Ask the Author: Claire Hennessy
Answered Questions (16)
Claire Hennessy
Boris Johnson and Donald Trump were in power. Wait, that was real.
Claire Hennessy
- Anne Enright, The Wren, The Wren (out Sept)
- Leigh Bardugo, Ninth House
- Lauren Mackenzie, The Couples
- Holly Bourne, You Could Be So Pretty
- Tom Hanks, The Making Of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece
- Leigh Bardugo, Ninth House
- Lauren Mackenzie, The Couples
- Holly Bourne, You Could Be So Pretty
- Tom Hanks, The Making Of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece
Claire Hennessy
BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER, which is this amazing satirical comedy about a girl sent to one of those terrible gay-conversion-therapy programmes. It has Natasha Lyonne as the clueless cheerleader who falls for cynical, beautiful Clea DuVall. It was my absolute favourite movie as a 16-year-old & I was hopelessly smitten with Clea & yes it's nearly 20 years old now but goddammit it needed to be included. :)
Claire Hennessy
'Why do smart confident women still feel like insecure teenagers when faced with nasty humans on the internet?'
(Answer: because said humans act like bitchy teenage girls at their very worst, and that is a terrifying thing.)
(Answer: because said humans act like bitchy teenage girls at their very worst, and that is a terrifying thing.)
Claire Hennessy
In terms of ideas: I think about my obsessions and interests and go from there. In terms of actually getting stuff down on the page: word count goals and deadlines. :) It's easy to spend endless amount of time *thinking* about writing but you need to actually *start* at some point...
Claire Hennessy
So many! I get inspired by all the writers I read but I love the work ethics of Sarah Dessen and Marian Keyes especially - women who keep going with their projects no matter what. <3
Claire Hennessy
Thank you muchly much! <3 That is such a kind thing to say. My #1 ambition is to keep writing and to keep developing as a writer - to write more and to write better. I want to write books/stories I can be proud of and feel like there's something in there that matters. I'm really pleased with my forthcoming YA novel, Like Other Girls, which includes some topics very close to my heart but (hopefully) never veers into preachy territory. It's really easy to start self-censoring as soon as you start writing - we're encouraged to do it, in fact - but it's not the path to good writing, good stories, good art.
Claire Hennessy
'Being a writer' is such a nebulous term and varies from person to person. Like so many writers, I have other jobs and they take up much of my time and energy... and I feel this question is geared much more towards people who are full-time writers.
'Being a writer' - what does that even mean? At what point do you Become 'A Writer' in the sense of Goodreads questions, which is to say, full of privilege and pride?
Here is what I like about actually writing: I like getting lost in the story. I like when there are moments that make me cry, because I am pretty sure they will make the reader cry. I like when I find a funny bit, because I think/know funny bits are underrated, but actually, if you can make a reader laugh you can make them do anything. I like the sense of satisfaction of finishing a project, of it being ready (insofar as it can ever be) to go out into the world.
About being A Writer I guess it is: hearing from readers. Hearing that they have laughed. Or cried. Or related. That's what you're going for, always. That's your goal.
'Being a writer' - what does that even mean? At what point do you Become 'A Writer' in the sense of Goodreads questions, which is to say, full of privilege and pride?
Here is what I like about actually writing: I like getting lost in the story. I like when there are moments that make me cry, because I am pretty sure they will make the reader cry. I like when I find a funny bit, because I think/know funny bits are underrated, but actually, if you can make a reader laugh you can make them do anything. I like the sense of satisfaction of finishing a project, of it being ready (insofar as it can ever be) to go out into the world.
About being A Writer I guess it is: hearing from readers. Hearing that they have laughed. Or cried. Or related. That's what you're going for, always. That's your goal.
Claire Hennessy
Write your truth.
Claire Hennessy
Just write. Even if it's just a rant about your day or how terrible people are, just write. Don't worry if it's rubbish. Get it down on the page and fix later.
Claire Hennessy
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
Claire Hennessy
I'm waiting on copyedits for my next YA novel, LIKE OTHER GIRLS, which will be published by Hot Key Books in May. It's about a teenage girl who thinks a lot - probably too much - about what it means to be 'a girl', and about what it means to have a female body (which aren't necessarily the same thing, as her queer-teen support group reminds her). Also about musicals and Catholic schools and Irish reproductive rights and drinking. Obvs.
Claire Hennessy
Lucy & Daniel in Marian Keyes's LUCY SULLIVAN IS GETTING MARRIED. The older-brother's-friend-who's-known-you-for-years thing is one of my favourite tropes, and with this there's also the additional loveliness that he's a guy who knows about the girl's history of depression - and who understands it but doesn't (unrealistically, problematically) cure it.
Claire Hennessy
I think I'll always write books for teens PLUS something else. It's a field I really love and still get really excited by. I can't see myself ever stepping away from it entirely.
Claire Hennessy
Out of context, obviously some of the comments Annabel makes about weight and value are upsetting (and we don't necessarily know she's talking about clinical obesity, either - pretty much anyone who's not a stick figure is Too Much, as far as Annabel's concerned). In context - which should be pretty clear from the title, the cover, the blurb and the Hot Key topic wheel on the back cover - I hope they're a realistic insight into how someone very troubled thinks about weight. Annabel thought this way and she's dead. It's not exactly an advertisement for them. There's a real tendency in online discussions especially to take things out of context and get enraged by them, which I don't think is helpful - novels are novels, not pieces of journalism or manifestos.
Claire Hennessy
It really depends. First drafts can be quick but then there might be lots of revising & editing - or they might be slower but involve a lot more planning and thinking. And then there's other things you're doing at the same time (e.g. I teach and edit) so it's not quite as linear as it might seem. Somewhere between 3 months and 3 years. :)
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