‘I love to write from a place of vulnerability’

Kit de Waal has achieved international acclaim for her novels. As she publishes a new short-story collection, she talks to Joanne Finney about ambition, inspiration and inclusivity

Your short story collection, Supporting Cast, revisits characters from your first two novels. Why?

I didn’t feel I was finished with the people from those books. I wanted to explore their stories. Writing them was sheer, unadulterated bliss. As soon as I know what my characters are doing, the words come to me. I just dig into their hearts and feelings.

How did you get started as a writer?

‘I WANTED TO SUCCEED’

I was about 45 and I’d just adopted my little boy, Luke, who was very ill. I gave up work to look after him, so I spent more time at home than usual. I’d done all the house stuff and I hated mother-and-baby groups, so I was bored out of my tree! I was a voracious reader and I wanted to see if I could write. For the first time in my life, I came face to face with my own ambition. I really wanted to succeed.

How did you get published?

I wrote several thrillers, but I couldn’t get them published. It wasn’t until I started writing my debut, My Name Is Leon [about two brothers in the care system who are separated], that I found a story I could do justice to. I think it did well because it’s based on true stories. There’s nothing that happens to Leon that doesn’t happen every day in real life. Black children are still disproportionately represented in the care system and more difficult to have adopted, as are older children. Siblings are separated every day. I’ve been contacted by readers to say how authentic it is. Hearing that is better than any success.

What is your typical writing day like?

I don’t start writing until late afternoon or early evening, then I write for four or five hours. When the children were younger, I’d start writing at 9pm, after they’d gone to bed, and work through the night until 4am. The world goes quiet then, and there’s a different energy. I feel like I’m more vulnerable; more in touch with my feelings. I love writing in that state. I don’t write every day. If I haven’t got anything to say, I don’t stare at a blank screen. I walk away.

You’ve spoken out about the lack of inclusivity in publishing. What still needs to change?

There’s more awareness, which is great, but making changes is a bit like turning an oil tanker – it’s very, very slow. I’ve been speaking up about inclusivity since I was first published four years ago, but there have been people who’ve been doing so for 20-odd years. For change to be genuine and lasting, it has to be about more than fear of people pointing the finger. It has to come from the dismantling of attitudes and systems.

Who inspires you?

I know it’s going to sound sickly, but my children really inspire me. They’re both adopted, and there’s been an effect on both of them from being in the care system that still manifests itself today. One is 19 and the other is 25. They are just so resilient and loving.

Supporting Cast (Penguin) by Kit de Waal is out 30th July