Interview with Keitha Smith

If you haven't read Keitha's blog I highly recommend it. You can check them out here at her site.

What got you started writing?

I always loved English at school. Nothing could be better than being told by a teacher that you could write a story about whatever you wanted. The only trouble was that I never seemed to get as far as “The End” on account of wanting to keep on writing more and more. This may very well have been the first clue that I had a novelist lurking within. Then, in my last year of school, we were given an assignment with a range of options to choose from, including one to write a children’s book. I leaped at this opportunity and ended up writing a 106-page Twist-a-Plot novel set in Auckland, where readers had to search for Grandfather’s gold. I loved everything about that process. From then on I kept starting - and abandoning - novels and short stories until I got more serious and actually finished what I started. I guess you could say writing is a compulsion for me.

I never could finish my stories either when at school.

What challenges did you face when you first started writing?

One of the biggest challenges is not being sure of the quality of one’s own writing. It’s something that even the best-sellers report. It’s a strange roller-coaster of being confident, applying yourself, reviewing your work, doubting yourself, reviewing and revising your work before forging ahead…rinse and repeat. At the outset I also harboured the notion that a person can either write or they can’t, as though writers emerge fully formed with all the necessary skills from the get-go. In fact, although some talent is required, writing is a skill. As such there is much to learn. Once I started learning my craft, things became a lot easier.

Where do you get your ideas?

All the novels I have written to date are in the genre best described as women’s contemporary fiction. In essence, these are character-based stories often set in and around the domestic environment. I have a great interest in people and what makes them tick. I tell stories from multiple points of view and love getting in the heads of my characters to show perspective and explore different angles. So, when I am thinking about starting a new novel, I look for scenarios that will bring a range of characters together for a particular reason and see what happens when I let them loose on one another. I’m also very interested in exploring particular themes. For instance, my novel The Bell Curve is about a family, with concentration on the three key characters of the grandmother, mother and daughter, all at pivotal points in their lives. The story explores the fact that life is like a bell curve with similar experiences on the way ‘up’ as on the way ‘down’ but from completely different viewpoints.

Is there anything about New Zealand that has inspired you to write?

I’m often told that my characters seem so real that they could be the person living next door so in that way, maybe my writing chronicles the lives of quite ordinary people in New Zealand in a way that’s relatable, interesting and hopefully entertaining. My most ‘New Zealand’ story, however, is The Journey, a tale about a group of people who come together to take a two-week walking tour through New Zealand wine country. The travellers meander their way through some great scenery and enjoy great New Zealand food and wine while at the same time getting up to all sorts of adventures on the way. I loved showcasing our great country as a wrote.

How long does it take you to write a book? Do you have any secrets to productivity?

I have quite a busy life outside of writing, and juggle all sorts of responsibilities and commitments, including having a child with special needs. Because of this, my writing has always been a strictly part time endeavour. Bearing this in mind, it probably takes me about a year to write a book. I’m a great believer in planning so probably spend about three months in the planning process, six months turning the plan into reality, and another three months editing and refining. As for secrets to productivity, this all comes down to planning, I think. Having a plan means that when I do get those precious free moments to write, I know exactly where I’m up to, have a fair idea where I’m heading (although occasionally things do change!) and can make the most of every moment without staring into space and wondering what on earth I’m going to write about.

Amen, preaching to the choir about planning.

Do you read your book reviews? How do you handle the good and the bad ones?

I think I have read most of the reviews of my books. In fact, just getting people to review books on sites such as Amazon is a challenge in the first place. Mercifully most of my reviews are wonderful but like all forms of art, writing is subjective. People have such wide-ranging tastes and preferences so you’re never going to be able to please everyone. Not every book is for every person. If you read online reviews for books as famous as Harry Potter you’ll find detractors who find fault contrary to common thinking. It’s something you have to rationalise. Perhaps, at the end of the day, you have to be happy with what you’ve written and just be grateful to be able to give pleasure to those who find happiness within the tales you’ve created.

What is your best experience meeting a fan?

I met a woman once who told me she had been going through a very difficult time and had been unsure how to proceed. She read one of my novels (the aforementioned The Bell Curve)

and she said she could suddenly see what to do. What could be better than helping someone find a way forward in life? This story will always stick with me as being a very precious moment in my writing life.

I'm still waiting for a experience with a fan and I can only hope for half as good of a reaction. Thank you for sharing some of your own story and good luck with your next book.