Ryan Craig
Inspired by mum Bev, ‘a prolific storyteller’, playwright and author Ryan Craig shares his own stories and tips on how to write with his childhood neighbour, editor Siobhan Wykes
Reading Writing inCoffeeShops is rather like sitting down with a friend in a pub who tries to help you – ambition depending - to write your first short story, novel or play. Here, Ryan Craig sits down with his childhood next-door neighbour – best’s editor, Siobhan
- to debate what makes a writer, the many forms storytelling can take, and the burning question: Can anyone really write?
Ryan, tell me, is it ever too late to start writing?
No. Never. I believe it’s actually a good idea to start late. You have so much more life experience to share. Plus, you’re fresh and unjaded, unlike those of us who began this career in our 20s...
Can you think of anyone who became a famous writer later on in life?
Yes. Richard Bean – he wrote One Man, Two Guvnors – started writing in his 40s. Once he got going, he wrote play after play! But before that, he did all kinds of jobs – comedian, teacher – and I think it helped him with rounded characters and to talk on subjects he really knew. I would encourage it.
How long did your latest book, Writing in Coffee Shops, take to finish?
Months – two Summers, to be exact - that’s quite quick. It’s basically just the sort of things I would say to my friends in a pub. Stories from my childhood. The latest on my brother, or my mother, Bev, who loves the minutiae of life. For her, even being served a cold latte can become a story of total melodrama. And the Craig family – we are the unknown celebs. The Craig legends. To be fair, every family is generally eccentric and the centre of its own universe. To write well, it is simply a question of asking yourself what is common and specific about yours.
So what tips will people find in the book?
Drama is everywhere. It’s about listening to other people and we do that all the time – even in a coffee shop. Once I overheard two men in their
‘Drama is everywhere - even Bev’s cold latte’
70s talking about dating. One was doing a lot of it and telling his married mate. I started writing it all down, they were talking with such depth and eccentricity. It was gold. I’ve peppered their phrases in several of my plays. That’s
a good writing tip, you pick stuff up by just watching and listening to the flow of life.
Families are a fascinating topic. We were neighbours as kids, so I know yours well… you say Bev inspired you to write?
Yes. Even when she is telling the simplest anecdote about buying a coffee that was cold, Bev grabs your attention. She is always creating an emotion and that is what writers do. Both my brother and I learnt dramatic pause from her.
What makes a successful character?
Everyone is generally eccentric, so I would say base a character on someone you know and find a reason to talk about them – are they divorced, for example. Then think about their neighbour – are they interesting? What goes on when they go home and shut their door at night? Start with a vague framework but never a finished plan, because that way you can change direction later if you come up with a better plan.
Who told you that you were a good writer?
A uni lecturer. I wrote a stage play for my master’s. I just went off and did it and my lecturer said, ‘I am going to send this off to the National Theatre – I think you can actually write.’ I was 23.
I didn’t get a play on until 2009 – Our Class. So it didn’t go straight to the top, but they did offer me a space to write. But that was it, I chose theatre.
A lot of your plays are about being Jewish…
The Jewish thing is complicated. It’s partly me trying to figure out my identity, where I come from.
You can try and run away but something pulls you back. If you are Jewish, Indian, Sikh, Catholic, even privately educated – there is a lot about our personal worlds and our cultures that you know well and is important to you that others will identify with. But my favourite comments are always from people in other communities, who say, ‘That’s just like my family!’ I delight in the sameness.
Your brother Dean is a Hollywood writer (he wrote Death at a Funeral, to name but one). Do you think you inspired him?
I definitely inspired Dean [ laughs]. His view may differ but I don’t think he would have been a writer if he hadn’t seen me do it. A lot of younger brothers are like that.
In the book, you say you once put your head through the garden fence and asked your neighbour if he was Jewish – at which point Bev put her head out
the window and shouted ‘Never tell anyone you are Jewish!’ Was that my brother? And why did she say that?
It wasn’t your brother
[ laughs]. To be honest, I always thought you were Jewish! You had long, dark, curly hair then. What happened to that? (I’ve gone blonde.) It was the other side. But Bev? Well, she was born shortly after the Second World War. The Jewish people were shattered and a lot of people were still anti- Semitic.
She felt it was ‘safer’ not to discuss our religion.
You grew up in NorthWest London. Did Mill Hill inspire you?
You know the answer to this – yes! It is a great place to come from. An urban nowhere land – easy to get to the centre of London but green, with cows mooing. It had a village feel. I’m very conscious that Mill Hill was a very weird place to grow up, but I loved it.
And lastly, are writers born or made?
Well. I think anyone can produce a piece of writing but clearly it is better if there is a natural talent. Writing can be crafted by anyone because it is just the telling about everyday stories, the things we all do – and say. But it’s like being a musician – if you are tonedeaf, why learn to play?
‘Begin writing later in life? It’s a good idea’