The novel she wrote for no one

I have just finished reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans which won this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction. It is a beautifully moving novel written through letters and emails with the 73 year old Sybil Van Antwerp at the heart of it. It made me reflect deeply on what it means to age - particularly pertinent right now as I deal with caring needs for an elderly parent. The story also made me wonder, by the time I have moved through the sandwich generation years, and find more space for myself, will I be needing more care and support? But what the novel also made me think is what a rich and satisfying life could be had in the twilight years. Sybil’s letters carry painful truths, suffering, grief, regrets but also reveal that life can be diverse and fulfilling as we age.

As with many books which have really moved me, I wanted to find out more about the author and her process of writing. Virginia Evans had written seven novels which were not published before this one was accepted. That is a lot of writing! She has said that she encountered thousands of rejections and I find the resilience it must have taken to keep going pretty staggering. But when she started her eighth novel, she didn’t focus on publication or wondering what her agent would think. She wrote it for herself. And this gave her the courage to write it honestly. She called it her ‘palate cleanser.’

Not only was I fascinated by her perseverance, but I wondered how she had begun it. Did she start with plot or character - one of the oldest divides in fiction craft? I learnt that Evans' starting point did not fall neatly in either camp. She began with neither plot nor character, but with a feeling, and a form she loved. (She was inspired to use the letter format by the book 84 Charing Cross Road.) The character came from a question she asked about that form. The plot came from the character once Sybil existed on the page.

I think it’s worth remembering that there isn't one correct way to write your way into your novel. We may start with an event, a character, a question. There are endless ways novels are born. What matters more is whether, at some point, you let the two questions meet: what does this person want, and what will the story make her pay for it?

The character of Sybil spent so much of her life putting things into words, sifting through events, emotions and experiences one letter at a time. I think that's part of the reason the book has remained with me, caught as I am between managing care needs for my father and trying to eke out some time for my own writing. Thinking about what I actually want, and what I'm willing to give up for it, doesn't feel like something that stops once life gets full. If anything, it just gets harder to hear.

If you're feeling stuck with what you've already written, if you’re caught between plot events, character motivations, and finding time to write, I'd love to help you see it all clearly. I offer a free 30 minute clarity call, no obligation, just a conversation about your story and where you are with it. You can book a time here.

With warm wishes,

Hannah