Ask the Author: Emma Grey
Answered Questions (6)
Emma Grey
My teen daughters are huge fans of various bands - 5SOS, 1D, The 1975 and a heap of others. I used to be a huge fan of various bands at their age in the 80s.
I first had the idea for Unrequited sitting in the audience at a One Direction concert with my kids, loving the fangirling and wondering what it would be like if there was a girl there who didn't want to be...
Then I heard a story of a young singer/songwriter who had survived the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, and had changed all of her senior subject choices from maths, physics, chemistry and so on, to music, art and dance—against her parents' and teachers' wishes. She's gone on to become a fabulously successful singer and songwriter because she stood up for her passion, and knew she had the talent to do it.
So I thought, 'what if the girl in the audience was like her ... and also unfairly prejudiced about the band...'
I first had the idea for Unrequited sitting in the audience at a One Direction concert with my kids, loving the fangirling and wondering what it would be like if there was a girl there who didn't want to be...
Then I heard a story of a young singer/songwriter who had survived the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, and had changed all of her senior subject choices from maths, physics, chemistry and so on, to music, art and dance—against her parents' and teachers' wishes. She's gone on to become a fabulously successful singer and songwriter because she stood up for her passion, and knew she had the talent to do it.
So I thought, 'what if the girl in the audience was like her ... and also unfairly prejudiced about the band...'
Emma Grey
Sometimes I'm NOT inspired to write, but I write anyway. Those times often end up being the most productive and fun. I used to wait for 'inspiration to hit' and conditions to be 'perfect' (quiet house, mood music, candles, cup of tea...) but then I recognised that for what it was (procrastination) and started writing ANYWHERE. ANYTIME. Ten minutes in the car outside the ballet studio waiting for my daughter - get down a couple of paragraphs. Twenty minutes til my fave TV show (Offspring on Channel 10 in Australia) comes on - write another scene.
Most of the plot ideas and much of the dialogue came to me driving in the car, and then it was a matter of remembering this til I got to the keyboard (and not looking like a lunatic, talking to myself at traffic lights, pretending to be Angus or Sarah or Kat or Joel...)
Most of the plot ideas and much of the dialogue came to me driving in the car, and then it was a matter of remembering this til I got to the keyboard (and not looking like a lunatic, talking to myself at traffic lights, pretending to be Angus or Sarah or Kat or Joel...)
Emma Grey
First things first—I think Unrequited needs to be a screenplay...
I'm also editing a teen novel that I wrote a couple of years ago and have a third teen novel in my mind, and then an adult novel. I'll need to get all these characters to form an orderly queue!
I'm also editing a teen novel that I wrote a couple of years ago and have a third teen novel in my mind, and then an adult novel. I'll need to get all these characters to form an orderly queue!
Emma Grey
I first knew that I would one day write a novel when I was fourteen. I'm now forty, and here it is. I couldn't have written this one twenty years ago (for a start, there was no social media, which features heavily in the storyline).
All along, though, I was watching people. (Not in a freaky, stalky way - just 'people watching'). The best thing anyone can do as an aspiring writer is 'look up'.
All along, though, I was watching people. (Not in a freaky, stalky way - just 'people watching'). The best thing anyone can do as an aspiring writer is 'look up'.
Emma Grey
You get to escape into a fantasy world, and get to carry that world with you, in your mind, wherever you go. I'd be sitting at the traffic lights, in Kat's world, or doing the grocery shopping, in Kat's world. I loved it, and felt a bit bereft when the story was finished.
Emma Grey
After my first book was published, I was terrified of writing another one that wouldn't be 'good enough'. For a few years, I dealt with this by avoiding writing anything other than 'work stuff'.
The National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) came to my rescue, forcing me to blurt out 1500 words a day regardless of quality, for a month, until it became a habit. The lack of time to re-read, edit and perfect yesterday's work was just what I needed.
You can't edit a blank page. Begin before you are ready.
The National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) came to my rescue, forcing me to blurt out 1500 words a day regardless of quality, for a month, until it became a habit. The lack of time to re-read, edit and perfect yesterday's work was just what I needed.
You can't edit a blank page. Begin before you are ready.
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