A novelist's voice

“I saw a rook today, with a straw in its beak, and I was visited by an inexplicable, unnamed longing; the kind of poignant yearning that one associates with the anguish of youth rather than with the sensible placidity of middle age.” Thus starts Facing the Music written by one Willa Marsh (otherwise known as Marcia Willett).

Facing the Music

In the early days the stories just poured out of Marcia once the dam had finally collapsed and whatever it was that was holding her creative spirit decided that the time had come to let go. In those days she was published by Hodder Headline and they were bringing out a new hardback every six months – Those Who Serve in 1994, Thea’s Parrot and The Courtyard in 1995, The Dipper and Hattie’s Mill in 1996, Starting Over and Second Time Around in 1997. It was Looking Forward (the first book of the Chadwick Trilogy) that broke this mould. Publishers don’t really like trilogies and it was a huge sign of Headline’s confidence in Marcia that they agreed to this one even though it was obvious that these were going to be difficult books to write and the time had come to slow things down a bit and publish annually.

Amy WIngate's Journal

Actually it was even more phenomenal that that sounds. Somewhere along the line, Marcia had found time to write a number of short stories for, amongst other publications, The Mail on Sunday. There is a big difference between writing the sort of novels that Marcia writes (which are character driven – called “vertical writing”) and, for example, adventure or crime novels (which are plot driven – “horizontal writing”). Short stories have to be plot driven.

Vertical writing is very frightening. Indeed, if you attend a writing course you will be told that “writing into thin air” is, quite simply, wrong. It isn’t but the ability to do it and pull it off is very rare: I, for example, simply don’t have it: Marcia has. It goes something like this: two “known” characters are brought together in some situation and the writer “listens” to how they react to each other and records what happens. This is easy enough to imagine if you are thinking about a couple of close friends or relatives. You know how they work and you would be able to make a good guess at the outcome. From then on every interaction is treated the same way which is why a novelist can be convinced that A is going to marry B only to be shocked to discover that this is not the case. A wants to marry C and B is . . . well, that depends on who B is: deeply upset, relieved, indifferent.

Sisters Under the Skin

Anyway, Marcia was well ahead of herself so she decided to take one of these short stories to see whether she would like some extended horizontal writing for a change; the chance to explore something completely different. Her agent asked her what she was doing.

“Nothing”, said Marcia, innocently.

“Rubbish,” rejoined Dinah. “Tell me, you’re writing something, aren’t you?”

“No, not really.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, its not a proper book.”

At which point Dinah insisted she see the manuscript. She agreed that it was not a “Marcia Willett” but that it ought to be published. She offered the manuscript to Sceptre and they wanted to buy it. The problem was that this could not be published under the name of Marcia Willett and we spent a few totally hilarious days trying to come up with something suitable. Finally it was Dinah who came up with the answer: Willa Marsh. That first book, Amy Wingate’s Journal was to be followed by three more, including Facing the Music.

The Quick and the Dead

Thus it was that we all realised that there where two voices inside Marcia: one who was hooked on vertical writing (Marcia – who is a really nice person) and one who yearned for some horizontal writing (Willa – who has a rather wicked and naughty streak).

Then came the day when the two voices began to merge – in The Children’s Hour – and Dinah decided the time had come to move Marcia on to a new publisher: Transworld. Since then Marcia’s books have become slightly darker, slightly more edgy (and therefore slightly more close to real life) as she has allowed characters to come into focus who, in the early days, she would have banished. Despite this I am sure all her readers would agree that she holds onto those two characteristics that are to be found in every book: the concepts of redemption and hope.

As I write, both Hodder Headline and Transworld have published twelve books each so the next one out – in 2014 – will nudge Transworld into the lead.

So what happened to the Willa Marsh books? Well, here in the UK they are out of print but, and much to Marcia’s delight, they have been published by one of the literary publishers in France, Editions Autrement. They have all four books in print and have now bought The Children’s Hour but it will be published under the name of that well known author in France (with reviews in La Figaro), Willa Marsh.

And what brought all this on? Well, we were in the lower car park in Totnes the other day and I saw a crow with some paper (not a twig) in its beak which it was carrying to the nest which he and his mate were busy repairing. This is a bit earlier than I would expect but I expect they know what they are doing.

Here we see Mr Pickle in the arms of Mr Fickle. Well, that's where he would be, isn't it? If you want to know more about what Fickle and Pickle get up to in real life click here. You will then learn, among many other things, that one of them has been rescued on no less than three occasions. 

Visitors and the editorial notes

One of Marcia’s friends who lives in south west Wales, Vivien, was on holiday in St Mawes with her parents (leaving her husband behind holding the fort) and, on the way home, she called in to see us. I am delighted to say that she follows my blog and so is well aware of my recent obsession with corrugated iron.

It turns out that I am not the only one: she brought with her a mounted copy of a picture taken by the St Mawes photographer Ray Bradshaw which he has titled “Old Rusty”. It is a lovely pressie and I have found a frame for it and soon it will be hanging beside the tapestry of Trubshawe that Vivien worked for Marcia some time ago.

I would be breaking copyright by showing it to you but if you want to see what I am talking about, click here.

After Vivien had left for Wales, we had lunch at the pub – nobly served by Steph (who had been eating blue bubble-gum ice cream) and John.

* * * * *

We are approaching the moment when Marcia can safely wave good-bye to the characters inhabiting the last book to be written. Approaching - we are not there yet.

The dreaded editorial notes arrived recently. I say dreaded with no exaggeration. Any writing is as dear to the writer as babies are to their mothers. How dare this other person say anything negative about my baby?

We have a rule: nothing that I write goes out of the house until Marcia has read it, commented on it, offered a critique and (hopefully) some positive suggestions. The roles are reversed when she is writing. Obviously, over the years, we have learned to be gentle with each other but there is that initial moment when the process hurts. So, instead of starting off by saying, "The second sentence in paragraph three is rubbish," one starts, "This is really good, love it. By the way, you might like to have another look at the second sentence in the third para. I think you could word that a bit better."

Having said that the editorial notes are awaited with dread, I should add that the sooner they arrive the better it is. This is because the characters that will appear in the next book are beginning to take over but must not be allowed to displace the old lot. Marcia will need to revisit them when those editorial notes arrive and so is presently in that parlous state where she is trying to juggle with two very disparate groups: terrified that the old ones will intrude into the new book and that the new ones will, as it were, contaminate the old ones. That is why I say that the sooner these notes arrive and Marcia has dealt with them the better it is.

It had been arranged some time ago that Marcia would be in the Harbour Book Shop in Kingsbridge. As always, there was much jollity and laughter but had Marcia known when the editorial notes would arrive all this would have happened on another day.

Most editors are aware of the impact that their editorial notes will have on the writer and they tend to follow our practice. This time, sure enough, they start by explaining that the novel is really wonderful. I agree with that, but then, I would, wouldn't I? Then come the matters that the editor feels need to be addressed.

Actually, although I doubt Marcia would agree with this, her editorial notes rarely contain anything of great importance. Sometimes editors require what really amounts to a re-write and that has never happened. Mary Wesley also dreaded what she called "the blue pencil" and after one of the early books, having heard from Marcia what her then editor wanted, said, "That is nothing. If that is all she wants you are very lucky."

It was a great benefit that Marcia knew Mary in those early days. In fact there was a wonderful group of writers based around Totnes then: Joan Brady, James Long, Mary and then, of course, Marcia. These thing never last. Mary is, of course, no longer with us. James has moved to the Bristol area and Joan to the Midlands. As you know, Marcia also moved away but is now back but the town is poorer for the absence of the other three.

Now, as I write, Marcia has almost finished dealing with these editorial notes for the novel that will be called - well, whatever it is that Transworld decide to call it (and if I tell you the working title we shall the same problems as we had over The Ginger Jar which was published as The Prodigal Wife.

Anyway, within the next few days, Marcia should be able to wave good-bye to the old characters and be able to turn her searchlight on the new lot.

This is a rather special blog dog. Bennie is Vivien's father's dog and the two are inseparable.

Slippery stuff, grass

Next Wednesday, 3 July, Marcia will be at The Harbour Bookshop in Mill Street, Kingsbridge. This is an unusual event as some of the Willa Marsh books that we had forgotten we had until I eventually unpacked all the books following our move about a year ago will be going on sale. Added to that, of course, Marcia is hoping to meet some of those of you who live near enough to make that possible.

Those of you who are at all interested in tennis will know that this is week one at Wimbledon. We are, of course, immensely proud that the All England Tennis and Croquet Club was the one that started off this whole business. You could, I suppose, describe it as a sport but when you see the open snarling mouth, more becoming on the face of a baboon than a human being, on the face of a young man who has just won a point or are watching two young women screaming at each other over the tennis net you are forced to wonder whether it is more of a gladiatorial contest than anything else. Was this the atmosphere during the ‛games’ held by the Romans when “we who are about to die, salute you, Ceaser”?

Anyway, it has been a remarkable couple of days, not least thanks to the injuries which have been caused by motley slips and tumbles. These courts are grass and grass is a very different surface to those on which these tennis heroes and heroines usually play. As has been pointed out, in the early days until the wear of play takes its toll, grass tends to be slippery. It is, of course, the same for all taking part so there is no unfairness involved. As John MacEnroe said, “you have to adjust the way you move”.

I suppose I was about thirteen when I decided I wanted to learn the names of the various grasses that were to be found in the lanes, fields and woods. In those days my preferred reference books were from the ‛Observer’ series which were published by Thomas Warne from 1937 until the beginning of this century. I had – still have, come to that – quite a few of these pocket sized books. British Birds was, I think, the first and that was followed by British Butterflies, British Wild Flowers, Common British Insects and Spiders, Larger British Moths, Pond Life, Dogs (as you would expect) and British Grasses, Sedges and Rushes. A small enough selection, really: the list runs into three figures.

And so it was I set out boldly that Eastertide to start to learn the names of all the grasses in the neighbourhood. I failed, of course, in much the same way as I failed when it came to wild flowers, insects and spiders. There are just too many of them with many species that look so alike that you have to take infinite pains to work out to which your specimen belongs. I just do not have the patience.

One thing all these books did, and the book on grasses etc. was no exception, was to get me looking. It is a habit that remains with me to this day and, despite a love for the arts and music, from where I sit nothing transcends the glory and beauty of the natural world.

Anyway, I decided that I would browse through my photo files and see what I could find in the way of interesting grasses, sedges and rushes.

How about that for a truly noble head? Still using memory rather than my notes, I am pretty certain that this most regal dachshund is, quite simply, known as Jack. 

This book business

Without a doubt, the best news this week is that Transworld has offered Marcia another two-book contract. For those of you who don't know how all this works I will explain. If you do know, please skip the rest of this section.

The whole cycle takes two years. At the beginning of year one, Marcia starts brooding on a new book. She has no contract for the publication of this one so it a complete act of faith. Having brooded, travelled around finding locations, listened to all the voices, travelled down a number of dead ends, been thrilled when things start coming together and driving her long suffering husband completely mad, she starts writing. That will be in or around month four. The next six months are spent in the actual writing of the book.

The first port of call for the manuscript is Marcia's agent, Dinah Wiener. Dinah may or may not have some suggestions to make which she feels would improve the book. If she does, then Marcia will work right through making alterations as she thinks fit (for she does not always agree with Dinah's ideas). Once Marcia and Dinah are happy, the book is sent to Transworld and we all sit back biting our nails waiting to hear whether or not the manuscript will meet the approval of her editor, Linda Evans. There are a number of options. The first is that the book is turned down flat (although this has yet to happen to Marcia), the second is that Linda wants to see some major alterations to the book before agreeing to accept it. The third (and this happened this year) is that Linda is quite happy to go ahead straight away – but that does not mean that there will be no issues to deal with later.

Once the editor is happy, a presentation is made to the Acquisitions Committee. This will include some people from marketing, sales and accounts as well as the editors and they will have available all Marcia's sales figures as well as the manuscript. Assuming the committee agrees to publish, Transworld will make a two-book offer. We are now probably in month nine or ten.

Shortly afterwards, Marcia will receive Linda's 'editorial notes' which will offer various ideas – again for the betterment of the book. Once more, Marcia will work through the manuscript. She very rarely makes the exact changes that the editors request but she takes each comment as a pointer that something needs to be improved and she will ensure that each point is dealt with.

Once the manuscript is accepted, Marcia can relax and start to allow herself to relax. With any luck there will be a month during which she can chill out and build up her reserves. Meanwhile, the spotlight turns on me. In order to give Marcia a decent break between books, I do the majority of the work on the copy edited manuscript and also the proof reading when the time comes. The job of the copy editor (or line editor as this person is called in the United States) is to ensure that all the punctuation is correct, no grammatical errors, no stylistic errors such as unintentional word repetitions and that there are no mistakes of fact. This last can mean real facts – such as the author mentioning the Statue of Liberty in London – or fictional facts – such as the author talking about a two-year old seven months after the child was born. Yvonne Holland has been Marcia's copy editor for many years now and she is first class. My job is to bring to Marcia's attention and suggestions Yvonne makes which I feel may not be acceptable. There are very few of these, I should add, but the author always has the final say.

Then, at the start of year two, the whole process is repeated. The only difference is that now Marcia is working to a contract – something that she takes very seriously indeed. The last thing she wants is for the 'second book of the contract' to be in any way inferior to the first.

* * * * * *

Another country – another contract.

Marcia wrote four books under the name Willa Marsh. Willa is the spiky, rather cynical and definitely naughty side of Marcia and these books were published by Sceptre. Incidentally, it was as Willa Marsh that Marcia was reviewed in The Times.

Few years ago, a French Publisher – Éditions Autrement Littératures – decided to publish these four books. As of today, three are out and the fourth is in production. One of them, as I mentioned a while back, has caught the attention of a French film company and they have bought the rights and matters appear to be progressing satisfactorily.

If you want to watch a French television presenter talking about Willa in what, I am pleased to report, is a very positive and enthusiastic way then click here. He is, of course, talking in French which may put you off.

Anyway, EAL would have liked Willa to have written more books but she hasn't. So, they have started reading some of the ones Marcia wrote and have picked on The Children's Hour – but only on condition that it is written by Willa. After a lengthy and serious discussion, Marcia and Willa have now agreed that this may be the case.

Marcia's French agent, in an email to Dinah said, "Editions Autrement, part of Flammarion, have had considerable success with her Willa Marsh titles. They want to continue to publish some of Marcia's novels written under her real name, beginning with THE CHILDREN?S HOUR of which they say: They think French readers appreciate the "Willa Marsh qualities" (tight plot, lightly cynical humor, tenderness for her older characters)."

Marcia is especially pleased with the bit about her older characters!