It’s worked for me so far.

You were selected to take part in the QWC/Hachette Australia Manuscript Development Programme in 2008. What were some of the highlights? What impact did it have on your writing and professional development?

The most valuable thing I took from the MDP (can I call it that?) (yes, you can, ed.) is a cohort. Writing is a lonely profession, especially when the people around you are sick of hearing about your latest plot development or character trait. While the eight of us from 2008 are scattered throughout the country, we still keep in touch and share each other’s triumphs and disappointments. It was especially important for me since, almost immediately following the program, I relocated away from home with nothing but a pair of small children and a whippet for intelligent conversation. A motley bunch of writers at the end of an email address was in incredibly valuable source of sanity.

The other important thing I took away from the program was a far more mature approach to the business side of publishing and an understanding that a good author-publisher relationship is a partnership, not a hierarchy. That single piece of knowledge has served me well through the rollercoaster of the last eighteen months.

What do you really love about writing?

I don’t know of anything quite as satisfying as nailing a sentence. Really nailing it: every word in its place and no fat. I think to achieve any kind of longevity as a professional writer, one has to really enjoy the nuts and bolts. You might have a crappy day at the keyboard, but if you nailed one sentence, you’ll go to bed content as a baby.

Rejection comes with the job of writing, so how do you get over it and keep going?

I’m not sure rejection gets any easier over time. The tragedy of rejection is the mismatch in expectation. As the writer’s expectations rise, so the rejections become harder and harder. To be honest, the rejection that has most upset me—the one that absolutely skewered me—arrived just this year. It’s not a case of getting over it and moving on. You move on precisely in order to get over it. And some of them you never quite get over. You work on and try to forget it happened.

What are you working on now?

Two things: a non-fiction anthology (as co-editor) and my fourth novel. Both projects are related to rock music and Brisbane. The anthology will most likely be published at the end of this year. The novel will be published, I hope, before I die. I’ve just made the call that I intend to write a chapter of the novel each day until it’s done. Tonight is my first night and instead I’m writing this. Good start, huh?

What books are you reading and where is your favoured reading spot?

I wish I had a favourite reading spot other than bed, but young children make the act of languid reading outside of bedtime impossible. I figure I’ll find one again in a few years when they are able to entertain themselves. I’ll set up a comfy chair on the deck maybe. At the moment, I’m reading The Sorrows of Empire by Chalmers Johnson: non-fiction about US imperialism and militarism. This is my light reading while I take a break from the second half of Lolita (I like it, but it’s intense). I’ve got another six or seven books lined up after those. Probably my favourite reads from the last six months or so: Disgrace by JM Coetzee knocked me sideways (and I now refuse to allow the film to sully my picture of it) and Devil May Care, the new James Bond book by Sebastian Faulks was so much fun I read it in a few days.