‘I THINK YOU NEED TO WRITE WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW’

Maggie O’farrell talks to Anna Bonet about inspiration, parenting and the superstition that kept her from writing her latest novel, Hamnet

Author Maggie O’farrell on what inspires her

When Maggie O’farrell was 16, her English teacher told her that Shakespeare named the tragedy Hamlet after his son Hamnet, who died aged 11. Ever since, O’farrell wanted to write Hamnet’s story, determined to give a voice to this boy, who had mostly been forgotten. The result is her latest novel – a beautifully rich tale of family, loss and love. However, it took O’farrell eight bestselling books before she got around to it.

Known for her lyrical and literary writing, she published her debut After You’d Gone in 2000, and has followed it up with award-winning novels including The Hand That First Held Mine and The Vanishing Act Of Esme Lennox. Most recently, she published her extraordinary memoir, I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death, which became a number one Sunday Times bestseller.

Born in Northern Ireland, O’farrell, 47, grew up in both Wales and Scotland. Now, she lives in Edinburgh with her husband, fellow novelist William Sutcliffe, who she met when they were both at the University of Cambridge, along with their three children who are 16, 10 and seven. With a busy family life, O’farrell’s technique of writing in short bursts has come in very handy; she’s learned to work anywhere, even waiting in the car outside school.

You said you’ve wanted to write Hamnet for a really long time. Why did you decide to do it now?

I was beset by superstition. [Like Shakespeare], I have a son and two daughters and I knew that if I wrote this book, I would be thinking about my own son, so I could not write it until he was safely past the age of 11. He’s now a very safe six-foot-tall teenager, so he’s beyond that margin.

How did you find writing a novel that is set in the 16th century?

Nerve-wracking, because it was a huge leap into the unknown. It almost felt like going back to the beginning. You can’t reach for your usual language or metaphors; I had to start with this absolutely blank slate. It was a very bracing reinvention of everything I thought I knew about writing a novel. Research was a huge part of this book, but I discovered I actually quite liked it. There are always times when you hit a wall when writing, but when you’re relying on research, you can keep on researching and think, ‘I’m still working.’

What’s your typical writing day like?

I don’t have a typical one at all. I’ve been a parent for 16 years and I’ve trained myself to write in short bursts so that I can squeeze my work into the small gaps I have. Having said that, there are some weeks where I think I will never write again. All it takes is for one person to get ill and it all comes toppling down.

What comes first for you when writing: characters or plot?

It depends on the book, because they all come from different places, and it’s quite hard to pinpoint the moment where you actually get the first idea. Before you know it, it has crept up on you. But often, the first idea isn’t the one that you end up with. I originally conceived Hamnet as a ghost story!

Do you plot in advance, or do you let it flow as you’re writing?

It’s a bit of both. I do have a vague plan on my pin board but, if it diverges, I see it as a good sign. It means the book is taking on its own life. I embrace that.

Was publishing your memoir, I Am, I Am, I Am, exposing or cathartic?

A bit of both. My relationship with that book is very different from my novels. It’s obviously much more personal and that was exposing, but I was also in control of what was being published. I had to be careful with other people I was writing about and get their permission. With a memoir, you constantly come up against the question

of: who does this narrative belong to? I’d never really thought about that before.

Was it a relief to return to fiction?

Absolutely. It was so much fun returning to novels and thinking, ‘Oh thank God, I can make up whatever I want!’ I sunk into it like you sink into a warm bath.

Will you ever write non-fiction again?

I don’t think so, but then again, I had said I’d never write it at all.

What motivates you to write?

I haven’t ever known life without that urge. Even from a really young age, I wanted to put words down on paper. I don’t know where it comes from because there are no writers in my family. The idea of ‘write what you know’ baffles me because I think you need to write what you don’t know, in a sense. I think the act of writing is the act of trying to comprehend something. To this day, that’s still why I do it.

Are your children readers?

Yes, they are. My son has read some of my books, including my memoir. He had a few questions afterwards, but it was all very low key. He is a teenager, after all!

What’s the biggest life lesson that you’ve learned?

When I first went to a writing course, I had a few chapters of what eventually would become my first novel and I remember the tutor saying, ‘You just have to keep going.’ It sounds minor, but it’s also true in life, no matter what it throws at you. Also, my other lesson is to be kind to people. Kindness is underrated. It can have an enormous effect on someone’s life.

What’s it like being married to a fellow novelist?

I really rely on William’s input. We’ve known each other for so long, way before we were writers. He’s probably the biggest influence on my work and we are each other’s first readers. You need someone to be strict and harsh and to tell you exactly what they think. We want to save each other from public humiliation. It’s also handy having an in-house editor. I can wander to his study and ask, ‘What do you think of this?’

What’s next for you?

I’m publishing my first children’s book later this year but, other than that, I’m undecided. I have a few balls in the air!  Hamnet (Tinder Press) by Maggie O’farrell is out on 31 March

There are some weeks where I think I will never write again