To celebrate the release of her new novel Enough, we caught up with the legendary comedy writer and 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction longlisted, Dawn French, to learn more about her writing process and workspace.
Where do you write?
I count my blessings every day that I’m lucky enough to have an extra bedroom which I’ve stolen as an office. It should rightly be the master bedroom since it has the best view, but as we were walking around the house when we first bought it, my architect friend suggested that I nab this room. He explained that yes, it’s lovely to wake up to a great view, but that’s it for the whole day if it’s a bedroom. Since I spend most of each home day in my office, he thought I would benefit hugely from the light and the vista. He was right.
I painted it bright pink, put a camp chandelier up, placed my big old desk in the bay window and felt completely at home immediately. The added bonus of being upstairs is that no-one can be bothered to disturb me, it takes too much effort, so I have a sort of lofty peace, plus I can see everything going on in my garden which is the perfect distraction.
What do you have on your desk?
I have a pile of ‘to do’ things which I regard as my nemesis. However often I deal with it, it remains the same size. How?
I have the stacks of books I want or have promised to read.
I have a vase of flowers from the garden.
I have my diary.
I have my AFOLWAC membership wallet. (Adult Fans of Lego Who Are Chums) My number is 0022.
Which is the most inspiring object in your workspace?
The most inspiring and also the most sentimental object in my office is the chair. It’s an old bentwood revolving chair with a green leather upholstered seat. I think they’re called Captain’s or Banker’s chairs. It belonged to my father and it means a lot to me. He was neither a captain or a banker so I’m not sure how he had the audacity to sit on it.
I like sitting where he did.
I like pretending I’m a financially astute captain.
What does your writing process, from gathering ideas to finishing a manuscript, look like?
The process really varies, depending on what I’m writing. For this novel, Enough, I’ve been percolating the idea for many years. Once an idea occurs to me, I let it swill about for a while. A month. A year. I see if it sticks. I need to know there’s enough meat on the bone for me to spend ten months gnawing away at it, I need to want to be in the company of the story and the characters, however challenging.
Once I decide upon the basic idea, I start to write copious initial notes, timelines, family trees, underlying themes, to tickle my imagination awake. Plenty of these notes are discarded along the way, but they are my method of elimination and focus.
Then, I keep office hours every workday. 9am – 5pm with two breaks for chocolate and lunch, and I just keep going.
Some days are grim and every word written is useless. Most days are slow, steady and ultimately satisfying.
I nearly always hit a wall of no confidence about halfway through and I have to persuade myself to keep my rudder in the water, and chug on.
My sure self has to encourage and support my doubting self.
What can you see from your window?
I can see my beautiful sloping garden which rolls downhill. Beyond the bushes and wall at the end of our property, I can see into the distance, where the big muddy brown winding Tamar river flows by. Past that, I can see trees and fields and farms in Devon, across the water. I love that, depending on the tide, that big fat river is either high or mud. Fairly unforgiving.
Have you ever had a particularly good piece of writing advice?
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – MAYA ANGELOU.
“Write what you can’t bear to admit.” – Anonymous.
