An Interview With Angela Slatter

The lovely Angela Slatter is yet another of the 9 writers to give us some insight into the mish-mash that was the 24-hour book. 

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1. What made you decide to be involved with the Willow Pattern project?

(a) I was asked!
(b) It was something totally new and intriguing.
(c) It was a great challenge to see if I could pull together a story in such a short time - and there wasn’t really any room to fail.
(d) We were going to see the finished product at the end of 24hrs - which was a treat when normally your book is a year or so in production!

2. Did you have any prior relationship with any of the authors? And was this an additional factor in taking on the challenge?

I’ve known Rjurik Davidson and Chris Currie for a while, but the other authors only by reputation. It was great to know we weren’t suffering alone, and we came together at regular intervals to touch base and make sure we were all on track, so that was a pretty good support system.

3. I've always found that beginning a story with a mystery was very effective, ever since seeing Citizen Kane, and a supernatural detective is even more enticing. Had you decided upon the mystery theme, detective character or any other elements before beginning the 24 hours?

I had decided to use the character of Verity Fassbinder, who I’d used in a previous story, “Brisneyland by Night”, because she was fully formed in my mind, as was her Brisbane - with the super tight deadline I didn’t feel that I would be able to convincingly get my head around a new character. Generally I spend a lot of time with characters in my head before they make it onto the page, so it was useful to use Verity. I also had maybe three plot points in the back of my mind as standbys if my subconscious didn’t play nice when we started.

4. How did your role having the first chapter effect your writing?

You know, I don’t think I thought about it too much - we’d agreed on recurring elements in the story (SLQ, the vase, the librarian), and I just knew I was writing something early in the piece, well before the flood hit. But I wanted to give hints of what was to come, to give a sense of foreboding, a sense that the city wasn’t quite right. That’s the main angle I was thinking about.

5. You have a background in fantasy and there were some fantastical elements in Willow Pattern, your chapter especially with a supernatural theme and establishing the roaming sands. Would you have liked to have seen this fantasy side developed more in your chapter and the book as a whole?

Not really - I think the true value of Willow Pattern is its diversity, each of us telling different stories that are connected at particular points, but have their own life, their own narrative arcs. It’s quite a unique sort of a mosaic, with each story-tile reflecting its author.

6. What were some of the more fantastical ideas that didn't quite make it into the book?

I don’t know! I think all of mine went into the story I told.

7. Last year you also published your novel with Lisa L Hannett, Midnight and Moonshine. How did the collaborations differ between the two projects?

Lisa is my best friend as well as my writing partner and when we write together we’re aiming for a seamless third voice - one that doesn’t sound like Angela or Lisa when we’re writing alone, but that sounds like a voice that could be either of us. That sort of work means a lot of drafts and a lot of editing to smooth things over. Willow Patterns was always a project that allowed the individual voices to remain in place and obviously; the collaboration pretty much amounted to selecting those few recurring elements I’ve mentioned earlier.

8. You reference a few of the other authors' works in your chapter. Was this planned or discussed beforehand? And did I miss some, or are the other women left out?

I actually referenced everyone’s work, either in title or a line from their best known words. I didn’t discuss it, I just liked the idea of putting a little nod to my fellow authors in there, just to make it even more unique.

9. From the data there was quite a gap between 7 and 9pm where it seems like not much took place. Obviously this wasn't the case, can you take us through what happened?

Good God, that’s a year ago! I suspect that was when a dinner break was called and we were all wailing “My God, what have we done?” I think I was probably a slower starter than say either Krissy or Rjurik. It took me a while to hit my stride - and I was also editing as I went, so that when I came to the end I was able to give the editors something that was as clean and solid as it could be.

10. Did you learn anything about your writing or process during the 24 hour book or from looking at the data afterwards?

I learned that I can write a lot really fast and it’s not necessarily all brown and hideous! If anything, I think I’m now a faster writer and don’t worry too much about the first draft being “brain vomit”, because the editing process is the place where you tidy things up. I’d say what I took away from the project was a mantra of “Write fast, edit slow”. It won’t work for everyone, but it does for me.
 

11. Simon Groth has said that for another project to arise the challenge would have to be something new and different, would you be interested in being involved again? And do you have any ideas that may fit the unique criteria?

Mmmm, no. Alas. Unless it’s something like a street reads kind of an event. Or maybe a story scavenger hunt, where you need to follow where the end of one story tells you to go in order to get the next instalment of life fiction writing!

Collabor-bake Remixed

Here we are at attempt number two to bake a cake in 24 minutes. I got linked to a recipe by our very own Kylie Thompson for a cute little cake in a mug (cup-cake, get it?). 
 
Glancing over this recipe made me feel confident that this time I just might ‘do the impossible’ and bake the entire cake, from putting in the ingredients to baking time, in less than 24 minutes. Like my first attempt, I allowed myself to set up all the ingredients like the writers would have set up their writing implements. Once they was all out it was ready, set, go!

First things first I was instructed to crack one egg into a mug. I picked my favourite mug for good luck, and cracked away. When it came to the flour I was only two minutes in and decided this time I would allow the time for sifting to prevent the clumpy mess of my first rushed attempt. Since the mug was so small, however, half of the flour went all over the bench and I realised I should have sifted into a bowl first. Never mind, I don’t mind a bit of mess I just estimated how much more flour would be needed and sifted away into the mug (and onto the bench).

 I couldn’t believe my eyes when at 4 minutes 23 when all of the ingredients were in and mixed. With only 1 ½ - 2 minutes microwave cooking time, I had pretty much already given myself the trophy and started practising my victory speech.  After less than a minute in the microwave the mixture started rising above the tip of the mug. I opened the microwave and made the decision to keep going, risking the avalanche that could occur. I was pleasantly surprised however, that after two minutes the mixture was still all in the mug and after prodding it with a fork I discovered that it had hardened nicely into a successful cake. So with the clock reading 7:15 I had not only done the impossible, but shaved 16 minutes and 45 seconds off of it. 

Just for fun I turned the timer back on and downed the cake by 12 minutes and 20 seconds. I didn’t add the suggested dollop of ice cream on the top before consuming the cake though, because cake is healthy without ice cream… right?

My only problem was that in 7 minutes and 15 seconds I think I might have actually over cooked the cake, as it was a bit stiff. All in all I was proud of my efforts, and very thankful to Kylie for the recipe and thus the assistance in accomplishing my quest. Now the question is, what challenge should I try next?

 

Dear Lyn

A number of our bloggers have been working on responses to The Willow Patterns stories, and some have been posted up already here on the blog. India has written a response to the letter Kat wrote previously from the perspective of Lyn, one of the characters. If you yourself feel like you could write something from the perspective of one of the characters, feel free to engage. That's what Willow Pattern: Remixed is all about.

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Dear Lyn,

My darlin girl – I’m sorry I haven’t been in contact. Your letter found me last Thursday; it arrived crumpled and slightly damp. I wasn’t able to read it for a few days; people are always watching me here. If I could describe what happened to me that day at the library, I would. I wish I could advise you on what to do out there in terms of survival. Something I never thought I would see myself write on a dirty piece of paper. I managed to snatch it off the concrete yesterday in the blowing wind.

I can’t tell you where I am Lyn, as I have no idea myself. A group of us were taken, blind-folded to a location, which smells like tyres, rust, seaweed and coffee. There aren’t any spiders here, but I have this feeling that we are the last ones left. I spend most of my time in a small concrete room with a roller door – a single door carport I suppose. I am with three other people. I was originally in here with four, and one day they asked this bloke named Andrew, a banker, to go with them and he never returned.

The other two blokes are from talk back radio. Brightman and the Ferrett are their names. They argue about the squalor, their constant bickering is driving me insane. One of them (I can’t tell who) constantly wishes for a cup of coffee. It’s unbelievable isn’t it Lyn? 
One wish and he asks for coffee? I wish I could see you darlin, and explain that my eyes never meant to wander from you that day at the library. One minute I was watching you squiggle down notes with a crayon and the next, you were gone. I met a nice lady, with blonde hair and a ponytail who tried to keep me calm. She worked at the library, she seemed to know her way around well enough, but seemed so full of fear. I think there was something she wasn’t telling me. It became black; we had to evacuate the building. I was screaming out your name. Even though Dave is a dropkick, I was grateful that someone was with you. I knew you would be calm if you had people around, someone to talk to. I never anticipated the spiders. Come to think of that, in the evenings when we’re sent to our concrete room, a burning smell wafts from under the roller door. It’s gotten stronger every night. Thicker. Blacker.

I can’t seem to process any of this, not even the grief for Ryn, It all feels too unnatural, too much like a bad dream. I’ll wake up at any moment in a soft leather chair at the library with drool down my face and everyone will be just as they were, reading. I knew that taking you to Bunning’s was a good thing. You complained so much, but I knew that some of the things that I explained to you when walking around the place would some day make sense. And as for Dave, well I suppose I never had a good feeling for the guy. There was something always off.
He always had a shifty look in his eye, like he was never really telling you a whole story.

The way you talk about the screaming trees makes me wonder where I am and how far away I am from you. On paper you seem to be right here, in my heart and in my head. But I have no idea where I am or how long it’s been since the flood. I guess we were counting and then we got bored of tallying our survival. It seemed like a point system. I can’t say that I’ve ever had to tally the days of my life before. I always thought I would at least have you around.

If you get this letter, know that you are safe for the moment. If I hear a reply from you, it means I have more freedom than I thought and I will immediately start plotting an escape and get to you, somehow.

Stay strong Lyn,

Dad 

Ryan 3. Why Write?

Why do we write? Is it for the same reasons we read? To escape, to conquer, to create? It’s a big question that I’ve been struggling to answer in just 500 words. Unlike the authors of Willow Pattern fighting for 5000, 500 words in response to existential inquiries is a feat I would rather leave to Borges.

What makes someone want to express themselves and their sense of life; especially in view of such constraints as only 12 hours, with prescribed setting and topoi, in the face of an attentive audience, on just a first draft? An overwhelming proposition for some that recalls nightmares of showing up to class for a presentation in your underwear. Yet there are many others who couldn’t be more eager. Because why not write?

The prospect of having your first draft, a fast one at that, not only published but publicised is not recommended for those with a weak stomach. I have found some old first drafts waiting to be dusted in the bottom of drawers before and I couldn’t stand them, let alone having others read them. From the interviews below we can see that both Nick Earls and Krissy Kneen can relate.

Two weeks ago, on the post Alone Together, Des spoke of her admiration for sharing your work with others even if they aren’t so well written, and the importance of the relationship between the writer and reader. It is this interconnectedness she speaks of that I believe is why we write. Not only to express ourselves and create something eternal and separate from us, but to have it lead a full life of its own by touching others’ lives.

Jean-Paul Sartre (2001, 28) says we produce a work of art in order to reveal something to the readers, but that you cannot be the producer and the receiver. When you write you transmit your history, your philosophy, your love; you cannot receive these back from yourself. In writing you are less conscious of the object than the action. It is for this reason that most writers have such trouble regarding their own work. In reading, one predicts, one waits; without this waiting, without ignorance of the future, there can be no objectivity.

This is why the writer-reader relationship is so important, the writer entrusts the work to another, appealing to their freedom to collaborate and to “lead into objective existence the revelation” undertaken (Sartre 2001, 33). There is, at the heart of the work, a demand for freedom; freedom on the part of the writer in creating a vision of the world as perceived through a window, in which not all is seen but sensed; and an appeal for the freedom of the reader to recover this world, interpret and understand the world.

For the work is never limited by what is written, this is just a guide in the readers’ directed creation. You can’t have one without the other. The act is a generous gift, and the reception of the work is the ultimate gratitude.

500 exactly right there and it’s all thanks to Sartre. Before him I hadn’t realised how much freedom had been a part of my writing but it has always been not only a resolution of mine but an imperative, as well as my worst fear in losing it.

After deliberating on it for so long I would love to hear why it is you write. Is it for the same reasons that you read? Is it for freedom, to connect, to feel essential in your relationship to the world?

Sartre, Jean-Paul. 2001. What is Literature? London: Routledge.

India 3. Stet

Stet is a word used for correcting proofs in editing that translates to leave as printed or let it stand. It basically instructs a writer to disregard a change the editor or proofreader had previously marked. This is what I’m currently studying in a unit this semester called Corporate Writing and Editing. It isn’t news that perfect grammar and punctuation elude most of us, even writers, and I’ve been mulling over this ever since we received the stats behind the Willow Pattern project from Simon Groth. Each writer’s process within that 24-hour span is somewhat transparent, which allows us to examine peak periods of performance down to the amount of times they hit delete.

Editing is new to me. In fact, I think it’s new to a lot of students that are taking the unit this semester and it was evident in our latest examination. Although the lecturer and unit coordinator insists that the exam wasn’t difficult, a fellow student decided to do the math: The average mark was 49.21% and 48% (68/142 people) failed. Stephen King mentions in On Writing (2000) that when you write a book, you spend day after day scanning and identifying the trees. When you’re done, you have to step back and look at the forest. However, the nine writers who contributed their work to Willow Pattern didn’t have the luxury of time. Editing differs from each writer; there is not one approach to suit everyone’s work. I wonder how much time the writers allocated for proofreading in this 24-hour period? And if they held firm to that allocated time? Is it more important to have a good story, which isn’t perfectly edited or is it more important to have a less intriguing story proofread and ready for print?

When our results were released from our exam, I wondered how many writers like the art of proofreading and editing. And I don’t just mean the act of killing your darlings, I mean proofreading every line for grammatical errors. Does it take the beauty out of the craft? Does it bruise the creative concept? When you write, are you always aware of your sentence structure, punctuations and grammar? Does it affect the readability? Authorial voices sound fantastic when they are in our imaginations, but become something else when read in print. I wonder if these writers have some similar insecurity about proofing their work. How often they get it right? Or wrong? Do they accept the challenge of proofreading with confidence or do they ask for professional help? I have so many questions about editing and I’m sure every writer I ask will give me a different answer.

It’s a fascinating thought to deliberate as a writer, that we can produce roughly 5000 words within 24 hours, which is seamless of errors. How do you rate yourself when it comes to grammar and punctuation? And have you thought about how much time you spend editing a work vs. how long it took you to write it?

Maddy 3. The Looming Deadline

So for the last 8 weeks or so our heads have been wrapped around this topic of data which has come from the Willow Pattern book. The data I speak of has come from if:book Australia and shows a quantified result of the authors’ hard work. Kirsty Norris has been able to do separate graphs for us to see, which showcases each of the authors workflow over the 24 hour period, the time actually spent writing and editing and the number of revisions both writing and editing that each author experienced. The fact that the data has been put in graphs does make it that little bit easier to understand this process of working within a 24 hour time frame and is more visual now as to what the authors went through, what occurred in the 24 hours, and so on. We have looked at data which shows the 30 most used words within the book as well.

It is really nice to know that the data is now in graphs or documents because it is something we have found very hard to wrap our heads around when it comes to discussing our end of semester project. We basically have 3 weeks now to decide how we will represent the data in a physical form that will also prove entertaining and worthwhile for our audience. It is something that is causing us great thought and, I’ll admit, a lot of confusion. There was a lot of work to be done over that 24 hour time frame for both the authors and editors to get this book written, edited and published. It probably caused a huge lack of sleep for all involved and continuous pressure to meet the deadline.

I’ve wondered what working straight for 24 hours will do to your body. I certainly have never set myself a challenge to finish work within a 24 hour time period; although I know of many students who have. I myself cannot physically do it; no amount of coffee, chocolate, or lollies will keep me awake for that large time period, especially when it involves continuous brainwork abilities. I almost admire students who have been able to do that, as I think after 8 hours of continuous work I would have a mental breakdown. I know working throughout a 24 period is not something the authors would do every day, perhaps maybe only on a weekly or monthly basis however I am interested to know what was going on in their bodies during the period of writing their chapters for Willow Pattern, and if they had any problems with tiredness, stress, or concentration etc. It was interesting to find out that one of the authors, Christopher Currie, has set himself a project similar to this before. His individual project a couple of years ago required him to write a new short story everyday for a year from March 08 to March 09. This was published on his blog ‘Furious Horses’. He explained that there were limitations just like Willow Pattern he had to deal with and he was also set challenges. So it seems deadlines like these are definitely no new story to authors?

Korkki, P (2013) says Mr. Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioural economics at Duke University states that ‘Workers who fail to meet deadlines risk the disapproval — and sometimes the wrath — of their managers and colleagues’. It is thought that people respond well to deadlines because meeting them provides a distinct feeling of having achieved something within a time frame. Mr. Ariely said it is possible to motivate yourself, by announcing a deadline to others — perhaps on Facebook or on Twitter. Not meeting the deadline would then feel like breaking a promise.

Willow Pattern provided just that, with if:book Australia posting the authors’ work online and presenting it as data throughout the period. People, followers, fans, whoever they may be, commented on some authors posts with ideas and words of advice and encouragement. Therefore, Willow Pattern became a publicised project and was open for the public to see. The authors had people to answer to and to work for so the looming deadline was something to take very seriously. Perhaps though, authors like the rush and are not fazed by the deadlines. As Professor Ariely said, it is a feeling of achievement to get something done by a proposed deadline, and announcing projects to the outer public gives even more reason to finish a deadline.

Can anyone share with me their individual experience in dealing with deadlines? And how did your body cope?

On another note, check out Kirty’s blog this week explaining her experience making a cake in 24 minutes. We are brainstorming for our final project for the semester and how to represent the data. The experiment of making a cake within 24 minutes was an attempt to creatively use the prospect of having to finish something within a looming deadline, something that would seem almost impossible!

Kirsty 3. Collabor-bake

In my last blog entry I posed a challenge to readers to ‘help me do the impossible’ by suggesting recipes for baking a cake in 24 minutes. A recipe was given and I rose to the challenge with enthusiasm and optimism, and the results were, well, you can see for yourself.

I decided I would be allowed to start with all of the ingredients on the bench, because the writers were able to start with their laptops/writing implements out for the 24-hour book. I sat all my ingredients on the bench but didn’t measure them, that bit was left to crunch time. I had a quick skim over the recipe but didn’t familiar myself with it too much, as the writers came in with vague ideas but had no solid idea of what they’d be creating until they were writing it.

Go time. I started the timer and began racing around trying to measure ingredients as quickly as possible. Being rushed meant making silly mistakes and spilling things, but in terms of putting the ingredients in the bowl, so far so good. I decided in order to save time I would just throw the flour straight in the mixing bowl rather than sifting, but cutting that particular corner didn’t garner the best results. My house mate was in the lounge room yelling out to me “You should always sift, Kirsty, always sift!” and she was right. The mixture was lumpy and I didn’t have the time to get the lumps out. Here’s a picture of how it looked after I poured the ingredients into the pan.

"You always sift, Kirsty, always sift!"

At this point there was only 12 minutes left on the clock, and I was only just putting the mixture in the oven. I knew at this point there was no way the cake would bake in time. Although the recipe was called a ’30 minute cake’ that meant allowing for 30 minutes total baking time, not factoring in the time to measure and mix all of the ingredients. Just like the Willow Pattern team had to fit not only the writing and editing in the 24-hour period, but the planning, idea creation and collaboration as well (not to mention time to down a few wines!)

The 12 minutes elapsed and the beeping of my stopwatch called time. I took the pan out of the oven and voila! Bon appetite? Anyone?

Safe to say my first attempt at a 24-minute cake was not a bakers dream. Even my 8-year old little brother didn’t want a piece of it, proving just how hard it was to do something that requires more time, in a limited time frame. This got me thinking about how the Willow Pattern team managed to pull off something so quickly, that didn’t appear rushed or of lesser quality. Then it hit me, team.

Although this particular cake was never going to work within the time frame, given the 30-minute cooking time, I started to think that if I were to attempt this challenge again, I’d need a team. Having collaboration on this would have meant having someone to carefully sift the flour while I was preparing the additional ingredients, to avoid the bad quality induced by my rushing. In his book Group Genius, Keith Sawyer states, “collaboration is the key to forming and implementing creative ideas”. Sawyer discusses the importance of collaboration to creative endeavors such as theatre and music and also its importance in the business sector. Ultimately, his research proves countless instances where collaboration has been the direct root for success in many forums.

So, if anyone else wants to shoot me a recipe for a 24-minute cake, I’ll try again with a team to see if my results will be any better (and tastier!).