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Sophie Duffy, winner of the 2006 Yeovil Literary Prize
Sophie Duffy won First Place in the 2006 Yeovil Literary competition for her novel, The Generation Game. One of the Yeovil Literary Prize judges, Katie Fforde comments: "This is very powerful writing. You draw your reader in immediately and combine wit and poignancy to very powerful effect…Excellent."
Sophie writes:
Six years ago we moved from a fast-paced life in London to quiet, wind-blown Worthing. It was a cultural shock and apart from the beach hut there was little escape from my day-to-day routine, looking after three young, wild children. So I enrolled in a creative writing evening class, knowing that I'd like to write but with no idea of what form this would take. I soon realised I was no poet and all my attempts at short stories turned into longer narratives. My tutor, novelist Jan Henley, was very supportive and encouraged me to apply for an MA. I chose Lancaster, partly because I'd been an English undergraduate there (in the days of The Smiths, big hair and full maintenance grants) but mainly due to the fact I could study by distance learning which offered the flexibility I needed.
The MA was a huge financial commitment. I had to take out a career development loan to pay for the fees. I also taught in my daughter's playgroup in the mornings and sold Avon door-to-door in the evenings. Despite the time constraints, I wrote a novel from scratch over the two year course, fitted into short time slots throughout the day (and sometimes night). It is now locked away in the bottom drawer and I am quite happy for it to remain there; it is the novel that had to be written - all that personal 'stuff' which is now thankfully purged from the system.
In retrospect, I am glad I wrote that novel. I could've chosen an easier option, worked on something I'd previously written, gone for a more straightforward format, but then I wouldn't have got nearly as much out of the course. It was technically challenging as I'd chosen a dual first person narration which got in as close as possible to the characters' consciousness. I learnt a lot about the craft of writing, in particular about narrative viewpoint which has become a particular interest. I also learnt how to wade through a quagmire of student critiques, some threatening to pull me down, some guiding me on. In a group of people there will inevitably be conflicting opinions. In the end I had to trust my instincts; if a criticism reflected what I knew deep down, then I would listen to that one. This is all very tricky for a novelist. Other students only ever see a tissue sample of the overall body of work; you can try and give as much background information as possible but in the end critiques can only go so far. That is when the relationship with the tutor comes in. Only he or she knows exactly what you are trying to do. They can comment on the structure, character development, the narrative arc, etc. My tutor, Graham Mort, constantly pushed me to go further, to experiment, not to settle for 'safe'. He would question me like a detective inspector and made me realise that you have to know your characters inside out. Every little foible. Otherwise cracks will appear in the story. Above all he helped me develop my self-criticism which in the end, I suppose, is the most important tool for a writer to have.
During the months that followed the MA, I felt quite despondent about the whole process of writing. I'd invested so much in the novel and it felt like it was all for nothing as I couldn't get an agent interested. I began to seriously question whether I should continue putting in all that time and effort when I had a family to think of, a mortgage to be paid, etc, etc. Maybe writing was just a luxury. An act of self-indulgence. Maybe I needed to put the whole writing thing aside and get a proper job ... which I might well have done had it not been for Carol Anderson, a fellow student, who continued to encourage me despite the geographical distance between us. And then there was Graham, who basically told me to get a grip and write short stories - which was the last thing I wanted to do. But he was right. I got a grip, wrote several stories and, from then, things began to happen.
After another move, this time to my childhood home of Teignmouth, on the south Devon coast, I found inspiration for my next novel The Generation Game which grew from one of those short stories - Out of the Birdcage (which was long-listed for the Asham Award 2006). I wanted to write something upbeat, about family, a quirky inter-generational story that would cover a forty year span. I hoped it would be a straightforward linear plot but unfortunately by the time I'd written the first chapter I realised there was going to be a dual time frame that would give Philippa, an omniscient first person narrator, some perspective.
I also wanted to write a novel that could be categorised as 'lit lite', a subset of literary fiction coined by Debbie Taylor of Mslexia. A book that would appeal to the sort of reader who belongs to a reading group. That would be challenging enough to satisfy the heavy reader but not off-putting to the 'intelligent Richard and Judy viewer'. I was determined to write a readable story that could be marketed by a publisher. I was more pragmatic, more focused, and actually, at long last, really enjoying what I was writing.
I joined the Exeter and District Writers Club whose members helped me continue to develop. I soon had a short story accepted for publication for Dark Tales but my big break came when I was told I'd won the novel section of the Yeovil Literary Prize last July with the first three chapters and synopsis of The Generation Game . I won £500(!) and was approached by literary agent David Smith who asked to read what I'd written so far (around 30,000 words). He and his business partner Annette Green liked it and I signed up with them in the autumn. I have finished the first draft (around 104,000 words) and David is currently reading it. The aim is to get the manuscript as good as possible before approaching any publishers.
Another opportunity springing from the Yeovil Prize was being invited to sit on a panel debating the Booker short-list at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil last October where I had to speak on Carry Me Down by MJ Hyland. One of the other panellists was Fay Weldon, my all time literary hero, a charming, unassuming and funny woman. The evening really gave me confidence that I could speak in public to a room full of adults.
Entering competitions has been the best way for me to get my work seen. Competition deadlines give me something to work towards, incentive to write and the knowledge I've got something 'out there'. They offer possibilities and opportunities for all sorts of things to happen. 2006 was a positive year for me. Meanwhile the future is, of course, uncertain, as it is for every writer. I just have to wait and see what David thinks of The Generation Game , to look forward to rewrites and to start thinking about the next novel which is just now easing its way into my head ...
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