The Book Diner usually features fiction writers and the occasional poet, but today I’m proud to introduce a journalist, blogger and a former academic (like myself), Rae Ritchie. Rae writes fascinatingly about a wide variety of subjects, such as mental health, gender and fashion. We met online and have become firm friends due to our many shared interests, such as feminism and New York City, as you’ll see from the interview below!
Welcome to the Book Diner! Can we take your order – coffee, tea or soda? Eggs sunny side up or over easy? Home fries, French toast or biscuit?
Decaff filter coffee please, with a warm croissant and lots of real butter. [I love croissants too, mmm.]
When did you realise you were a writer?
Recently, I did an online beginners Spanish course and I had to state my occupation. With my limited vocabulary, ‘writer’ seemed like the easiest shorthand, but then I realised that it is also the most accurate term. The task I spend the most time on is writing and this has been the case throughout my life, whether as a historian, a student or a school pupil. I’ve always loved writing, but it is only in retrospect that I see it was one of the defining themes of my life so far.
Are there particular symptoms you think people should look out for if they suspect they may be coming down with Writer Syndrome and do you think there is any cure?
I’ve yet to find a cure if there is one! My reoccurring symptom is an unshakeable need to get words out of me and onto the page or the screen. It’s like a compulsion, something I can no sooner resist as I can breathing or blinking.
My reoccurring symptom is an unshakeable need to get words out of me and onto the page or the screen. It’s like a compulsion, something I can no sooner resist as I can breathing or blinking.
What kind of writing process do you have? Are you very disciplined in terms of having a set work routine and doing a lot of planning, or are you more of a pantster? (You fly by the seat of them – Zinkologism.)
I wouldn’t describe myself as disciplined, but I do like to have a routine. Typically, I write in the mornings as that’s when I am at my best and I usually set a goal, whether a certain number of words or getting to a particular point in the piece. That said, I like to be flexible and responsive. Yesterday, for instance, I produced one piece in the morning and then a time-sensitive one in the afternoon – the muse was definitely flowing through me! Today, though, I’m taking things a bit easier and giving my brain a bit of rest by catching up on admin and fun tasks such as this interview.
Do you write longhand or on a computer or both? Do you believe that writing method makes a difference to style?
Both. I brainstorm ideas and plot out the overall shape and structure in my Moleskine before turning to the keyboard. I think the freedom to scrawl on paper allows your mind to think in different ways and to make new connections; if I’m ever feeling a bit stuck on a passage, then I’ll go back to pen and paper to see if I can figure out where to go next. It usually works!
How do you approach research?
My time as a historian taught me a lot of research skills that have definitely been useful for writing more generally, although I have to remember that most of my work now does not require footnotes and extensive referencing! I like to begin by mapping out my ideas and the overall shape of the piece, before looking at which areas need researching. Then I turn to the internet and my bookshelves to fill in the gaps. One of the things I relish most about the writing process is that moment when you uncover something in your research that makes you rethink where you are going with your writing or makes you develop your argument differently. I always have a little panic initially at the challenge, but have learnt to trust that this extra push is what transforms a piece from good to great. As writers, we have to be lifelong learners too.
One of the things I relish most about the writing process is that moment when you uncover something in your research that makes you rethink where you are going with your writing or makes you develop your argument differently. I always have a little panic initially at the challenge, but have learnt to trust that this extra push is what transforms a piece from good to great. As writers, we have to be lifelong learners too.
How do you deal with autobiographical elements in your work? Do you worry about offending people or baring your soul too much?
Much of my writing lately has been about my mental health struggles. I’ve also shared about my battle with alcohol. In both cases, the compulsion to share what I’m experiencing or what I’ve learnt has totally overridden others concerns around privacy or vulnerability. That’s not to say that baring your soul is easy, but I’ve always found it to be worth the risk. My biggest concern when writing autobiographically is protecting the identity of other people in my life who maybe wouldn’t wish for so much to be laid bare. That is a more difficult path to negotiate!
Much of my writing lately has been about my mental health struggles. I’ve also shared about my battle with alcohol. In both cases, the compulsion to share what I’m experiencing or what I’ve learnt has totally overridden others concerns around privacy or vulnerability. That’s not to say that baring your soul is easy, but I’ve always found it to be worth the risk.
Name one book you wish you had written and explain why it’s fabulous.
Erica Jong’s Fear of Flying. [One of my faves too! I fell in love with it as a teen!] Considered by some (myself included) to be a feminist classic, it comes in for a lot of lampooning too. I get so frustrated when I read references to it or see book covers that focus purely on the sexual content as there is so much more to the book than that. It’s about a woman’s journey of self-discovery, not just ‘the zipless fuck’ (a term Jong coined in the novel). I wish I had written it because Jong creates such a complex protagonist. Isadora isn’t the perfect heroine. She is a flesh and blood woman, nuanced and flawed, with quirks and annoying traits. There are times when you want to shake her and other moments when you’re cheering her on. I think as a culture we still have an expectation that women characters (or indeed women in public life) should be likeable in a way that we don’t expect of men (nobody demands that Donald Trump is likeable as they did Hillary Clinton). I love Jong for challenging that while still engaging us in Isadora’s story.
What advice would you offer to writers just starting out?
It’s corny and clichéd, but believe in yourself. If you don’t think you can write then why will anyone else think so?
It’s corny and clichéd, but believe in yourself. If you don’t think you can write then why will anyone else think so?
What would you say are the toughest things and the best things about being a writer?
Easy! Best thing: the freedom to create. Toughest: earning a living.
How do you handle the rejections and bad reviews all writers experience?
It depends on what kind of day I’m having! If I’m in a good place, then I ask myself constructive questions, such as ‘Are there faults in the piece that I could improve? Did I submit it to a suitable publication/website?’ If it’s a bad day, then I’ll cry and convince myself I’m useless at everything in life or I’ll claim that the editors are clearly idiots. I read somewhere that a useful trick is to allow yourself to sulk for twenty-four hours, then, after that, move on. It’s a handy tip that I try to implement! I would also add that the worst rejections are the silent ones, where you send in a piece and simply hear nothing. [Oh, yes, absolutely! Ouch!] I know some places must be overwhelmed with submissions, but a cut-and-paste, ‘Thanks for the email, but it’s not for us’ reply would be more professional than no acknowledgement at all. Alas, for me, it is these silent rejections that rankle more than any other! [And for many of us!]
How do you deal with the Inner Critic who likes to tell us our work is worthless?
I feed her. Like a toddler, distraction works wonders.
Who has offered you the most encouragement and support in terms of your writing career?
My GCSE English teacher, Rosina Carbone. She wrote in my school leaver’s book that one day she hoped to be teaching her pupils about a poet called Rachel Ritchie. I was so thrilled when I read that and her words have stayed with me ever since. I recently connected with her via Twitter and it was really heart-warming to tell her what a difference that one sentence made to me. I don’t write poetry anymore … maybe I should take it back up! [Definitely! My school English teachers, Sally Thomas and Bryan Ricketts, were life-savers and allowed me to become Young Poet of the Year at seventeen!]
If you could write anywhere in the world for a while, where would you head?
New York City. A hackneyed choice perhaps, but that’s most definitely where I would go. When Sex and the City first hit the screens, I was at a very influential age and part of me still harbours Carrie Bradshaw fantasies! [I have wanted to live there since I was 13 – let’s go!]
I heart NY. And the Brooklyn Bridge!
Where can people find out more about you and your work?
My website is raeritchie.com. I also hang about a lot on Instagram, you can find me there as rae_ritchie_.
Thanks so much for joining us – please call again!
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