The Making of Her
by Susie Nott-Bower

During more of an obstacle course than a career path, Susie Nott-Bower has moved from teaching to typing, from painting to PA-ing and from theatre dressing to television directing, where she worked with both children and animals. Her best job was making programmes for the BBC and Channel 4. Her worst was zipping hot, cross actors into giant fluffy costumes for The Honey Monster Magic Yellow Welly Show on the end of Bournemouth pier. Her most embarrassing experience was when her midriff made an unprecedented appearance behind Sue Lawley on BBC News during a stint as The Worst Floor Manager In The World. Writing keeps her indoors, but probably not out of trouble. The Making of Her is her debut novel, published by Linen Press.

Cyprus Well caught up with Susie to chat about what it's like to be published for the first time.

The Making of Her is your first novel. Can you tell us a bit about the experience of being published for the first time?

Firstly, of course, there was sheer exhilaration – and gratitude - after years of rejections from agents, which ranged from the encouraging to the downright brutal. Linen Press is a small but growing publisher of women’s fiction based in Edinburgh, which is fast gaining a reputation for bringing quality women’s fiction to the market. Their response was immediate and positive, and after suggesting some revisions, they offered me a contract. What followed was, in effect, a year’s mentoring with an excellent editor as we worked through The Making of Her together, chapter by chapter. And then, a steep learning curve into all the other aspects of publishing: the cover design (Linen Press fully involved me in the choice of image and design), the copy-editing and now (most terrifying) the marketing.

The novel is about middle-aged characters who are struggling to find their way in a youth obsessed culture. Did your own experiences influence the story?

I began writing The Making of Her as a middle-aged woman – a time when, if society is to be believed, most women become ‘invisible’ unless they resort to cosmetic surgery. And most of my career was spent at the BBC, where older female presenters are in the minority. The Making of Her is set in a television station where Clara, a middle-aged producer, is forced to direct an ‘extreme makeover’ show in order to boost ratings. I have always been fascinated by transformation and its guises. The Making of Her asks whether change come from the inside out, or from the outside in.

When you have a germ of an idea for a novel, how do you begin to plan for the writing stage? Do you map events in advance, for example, or do you simply begin?

The Making of Her began on a How To Write A Novel course with Jane Pollard at University College, Falmouth. I turned up, bright eyed, bushy-tailed and rosy-spectacled, clutching the beginning of a novel - only to be told to begin again, from scratch. This turned out to be wise advice – that evening at the kitchen table ideas tumbled onto paper and the structure of The Making of Her evolved. I think I’m a ‘plotter’ rather than a ‘pantser’ (writing by the seat of the pants). Having a loose structure gives me a foundation to start from and provides a set of ‘markers’ to aim for. However, these often change radically during the course of the writing. But I’m not an adventurous traveller, in life or in writing – I need a bit of a map.

Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on at the moment?

At the moment I’m proof-reading The Making of Her before it finally goes off to the printers, learning to write a press release, setting up a website and sending out begging letters for reviews, articles, interviews and events. Scary stuff! I’m about a third through a new novel, Reborn, about painting, magic and rebirth. And I have an almost-completed non-fiction book about creativity and personal development gathering dust which I hope may one day see the light of day.

Are there any writers that have particularly inspired you? Which modern writers do you enjoy?

As a child, C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books were my inspiration because they took me to the imaginative world, a place where I felt I ‘belonged’. As an adult, I’ve loved Wendy Perriam, Jane Gardam, Barbara Trapido, Mary Wesley and Mavis Cheek – writers who poke gentle fun at the idiosyncrasies of the middle classes and who write eccentric characters who are out of step with the culture they live in.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who wish to see their work published?

1. Be tenacious. Develop the paradoxical qualities of a thick skin and an
open, creative sensitivity. The road to publication is long and hard for most of us. Hope only dies the day you give up.
2. Listen to critique, because it may reveal problem areas in your work.
But solve the problems in your own way. Never write someone else’s book.
3. Read, read, read.
4. Write, write, write. (I need to take my own advice!)

There has been a lot of media attention around e-books recently. How do you feel about these digital developments?

The Luddite in me cowers and squeaks. And no-one will ever sniff an e-reader, revel in its crisp new pages or run their fingers over its gorgeous cover. But e-books are the future, and I can certainly see the benefit of being able to carry thousands of books around in one hand. However, there are dangers: once anything becomes digital: it’s easier to copy and share content around millions of people. The majority of writers serve a long, long apprenticeship and, even when they do begin to make money, they often earn well below the breadline. Losing ownership of our own work and its rewards concerns me.

Thank you Susie!

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