Ask the Author: Billy O'Callaghan
Answered Questions (7)
Billy O'Callaghan
That's probably one for the publishers to decide. I have some pretty frightening ideas for a follow-up, but it won't be my next novel, which will be published in early 2019 and is something entirely different. And the novel I am currently working on (at the very early stages) is very different again. At the moment, my writing plans are going in a dozen other directions. But I'll never say never!
Billy O'Callaghan
'The Things We Lose, The Things We Leave Behind' is a collection of short stories, so the ideas came to me over a period of about four or five years. Mainly, they emerged from issues in my own life. My ambition was to present real-world problems - illness, death, abandonment, the crumbling of relationships - in as truthful and realistic a way as possible. I wanted to paint portraits of people struggling with life and circumstance, dealing with such emotions as guilt, sorrow and regret. Ultimately, the stories are about the enduring quality of the human heart.
Most of the stories in the collection were written in an attempt to better understand and clarify my thoughts on given subjects, all of which affected me, either directly or indirectly, over the past decade or so. The settings for the stories were drawn from places I'd seen and come to know, and the plots and characters emerged naturally from the themes that, during those years, had largely dominated my mind.
Most of the stories in the collection were written in an attempt to better understand and clarify my thoughts on given subjects, all of which affected me, either directly or indirectly, over the past decade or so. The settings for the stories were drawn from places I'd seen and come to know, and the plots and characters emerged naturally from the themes that, during those years, had largely dominated my mind.
Billy O'Callaghan
When it comes to writing, I tend to think in terms of themes. Stories grow of their own accord, emerging organically from the things that concern me, the things I tend to think deeply about. Over the past few years quite a bit of my own life has begun to infiltrate the work. In most cases it is indirect, and I can fictionalize it when it happens, but I find that it gives my writing an added depth, maybe a sense of greater authenticity.
Travel never fails to inspire me. I am wide-eyed and hungry for the details of the world. Reading also lights my fire, particularly the touchstone writers, the likes of Hemingway and Steinbeck. Poetry is also an endless fascination.
I work very slowly, at a sentence level, and I find constant inspiration in the flow and rhythms of the language. It usually takes a long time for the story I am trying to tell to fully reveal itself to me, but I have learned patience.
Travel never fails to inspire me. I am wide-eyed and hungry for the details of the world. Reading also lights my fire, particularly the touchstone writers, the likes of Hemingway and Steinbeck. Poetry is also an endless fascination.
I work very slowly, at a sentence level, and I find constant inspiration in the flow and rhythms of the language. It usually takes a long time for the story I am trying to tell to fully reveal itself to me, but I have learned patience.
Billy O'Callaghan
A novel, that's taking forever. Part of the reason is that I keep putting it aside to work on new ideas for stories.
Billy O'Callaghan
Read a lot and write a lot. Every day, without excuse. It's like building muscle. And read widely, read novels, stories, essays, poems, biographies, histories. Broaden your mind. And also, be aware of the world around you. When you are out walking, or on a bus or in a cafe, look around and listen.
Billy O'Callaghan
I don't think anyone will bother even trying to write seriously unless they have a deep passion for books. So to be able to build your own worlds, your own characters, and to make them come to life on the page, is really the fulfillment of a dream. Also, writing forces you to think deeply about life, and it gives you a better understanding of yourself and your place in the world.
Billy O'Callaghan
I write every day, and I find that a solid routine keeps writer's block away. But there have been times when it's taken a bite at me, and when that happens I take a step back and read a book (I find reading poetry particularly helpful because of how deeply it connects me to the language). Another good tip I've learned is to temporarily put aside what you are trying to write and instead write a review of the book you've just read, or your favourite record, or a film you liked (or hated). Anything that helps to get the words flowing again is worth trying.
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