Ask the Author: Ingvild H. Rishøi
Answered Questions (2)
Ingvild H. Rishøi
Hi!
How nice it is to hear that you have read my books, and multiple times -thank you! And it's also really nice to notice that there are still short story readers out there (they're not the loudest audience, I think?)
When I write, I have no genre in mind - or rather - I have one, but it often turns out to be the wrong one. When I wrote short stories, several times I was SURE I was writing a novel, as my raw material and first drafts were huge. But then I started editing, and when I edit, I like to keep only the words that feel strictly nessecary to me. And then, they all turned out to be short stories!
As for Brightly Shining (Stargate in Norwegian), I think it could also be called a short story - it is indeed a very short novel, but I was kind of thankful when my publisher said we could call it a novel. Thankful for the ... novelty, maybe?
But to answer your question: It seems like I can't control this - sometimes something turns out to be a short story, and sometimes (one time!) a novel. The book I'm writing right now is still very, very, long - and it's one story, but recently I've been wondering if maybe I could turn some parts of it into short stories. Among others, I think both Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout and Frode Grytten has made really interesting mixes between novels and short stories, and that's inspiring. So right now, that's my plan!
But as mentioned above: My plans often go down the drain.
How nice it is to hear that you have read my books, and multiple times -thank you! And it's also really nice to notice that there are still short story readers out there (they're not the loudest audience, I think?)
When I write, I have no genre in mind - or rather - I have one, but it often turns out to be the wrong one. When I wrote short stories, several times I was SURE I was writing a novel, as my raw material and first drafts were huge. But then I started editing, and when I edit, I like to keep only the words that feel strictly nessecary to me. And then, they all turned out to be short stories!
As for Brightly Shining (Stargate in Norwegian), I think it could also be called a short story - it is indeed a very short novel, but I was kind of thankful when my publisher said we could call it a novel. Thankful for the ... novelty, maybe?
But to answer your question: It seems like I can't control this - sometimes something turns out to be a short story, and sometimes (one time!) a novel. The book I'm writing right now is still very, very, long - and it's one story, but recently I've been wondering if maybe I could turn some parts of it into short stories. Among others, I think both Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout and Frode Grytten has made really interesting mixes between novels and short stories, and that's inspiring. So right now, that's my plan!
But as mentioned above: My plans often go down the drain.
Ingvild H. Rishøi
Hi Kirsti!
Thank you so much for your kind words - they made me happy!
I generally get my ideas when I'm outside, walking around, at the gym, or when I'm in public transport, listening to people. On buses it's easy to take notes, but at the gym, I think it's embarrassing, so I often have to hide in the stretching area with my notebook (I tend to forget the ideas if I don't write them down immediately). I think I get ideas these places because this is where I meet people I don't know, and I'm interested in strangers. I'm also fascinated by how people show who they are in their way of speaking.
An example: A couple of days ago, I walked through the schoolyard close to where I live in Oslo, and there I passed some seven year olds, quarreling.
Then I heard one girl scream to another: "It isn't ALLOWED to call other people "chicken nuggets"!"
And I stopped. that went straight down into my notebook. I didn't know "chicken nugget" was a bad thing to be called! But of course it is, when you're seven years old (only slightly bigger than a nugget) - this girl showed her exact age and emotions through her way of speaking.
A for the characters, I don't really feel that I'm building them! I know many authors put down their characters' weaknesses, wishes, and so on, before they start writing. But to me, the fun about writing is NOT knowing what I'm going to write. It's like being a kid (chicken nugget) playing - kids have no plans for plot or characters, but they're having fun! So generally, I just start of with a voice in my head - sometimes a kid's voice, like in Brightly Shining, sometimes a grown up voice, and then I see things in my head and take notes of everything I see.
Of course, this only makes the very, very first (and bad) draft. After that comes the endless editing. But that's another question, for another day!
Thank you so much for your kind words - they made me happy!
I generally get my ideas when I'm outside, walking around, at the gym, or when I'm in public transport, listening to people. On buses it's easy to take notes, but at the gym, I think it's embarrassing, so I often have to hide in the stretching area with my notebook (I tend to forget the ideas if I don't write them down immediately). I think I get ideas these places because this is where I meet people I don't know, and I'm interested in strangers. I'm also fascinated by how people show who they are in their way of speaking.
An example: A couple of days ago, I walked through the schoolyard close to where I live in Oslo, and there I passed some seven year olds, quarreling.
Then I heard one girl scream to another: "It isn't ALLOWED to call other people "chicken nuggets"!"
And I stopped. that went straight down into my notebook. I didn't know "chicken nugget" was a bad thing to be called! But of course it is, when you're seven years old (only slightly bigger than a nugget) - this girl showed her exact age and emotions through her way of speaking.
A for the characters, I don't really feel that I'm building them! I know many authors put down their characters' weaknesses, wishes, and so on, before they start writing. But to me, the fun about writing is NOT knowing what I'm going to write. It's like being a kid (chicken nugget) playing - kids have no plans for plot or characters, but they're having fun! So generally, I just start of with a voice in my head - sometimes a kid's voice, like in Brightly Shining, sometimes a grown up voice, and then I see things in my head and take notes of everything I see.
Of course, this only makes the very, very first (and bad) draft. After that comes the endless editing. But that's another question, for another day!
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