Rachel Lawrence
- From somewhere in a fiber optic line 23-year-old Rachel Lawrence, author of “Faded Wallpaper,” sits down at a
computer a continent away from Lit Chaos Online operating for the moment in Thailand and chats about herself, the
craft of writing, and her future plans with a starving RMC. Look forward to hearing about her interest in realism,
character-focused plots, and trapeze artists.
Ralph-Michael Chiaia: where are you? London?
Rachel Lawrence: I am in Salisbury, U.K. where Stonehenge is.
RMC: Better history than Salisbury Steak TV dinners
RL: yes. slightly
RMC: so why don't you tell me about your background a bit
RL: I was born in a small rural village, and grew up in a beautiful thatched cottage, which i still dream about most nights.
RMC: what's the name of the village?
RL: Hamptworth
RMC: when did you leave?
RL: My parents got divorced when I was 16, but we all live within a few miles of each other
RL: and only a couple of miles from Hamptworth
RMC: 16, that's a strange age for parents to get divorced. Most seem to divorce younger.
RL: I am the youngest of 4 kids. I think they were waiting for me to grow up.
RMC: That's either very nice of them or pure torture.
RL: Probably both
RMC: why don't we talk about writing a bit — what are you reading right now?
RL: I am about to start reading Lady Chatterly's Lover. But it remains ominously unopened upon my bedside table.
RMC: What do you do now? Are you a student?
RL: Yes. I am doing a correspondence course with the Writer's Bureau.
RMC: How is it?
RL: It has no time limit to when the assignment are due, so I am a bit lazy about it
RMC: Is that to earn a degree?
RL: No. its more of a vocational course
- RMC: Who are your favorite authors, that is, if you could bring three books with you to the grave, or three authors,
who would they be and why
RL: My favorite book is Room at the Top, by John Braine. I love his simplistic and considered writing style. And the
realism he has to his work.
RL: I also like John Irving, for all the opposite reasons, I guess.
RMC: Do you consider your own work to be realism, or part of any other genre?
RL: I go for realism. I have to remind myself that there has to be story worth telling, and not just an account of
someone's day.
RMC: I know what you mean.
RMC: So who is the third author?
RMC: also I forgot to tell you, if you would like to say something "off the record" just put it in parenthesis
RL: what is parenthesis?
RMC: these: ( )
RMC: what do you call them?
RL: brackets
RMC: brackets?
RL: yes. lol
RMC: very funny
RMC: 3rd favorite author
RL: I don't know who my third author would be. I'm trying to remember the last book I actually enjoyed reading. My
Nana left me all her books when she died, so I have become a Jilly Cooper fan.
RMC: I don't know who Jilly Cooper is. What do you like about her work?
RL: It's entertainment.
RMC: Romance? Drama? Surrealism? What kind? I am ignorant
RL: Romance and drama. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but that doesn't mean it's not good.
RMC: usually work that doesn't is quite good, I find.
RMC: who are your writing influences?
RL: John Braine mostly. When I am having trouble being objectionable about my own work, I read a page of his work
and — I don't have many influences. I have been writing since I was very young but never read a novel until I was
about eleven.
RMC: How old were you when you started writing?
RL: My poetry got in the school book when I was about nine.
RMC: This leads my to my next question: do you think you need to read to be a good writer?
RL: I think so. I read pretty much every night. It doesn't matter what you read, but I really think its important to be
clear about what you like and what you don’t like.
RMC: Do you ever think that reading interferes with you finding and developing your own unique voice?
RL: Possibly, but I think it can only help you as a writer to learn from what others have done and then try to do it in
your own way.
RMC: How far in your development as a writer do you feel you are? And, what new work is coming out? Or would
you like to get out there?
RL: I started working on a novel when I was at college, just for the fun of it, but doing such a long piece of work has
really helped me develop as a writer.
RMC: Have you finished it?
RL: I look back at the first pages and wonder how I could write it.
RL: The first draft is done and I am doing re-writes at the moment.
RMC: Do you have a publisher? And what is the name of it?
RL: No. I haven't approached anyone yet. I have been working on it for several years and want it to be perfect —
which seems impossible right now.
RL: I don't have a title for it yet. I always have trouble coming up with titles.
RMC: Titles can be tough, what other things do you struggle with while writing?
RL: Plot lines for short stories are hard, because you have so little time to get so much across.
RMC: Do you like flash fiction — they always impress me with how compressed stories can be when they are well-
conceived.
RL: They can be very ingenious, but I like to get emotionally involved with the characters I am reading about.
RMC: What part of your stories do you think about the most?
RL: I work on the language of the story the most, because I love manipulating words to make an old story sound
interesting again.
RMC: What would you like your body of work to say to people? What's the message? What's it all mean? I don't mean it
as serious as it sounds, really.
RL: The work I am the most proud of is the work I wrote for myself when I have felt down or hurt. It's a selfish kind
of writing and it has no message except for myself, and perhaps the person I am writing about.
RMC: What are your goals for your writing? Do you wish to be a full-time writer or do you want to do other things as
well?
RL: Some people find it easy to write, and say that their books write themselves. But it's always painstaking work for
me. As much as I want to be a full-time writer, I don't know if I have the stamina.
RMC: That's very funny — the discipline and stamina may be the hardest part for many writers
RL: However, I don't know what I could possibly do instead!
RMC: maybe you could go into politics, professional sports, or join the circus?
RL: I think I’m too old. Sounds good though.
RMC: Can you juggle?
RL: No. I would be a trapeze artist.
RMC: Got it, but aren't you to tall for that?
RL: I’m only 5 ft. 2.
RMC: Really, you look very tall in your website photo
RL: It's the red shorts and the pose.
RMC: Maybe you can moonlight as a model or photographer on the side of your writing career!
RL: I did take that photo myself actually...
RMC: it's a very nice photo — however, I don't want to encourage you to give up writing since I enjoy your work so
much.
RL: Thanks. That makes the year worthwhile.
RMC: Glad to help, but don't empower other people too much. Being a writer is a tough job. I think writers have to be
their own biggest fans or else they will not stay balanced.
RL: If I didn't think I was up to it, then I wouldn't do it. But a writer is often their own harshest critic. And should be.
How much longer will this go on for?
RMC: I didn't know this would take so long, you're my first Lit Chaos interview
RL: You’re my first interview too. We are interview virgins.
RMC: Thanks for doing this — hope there was no bloodletting.
RL: no its fine.
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