Writing Workshop in Tokyo
As you’re reading this (assuming you read this the minute it hits your inbox, regardless of time zone and whatever might be going on in your life), I’ll be on the shinkansen to Tokyo. I’m heading through for the day to take part in a writing workshop with Alice Fraser.
If you don’t know Alice Fraser, you should. (Watch a clip here.) She’s an amazing comedian and writer, host of and regular guest on a bunch of podcasts, things like The News Quiz on the BBC, as well as being one of my favourite stand ups. She runs online writing workshops which I’ve heard great things about but have never been able to attend, so when she announced she was doing one in Tokyo, I had to sign up.
This, perhaps more than anything, is the impetus behind me finally getting myself sorted out to start this new novel. It’s set in the 1920s and one thing I’ve always been unhappy with is my ability to write voices for non-contemporary characters. I can’t stand/can’t do the “historese” (to steal a word coined by novelist David Mitchell) of a lot of historical fiction, but there’s a sliding scale between being too pedantic (I’m not going to spend months researching 1920s slang and then crowbarring it in) and too loose (having my characters speak like they are in 2024 rather than 1924 is going to turn it into a joke in a few sentences). There’s a neutral space where my characters are believably living in the 1920s (believably to readers today, most of whom weren’t around in the 1920s) but whose internal monologues and external dialogues are smooth, natural, easy to read and easy to write. I’ve never quite managed to find that sweet spot and therefore could do with some help. If that input comes from a writer I admire, then all the better.
It’s been a long time since I joined a writer’s group or workshop. I was in a bunch of them as a student, and have dipped into a couple since I came to Japan. The ones at uni were great, really productive, but also big parts of my social life. The ones in Japan were fun but I didn’t really get much out of them. When you’re looking for no-holds-barred criticism, especially of longer work, the atmosphere has to be right and everyone has to be as invested. Personality clashes are likely, as is badly taken criticism and hurt feelings, which doesn’t help the work. Like most writers, I have ended up with a group of half a dozen other writer friends who share work with each other online, rather than in person, and we get our feedback that way. It’s rarely in person though, so the social aspect is missing. As such I’m both excited and trepidatious about how it will all unfold. Mostly excited though. I’ll let you know how it goes next week.
Postscript:
As I was writing this I was reminded of the Mitchell and Webb sketch about writers who can’t be bothered with research. Still makes me laugh: Mitchell and Webb.