Scottish writer Gillian Philip is known for Bad Faith (Strident), a murder mystery set in a dystopian Scotland ruled by the autocratic One Church and Crossing The Line (Bloomsbury), a novel set around a fatal stabbing and its aftermath. Darke Academy is to be published soon by Hodder.
How much research and plotting do you do before you're ready to write a book?
I don't exactly hate research, but I dread it! At the beginning of a novel I do enough to get me into the mood. For instance, the latest Darke Academy installment is set in Istanbul, so I've been reading up on the city to try to soak up the atmosphere. I'll get into details of streets and landmarks later, but for now I only want the feel of the place so that my characters can settle in. It's not about the city, it's about the characters.
Plotting... I start with my characters and I can see roughly where they are going to end up, but not how they'll get there. I'll get them moving and interacting, and throw problems and crises at them, and gradually these people will come alive and start to move the story along all by themselves. That's what makes writing fun. I'd hate to know exactly where I was going and how – there wouldn't be any suspense or excitement in the writing.
What hours do you devote to your writing and what time of day do you prefer to write?
I do most of my writing in the morning, after I've taken my twins to school and been to the gym. When I first sit down I'm easily distracted by emails and Facebook. I break for the school run in mid-afternoon, followed by taking my twins to their various activities – but in the evening, if it's going well, I like to get back to writing. If it's going really, really well, I'll go on till one or two in the morning. But that's rare.
Do you take breaks, and if so, what do you do during them?
All the time, unless I'm in that wonderful 'zone' where the words are just pouring out (in which case I can write solidly for ten hours). But usually, when it's the regular business of wrenching the words out, I'll take any excuse for a break. I drink far too much coffee, just so I can stand up and put the kettle on. I check emails and Facebook. I go and play fetch with the dog, or stare at the weather in search of inspiration. If I'm completely, totally stuck, I'll even go and tidy the children's rooms.
Where do you write?
I have my own study, which is very peaceful and overlooks the valley below our house, but quite often I tend to sit at the kitchen table – it's warmer there, and the kettle is in easy reach. But I do get on much faster if I go to my study. I like it in there – no phone line either! – and I should use it more often.
What do you write with?
Mostly my trusty laptop Elsie. I take her everywhere, even on holidays. But I keep notebooks too – cheap narrow-ruled pads that slot into a hard plastic folder – I buy stacks of them at a small stationer in Barbados, because I can never get exactly the right thing in Scotland. I'm terribly precious about them. I'm also sad and obsessive about my pens – they have to be fine point black fibre tips. I can't write with a biro.
Describe what you like to keep within arm's reach while you're writing.
Those longhand notebooks – I can always refer to them for an idea if I get stuck. A mug of coffee and a bottle of fizzy water. A jumper or a cardie for when I've been sitting too long and start to freeze. And similarly, my black cat who likes to lie on the back of my neck. That's nice and toasty.
Describe the things you can see when you look up from your writing.
Beyond the windows – trees, the valley, the garden, the weather, the sky. Indoors – an absolute mess, whether I'm in my study or the kitchen. If I desperately want a distraction, it means I can plunge straight into tidying up, or some chore that doesn't engage the brain. Actually, that can really help get the ideas flowing again.
What was the first thing you wrote which was published?
A short story for the People's Friend, a very popular story magazine. I was paid £40 and I remember being over the moon, and having to call my husband at work straight away. Suddenly I felt almost like a real writer.
What is your latest book?
I'm writing the second of a two-book deal for Bloomsbury. It's another gritty urban story, but because I'm not quite finished it I can't describe it in too much detail or it will evaporate. The working title is Winter Jinx.
Gillian Philip was born in Glasgow, has lived in Aberdeen and Barbados, and now lives between Elgin and Dallas (Scotland, not Texas). Find out more from her website.
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