Contents
Contents
Holly
Bourne
Queen of YA, Holly Bourne comes to this year's Bath Children's Literature Festival for a special event to introduce her mind-blowing new novel, You Could Be So Pretty. Here, she chats about the event, her writing style and offers advice for young writers.
We can’t wait to see you at this year’s Bath Children’s Literature Festival. Can you tell us a little about your new book.
Thank you so much, I’m so excited for the festival and to speak about my new YA book. It’s called You Could Be So Pretty and it’s billed as ‘The Beauty Myth for teenagers’. It’s set in a dystopian world with horrifying beauty and sexual pressures on young girls. It follows Belle, ‘a Pretty’, and Joni, ‘an Objectionable’ when they’re thrown together unexpectedly. I alsot has quite a whopping twist which I can’t wait for readers to read.
What do you enjoy most about festivals such as the Bath Children’s Literature Festival?
It’s just so wonderful to meet my readers. Writing is such a lonely career, which doesn’t suit me as I’m an incredibly chatty person. It’s so scary writing a novel, and putting it out there, worrying if people will like it, and get it, and be moved by it. So, when you get the chance to meet readers at festivals and therefore meet people who like it, and get it, and are moved by it - that connection, it’s so special. I’m always my most inspired and happy on my way home from a literature festival. Authors need their readers just as much as readers need authors!
"It’s just so wonderful to meet my readers. Writing is such a lonely career, which doesn’t suit me as I’m an incredibly chatty person."
What is your writing process?
I’m pretty disciplined because I initially started out as a news journalist where writers block just wasn’t allowed. When I’m writing a first draft, I tend to do four ‘sprints’ of writing each day - one 20 minute block, one 30 minute block, one 40, and then one hour. I write without fear and without reading anything back, as I know I’ll lose the faith otherwise. I don't’ let myself read back a draft until the whole novel is finished. The most important part of writing is re-writing and you can’t fix a blank page. So I force myself to reach ‘The End’ so I’m too far in to give up. Then I do intensive edits before I let my agent read it.
Are you always thinking of new ideas and new characters?
I live in permanent fear that the new ideas will dry up, but, often, I’m way ahead of myself for novel ideas. It takes me roughly a year to write a book, and I know what my next two are going to be about, so I have two years to come up with something. I’m yet to catch myself up. I think the best way to get inspiration is to just live your life as fully as you can, and with as much curiosity as you can. As I said, I’m a very chatty person, so I’m always meeting people and learning about their lives, and, from that, I get creative sparks. I recently got my newest idea going to a Butterfly Farm of all places, and overhearing someone telling their friend a fact about butterflies.
"I write without fear and without reading anything back, as I know I’ll lose the faith otherwise. I don't’ let myself read back a draft until the whole novel is finished."
How many books do you have on the go at one time?
I can’t write more than one novel at a time because it's’ so immersive and I’d lose the plot strands and characters otherwise.`However, because I write YA and adult fiction, I’m often having to hop out of my manuscript to do edits or promotion for the novel I wrote the year before. My brain can just about handle that, though I hate being yanked out of a draft when I’m midway through it, and my email inbox often suffers greatly during this time.
What’s the best piece of advice you were given when it comes to writing?
Stephen King has written such a great book about writing called ‘On Writing’ and every word of it is gold dust. I re-read it once a year, even though I know it pretty much by heart. My favourite quote in it is simply, “Tell the truth.” Something I try very hard to follow.
Which authors do you currently enjoy reading?
I love Sara Barnard’s YA novels, and Tanya Byrne’s and I’m excited for their new ones. I can’t wait for Faridah Àbíké-Íyímíde’s new book either.
How can readers keep up-to-date with what you are up to.
I’m pretty active on Instagram. You can find out my latest news there, as well as many, many, photos of my cat.
Holly Bourne is the author of You Could Be So Pretty, published by Usborne, 28th September, £8.99.
a copy of Holly Bourne's 'You Could Be So Pretty'.
For a chance to win, simply click the link below and follow the steps. Good luck!
win
