Trying something new this month: a bit of improvising! Most of the content is in the audio version only, with the full author interview and some links below. My submission stats are exclusive for newsletter readers this month (only because I forgot to read them out š). Please let me know your thoughts on this new, improvised format.
š Author interview with Wiz Wharton
Wiz Wharton was born in London of Chinese-European heritage and is a prize-winning graduate of the National Film and Television School (NFTS). Her debut novel Ghost Girl, Bananawas published in 2023 and deals with issues of identity, belonging and familial secrets. It was longlisted for the Authorsā Club Best First Novel Award 2024 and shortlisted for the Diverse Book Awards 2024. Adaptation rights have been optioned with Wharton on board as screenwriter and executive producer. In 2023 the Scottish Government Expo Fund named her as one of the 40 Authors Predicted to Set the Literary World Alight. She lives in the Scottish Highlands.
What inspires you?A lot of the obvious stuff, I suppose, like books and art and music, but across the whole spectrum of what I personally regard as creatively successful. I hate the phrase āteachable momentā but Iām often inspired as much by things I donāt particularly enjoy because itās interesting to consider how I would have done them differently. Whatever the medium, or person, Iām hugely inspired by authenticity in all things because it speaks of fearlessness which is a state Iām constantly trying to get to, both in my writing and in life.
For me, writing is a way of evolving or making sense of the world so Iām obviously inspired by past experiences and past relationships although not in an autofiction way. Rather, itās the feelings behind those stories that I like to explore. Finding the universal in the specific.
Do you have a writing routine?Iām lucky enough to write full-time now, although when I had an additional job it did oblige me to be more disciplined about the creative stuff so itās been a learning curve! I always start the day with coffee and admināwriting or replying to emails, following up on invitations or filling out tax spreadsheetsāall the things that keep the business side running. Before I was published, I didnāt really think much about this aspect, but itās become something that solidifies writing as a job to me. Then Iāll turn off the internet and put my phone into do not disturb mode and sit down to whatever Iām working on, whether itās my current book or a script. Iāll usually read back the previous dayās work and mark any new thoughts Iāve had without editing the pages themselves. I always leave the manuscript at a point where I can immediately dive into the writing itself when I return. Sometimes Iāll have left notes in the margin about what Iām trying to achieve in terms of plot or what a character wants in a scene. Sometimes Iāll have left mid-sentence! I learned this trick a few years ago and it definitely works for me.
People often think writing is just about getting words on the page, but I probably only spend about five or six hours a day on this, ending up at around 3pm, and some days I donāt write at all. The advice to write every day is more of an ideal than a reality for lots of people and like most rules about writing (which when youāre beginning are easy to regard as sacrosanct) it really has no bearing on whether or not youāll be published. Incredible novels have come out of all sorts of situations.
Unless Iām on a particularly tight deadline, when my usual routine tends to go out of the window, Iāll spend the rest of the day doing things that revolve around writing, so reading and researching or watching films or TV. This feeds the analytic side of my brain and I always do it with a notebook in hand. I also advocate naps. Itās amazing what your mind comes up with when youāre not whipping it into submission!
The other thing I build into my routine is lots of walks with our dog, Wilson. The change of scene and the physical effect of being outdoors does wonders if Iām feeling stuck or need to think about the project in its entirety and what Iām trying to do with it.
My worst writing momentThe dreaded book two syndrome. With my debut Iād had considerable time to write without expectation and Ghost Girl, Banana was in pretty good shape by the time I even thought about submitting to agents. A second book is another prospect entirely because by then youāre already on the publishing carousel with all the other commitments that entails and I definitely felt the pressure. Itās not simply the dread of showing a really bad first draft to someone whose opinion you respect, itās that debuts also tend to set out your stall as a writer, meaning that readers have expectations of you too. It took me a good year and four failed attempts at a second manuscript before I came to the realization that Iāas my first audienceāshould actually be enjoying what I was writing, without becoming bogged down in whether it would sell or do well. Getting out of my own way was the key to finally landing on the right ideaāthe one that means something to me and that I would want to read. I definitely panicked myself into thinking I would never write another book, but itās been a valuable lesson in trusting my gut.
My best writing momentThe best moments (plural) are undoubtedly getting to meet readers. The prize lists are wonderful but theyāll never beat the experience of talking to someone who thinks of your characters as real people and who have invested such time and emotion into their stories. So many have written to me saying that they felt seen by Ghost Girl, Banana and will remember it for a long time to come and thatās the kind of legacy that makes it all worthwhile. That particular novel is very much about coming to terms with being āotherā and even growing to a place of empowerment with that knowledge, and from a personal perspective, readers have helped me in that journey too, not only validating me as a writer but as an individual.
What are you reading right now?Dear Dickhead by Virginie Despentes, which I am loving. I tend to gravitate towards books with similar themes to whatever Iām working on at any given moment and Despentes has a lot to say about feminism and sexuality and generational differences which speaks very strongly to what Iām trying to achieve in this second book. I havenāt read an epistolary novel since Whereād You Go, Bernadette and itās a form I really enjoy when itās done well, as this is! One of the reasons Iām loving it so much is because Despentes really nails the pathos-through-humor trick. To convey a sense of human fragility without recourse to sentiment or victimhood is very hard to pull off creatively and Iām in awe of her skill.
Book recommendationApart from the Despentes, Iāve read so many good things in the last twelve months, it would be hard to choose just one. Iād happily press into anyoneās hands Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan, or Trespasses by Louise Kennedy.
Where can we find you?Iāve more or less given up on social media, especially since Twitter got taken over by Musk, but Iāve retained my handle @Chomsky1. Maybe Iāll take the mothballs off it if it ever returns to its golden years. Iām slightly more active on Instagram @wizwharton although I have a love-hate relationship with social media, to be honest. It can be both a balm and a time-suck. Just write already!
š Recommendations for ravenous readers
* Returning Home with Glory: Chinese Villagers around the Pacific, 1849 to 1949 by Michael Williams
* Sour Heart: Stories by Jenny Zhang
* A Feather on the Breath of God by Sigrid Nunez
* Backstory Londonās monthly reading challenge
āļø Resources for wonderful writers
* The Writersā Workout Fiction Potluck contest, āAbout an Egg.ā Iām the judge! Up to 5,000 words, due February 20th.
* Mslexia Agent Extravaganza, February 3rd & 4th.
* Reedsy lists, e.g. Best Short Story Book Publishing Companies in UK and Best Short Fiction Independent Publishers in 2025.
š£ Updates on my moseying
Iām now submitting my short story collection, Staring into the Sun, directly to small presses. My next project will be a nonfiction book, the SME Sustainability Handbook, which ties in with my consulting business, Grain Sustainability. Iāll probably self-publish it.
Short story collection submissions to small presses ā tracked on Chill Subs šā±ļø 1 pendingš« 1 rejectedš° 2 total
Queries to literary agents ā tracked on QueryTracker šā±ļø 7 waiting for replies on query letterš°ļø 1 waiting for reply on full manuscriptš« 2 rejections after reading query letterš 1 rejection after reading full manuscriptš° 11 total
Story submissions ā tracked on Chill Subs šš 7 acceptedā±ļø 3 pendingš āāļø 7 withdrawn (accepted elsewhere)š« 52 rejectedš° 69 total
š Where to find my writing
"Things My Dad Told Me" in Tomorrow There Will Be Sun, the Hope Prize anthology published by Simon & Schuster Australia.
āGold Mountain Diggersā in Issue 10 of Livina Press.
āHis Bonesā in Transformations, the Oxford Flash Fiction Prize anthology.
US and UK printed books plus ebook links are all available on my website.
Most book links go to my Bookshop.org page, where sales are win-win-win, benefiting the authors, local bookstores, and my own writingāunlike using A-you-know-who!
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