Do you have any writing rituals?
It’s not really a ritual, more addiction-management, but I am quite particular about my internet access. I try not to write in the same room as my phone (and always turn it on Do Not Disturb). I also use an app on my laptop that blocks the internet, ironically called ‘Self Control’.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Both! I dispute that it’s binary! Once I’ve got the core idea, I like to write as many scenarios as I can think of so I can work out who the characters are and how they behave. Then I go back and delete a lot of those scenes and start to build a plot out of the ones that survive the cull.
How do you feel about the book now it’s out of your hands?
It’s such a relief. And it’s very special when people start reading it and these characters, who have been real to you for so many months during the drafting process, now exist in other peoples’ imaginations too.
As you were writing, who did you have in mind as the ideal reader?
It sounds counterintuitive but when I’m drafting I try to trick myself into thinking that nobody will ever read it. That way I don’t second-guess myself. But I suppose my ideal reader is someone who will take the book on its own terms; someone open-minded and curious enough to work out what you are trying to say and whether you’ve said it in a way that resonates—not someone looking for a prop or an accessory to their own intellect.
If Seeing Other People was made into a movie, who would you see playing the main characters?
A girl can dream! I’m not sure about all three of the main characters but Angourie Rice is an Australian actress I’ve admired for a long time, especially for her comic timing. I can see her as Eleanor.
What is your number one rule for writing?
Just do it! At the first instance, it doesn’t matter whether it’s good or not—you just have to turn up to the desk and put some words on the page.
What element of your writing brings out the grammar police in your editor?
I’m extremely liberal with commas.
Do you have a favourite writing place?
I’m pretty flexible but my local café Veneziano in Surry Hills has a lovely communal table and they’re very chill about people sitting for several hours over the same empty cup of coffee.
Are you reading anything at the moment?
I just read The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst and was floored by it.
What are you working on next?
I’m working on another novel for Ultimo Press.