IN THE SHOES OF… Sophie Kirtley
What's life like in someone else's shoes? This month Deputy Editor Françoise Price invites
author Sophie Kirtley to tell us about her day.
author Sophie Kirtley to tell us about her day.
Author Sophie Kirtley
7am
I’m usually a happy riser – my alarm dingles and I hop out of bed, often on tiptoes so as not to wake my family too early. (Not a selfless act – I rather treasure just a wee bit of time alone before the rest of the rowdy rabble emerges!) The kittens, Mimsy and Gatsby, are always pleased to see me – we still call them the kittens even though they’re probably teenage in human years. Now that I think about it, being known as the kittens probably does nothing for their street cred. Anyway, the kittens are good company and as I pootle about doing my morning things, kind of on autopilot, I let my mind wander… often creative thoughts pop into my head.
'I have notebooks dotted around the house, to scribble a line or two'
I find that mornings are my most fertile times creatively; sometimes I wake up with a character’s voice crystal-clear in my head or with a knotty plot point suddenly unknotted. For this reason, I have notebooks dotted around the house, ready to scribble a line or two. Even if there’s only time for a word I hope it will serve me as a trigger to help me remember a thought later on in the day.
This morning, for example, as I was serving the kittens their brekkie I realised what the central problem was for Nora, the main character in a short story I’m writing for a forthcoming ghost stories anthology. That’s it! Nora feels unloved and unwanted! Her father has a new wife and suddenly she is made to feel like an inconvenience. It was a real moment of epiphany as, up until now, I’d been seeing the character merely as functional, and thinking of her in terms of what she did and where she went. Suddenly realising the thing that Nora had to overcome put flesh on her bones and made her character more 3D. So I grabbed my notebook and began scribbling some snatches of dialogue.
By 7.30 though I’m back in my ‘family zone’, helping everyone get up and out and ready for their days. Like so many writers, I constantly switch between different life roles. As well as being an author, I need to think about my family and their needs and also to manage my other jobs. I have two days of my week reserved for writing work and the other three days are split between jobs at both Bath and Bristol Universities. Although it’s a juggle, I love the variety and I find that my writing benefits when I have other commitments to attend to. It makes writing time more precious and more imperative – I have to write and I have to write now! This (mostly!) stops me from faffing or procrastinating.
9am
Every writing day looks different – some days I might need to do some thinking and I find walks are fantastic for this. I’m lucky to live on the edge of town near lots of green space; even walking a familiar route often throws up new surprises. When I’m walking, if I have an idea for a story then I record it as a voice note to refer back to later. My first love is poetry so the sounds of words really matter to me – speaking a story orally offers a whole new perspective and helps me ‘hear’ it differently.
Out on a walk, finding surprising things like butterflies and tree roots
11am
By mid-morning I like to be settled at my computer. I make myself a big coffee and forbid myself from checking email – I even turn off the wifi. Sometimes if the weather’s lovely I find it hard to work indoors though, so I often write outside in the garden. We have one of those little novelty head-umbrellas at home and I’ve found it fits my laptop perfectly as a little parasol! It gives the screen enough shade for me to see what I’m doing while still allowing me to enjoy the sunshine.
Sophie's summer writing set-up
Gatsby
Wherever I write the kittens like to be a part of it, especially Gatsby. There’s a basket next to my desk where he loves to curl up and keep an eye on proceedings!
Perhaps it feels a bit regimented and uninspiring, but it gives me a sense of focus while I write and a sense of satisfaction if I meet my target. Sometimes I’ll struggle and I won’t achieve what I set out to do. Other times the words will flow and suddenly it’s…
If I’m at a drafting stage, every time I sit down at my computer I write down the time and the word count, then I set myself little mini-goals for a particular session.
11.15am
Wordcount 20,555 words – write 500 words before lunch.
2.30pm
… and I haven’t eaten lunch! And the kids will be back in 30 mins! And the washing needs hanging out! And we have nothing in for tea … and … and… The domestic starts to eclipse the creative again, but that’s OK. Once the kids are home that’s where my focus lies and I love spending this time with them – catching up about our days.
8.00pm
My husband works in a hospital so is often home at around this time. We catch up for a bit and while he and the kids hang out I’ll grab a bit of time to turn back to writing again – either continuing with creating a story or, if my brain’s gone too mushy for that, I catch up on the emails I’ve ignored in the day. I also do admin type things or interact on social media. I enjoy this too – especially communicating with teachers, librarians and author friends.
10.30pm
Usually I’m curled up in bed with a good book by now! I mostly read children’s books but recently I’ve been really enjoying adult books too – I’m reading The Familiars by Stacey Halls at the moment and it’s awesomely atmospheric. I have to think carefully about what I’m reading while I write as it definitely seeps into my own writing and subconsciously influences it. At the moment I’m on a bit of a spooky, supernatural reading spree because that’s the direction my writing is going in too right now.
*Header image by Ell Rose and Tita Berredo;
all other images courtesy of Sophie Kirtley.
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Sophie Kirtley is a prize-winning children’s author from Belfast. Her debut novel The Wild Way Home was Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month and was shortlisted for the Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize. Sophie’s latest novel is The Haunting of Fortune Farm has just come out with Bloomsbury in autumn 2024. Sophie’s poetry for children and for adults has been widely published in journals and anthologies.
www.sophiekirtley.com Twitter: @KirtleySophie; Instagram: @sophie.kirtley
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Françoise Price is Deputy Editor of Words & Pictures. Contact deputyeditor@britishscbwi.org
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Ell Rose is the Illustration Features Editor of Words & Pictures.
Find their work at https://fourfooteleven.com
Contact them at illustrators@britishscbwi.org
Tita Berredo is the Illustrator Coordinator of SCBWI British Isles and the Art Director of Words & Pictures. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter or www.titaberredo.com
Contact her at: illuscoordinator@britishscbwi.org.
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Thank you very much fnf mods
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