Writer Unboxed

We are pleased to announce that award-winning YA novelist Sophie Masson is joining WU as a contributor. Prolific author of bestselling novels, Sophie’s blend of fantasy, history and lyrical prose have captured the imaginations of readers worldwide. We can’t wait to read her perspectives, struggles, and inspirations in the crazy business of writing fiction.

And so, with no further ado, meet Sophie Masson.

Q: Tell us about your journey to writing novels.

Sophie: I’ve always been writing–used to write poetry and short stories and write and illustrate my own comics as a child. I come from a family of storytellers–both my parents used to tell us lots of stories–Mum mostly family stuff, Dad lots of ghost stories, folktales, fairy stories as well. He used to read plays out to us as well, and tell us the stories of operas he loved, like Carmen and Faust.

Because we traveled a lot, there was also lots of time to tell us stories, and as the eldest of the five kids resident in Australia (my two older sisters were in France in boarding-school), I was also expected to take my share of entertaining the other kids…sometimes at the drop of a hat. Mum and Dad wouldn’t let us have TV in the house, so we also read a lot. (They used to take us to films quite often in the holidays though). I made up plays in which my brothers and sisters had to act, often under protest! We would put them on for my parents.

At school I took to English really easily (I was without English when I first went to school–we’d just arrived from France) and read heaps in English and wrote my own stories. But for a long time, I thought I’d be an actor, ‘cos I loved drama too and acted a lot in and out of school. (Drama is a great training for a writer too, including learning how to speak in public). But I lost interest in that as a career round about the age of 16, and concentrated exclusively on writing. I started my first novel at that age, a huge ambitious fantasy novel which was to include as many world myths as I could–I’ve still got its beginning in two big exercise books, but I never finished it, couldn’t think how! After I left school I sent out short stories and articles, and started to get them accepted. I continued trying to write novels, and finished two more, which I sent around but didn’t get anywhere. It was only my fourth attempt that got anywhere–and after that I was set! My first published novel, the House in the Rainforest, was an adult novel, a realistic drama set in the magnificent rainforest district of northern New South Wales. It was followed in the same year by my first children’s novel, Fire in the Sky, a time-slip novel set partly in modern country Australia and partly in medieval France. After that, I didn’t look back!

Q: Can you describe your work to us? What draws you in fiction, and what sorts of characters do you like to write the best?

Sophie: I write all kinds of things–I have a low threshold of boredom and love to try out all different genres. But what I aim for is a gripping read that will grab a reader around the heart and not let them go. something with a strong atmosphere and setting, vivid, lively and believable characters, intriguing plot. I leave it to my readers to say whether I succeed or not! I like writing all kinds of characters too, exploring different motivations and backgrounds. In my reading I love mystery and suspense and an intriguing sense of the unusual, so that’s what I try to create in my writing too.

Q: What’s your writing process? (we have an ongoing debate between plotters and “fly in the mist-ers”)

Sophie: I am not a plotter, not really: I write to find out what happens! I usually start off with a fairly good idea of the basic trajectory of the plot, for which I might make notes. If I’m writing something in which there’s a central mystery of some sort to be revealed (as I often do), I know what that mystery is and who’s behind it from the start but not the details of it or how to get there–for that, I have to trust my story as it develops. I have an instinctive feel for how that works, I can’t really explain it, but things always seem to fall into place. When I start I usually have a basic story outline, some characters(though not all) and setting. Then I build from that, as I write.

Q: What are your favorite books and why?

Sophie: My favourites of my books–difficult to say, because I really do love them all, and am not ashamed or frustrated about any of them. But I guess my particular favourites right now are Malvolio’s Revenge (2006); Forest of Dreams trilogy, especially Lady of the Flowers (2001); Snow, Fire, Sword (2004, 2006); Clementine (1999); The Tyrant’s Nephew (2006); Sooner or Later (1991), The Case of the Diamond Shadow (forthcoming). But really, I love them all–I have had more than 40 novels published! [Check out Sophie's impressive backlist HERE]

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Sophie: My advice is–read as much as you can, of all sorts of things. Not just fiction, but plays, poetry, non-fiction too. Myths, legends, fairytales as well. Furnish your mind richly with good books, interesting ideas, lots of possibilities. Live life too–experience it, don’t just observe it. Don’t be too self-conscious about your style, or your voice–it comes out naturally, you have to allow it to bubble up. Trust your story and your characters–don’t preach, don’t turn them into puppets. Hold tightly to your dream but don’t be unrealistic–accept criticism, if it’s constructive, and suggestions. Be open to the mystery and glory and magic of the world and human beings. It will stand you in good stead even if you’re creating supernatural beings and fantasy settings! And take notice of your dreams. They can be a great source of story beginnings(I have a ”Story Starter”–free– on the terrific Write Away website, on this subject, for anyone who’s interested– http://www.writeaway.org.uk/ go to Story Starter button on left, go to my name).

Thank you, Sophie! And welcome, from all of us at Writer Unboxed.

Sophie’s first post for WU goes live Jan. 16. 

Kathleen Bolton is co-founder of Writer Unboxed. She has written two novels under the pseudonym Cassidy Calloway: Confessions of a First Daughter, and Secrets of a First Daughter--both books in a YA series about the misadventures of the U.S. President's teen-aged daughter, published by HarperCollins.

Kathleen Bolton

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