Interview with Robyn Harding
Q: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I was about twelve years old when I read The Outsiders. I was so inspired that S.E. Hinton had written the book when she was only 15! And when I say I was inspired, I mean that I basically wanted to copy her. (But I would be even more impressive because I was only 13.) So, I started my own novel about a bunch of parentless boys who smoked and fought and took too many aspirins. I even tried to give them cool names like Pony Boy and Soda Pop. (I can’t remember all the characters but my protagonist’s name was Brewster.) Unfortunately, I lost interest in Brewster’s saga on about page 9, but that’s when I knew… I wanted to be a writer.
Q: Your first novel is titled The Journal of Mortifying Moments. Where did you get the idea to write this?
I wanted to write about the disastrous relationships we all have when we’re young and insecure and how, when we look back through a window of time and distance, we can see the humor in them. So I decided to have my character, a woman in her early-thirties, keep a journal about her past dating disasters. She’d write about all the humiliating and hilarious experiences she’d had with men during high school, college, and in her twenties. But then I thought, “Why on earth would someone write all that down?” That’s when I came up with the idea to have her therapist suggest the journal as a tool to work on her current relationship… And the journal of mortifying moments was born.
Q: Do you have a certain writing routine you stick to (writing so many hours a day, anything like that?)
I have two kids so I’ve had to develop a writing routine around them. I take them to school and then I sit down to write. Over the years, I’ve realized that my most creative time is in the morning, so I try to protect those three or four hours. In the afternoon, I’m kind of burned out and writing is more of a struggle. (And in the evening, I’m practically brain dead, lying on the couch, drooling and watching Bachelor Pad.) In the summer, when the kids are on vacation, I get up early and write. Lucky for me, they like to sleep in, so I can usually get an hour or two in before they’re up.
Q: What do you think is the hardest part when you are editing your own work?
I find that if I can step away from a project for a week or more, I can go back to my manuscript with fresh eyes. Suddenly, all the problems are so glaringly obvious. The difficulty is in the walking away. Sometimes deadlines won’t allow it. And sometimes, I feel an almost compulsive need to tweak it… and tweak it and tweak it.
Q: Your latest novel, Chronicles of a Midlife Crisis, is due out in September and covers both the male and female perspective after a breakup. Where did the inspiration for this idea come from?
I wanted to challenge myself and try writing in a different voice. I’d been developing a screenplay with a male protagonist, so I was in that male headspace already. I decided to write from a male, first person point of view. Also, I’d always found it funny how two people can view the same situation so differently – especially a man and a woman.
Q: How were you able to get a man’s perspective on how he feels and behaves after a breakup?
I went back and looked at my past break ups. In my experience, men tend to get over relationships quickly – at least on the surface. Women are more likely to cry and pine and grieve for months. Men look like they’ve moved on – within a few weeks, they’re dating, partying and socializing. But eventually, they crack. Because they haven’t dealt with the loss of the relationship, they end up on the phone saying, “We were so good together. Will you take me back?” In “Chronicles of a Midlife Crisis”, Trent feels trapped in a lifeless marriage. But when single life throws him a wicked curve ball, he’s desperate to hit the rewind button.
Q: What was your biggest challenge while writing Chronicles?
It was the authenticity of the male voice. I really had to get into that headspace. My husband was a great help. I’d get him to read over chapters that were from Trent’s point of view. My husband would suggest things like: “Instead of ‘ I have to pee’… Say ‘I need to take a piss’.”
Q: What is one personal goal you would like to achieve by the end of the year?
“Chronicles of a Midlife Crisis” has been optioned for a television series. I’ve worked really hard on a pilot and a pitch document, and it’s being submitted soon. I would really love to see something happen with it by the end of the year.
Q: What book(s) are you reading right now?
This is going to sound so pretentious, but I’m reading “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” by Thomas Hardy. I was rereading “A Prayer for Owen Meany” and John Irving references “Tess…” so often. I realized that I’d never read it and probably should. But before that, I read a fun novel called “One Day” by David Nicholls.
Q: What is your advice for aspiring writers?
Write it, polish it, and submit it. I didn’t have any insider connections and I managed to secure an agent and get published. Agents really are looking for something fresh and new and exciting – and that just might be you. But you also have to know when to quit. If you’ve submitted a manuscript and it’s consistently rejected, move on. Write something else. Write it, polish it, and submit it.
Q: Where would be your dream vacation?
I’d like to rent a house with my family in the south of France for the entire summer. From there, we could take short trips into Italy and Spain. My kids speak French (I speak a little, my husband speaks none) so they’d have to do all the talking.
