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Holly Smale: I think people are starting to embrace what being 'a geek' actually means Holly Smale: I think people are starting to embrace what being 'a geek' actually means
(3 months later)
Who or what inspired you to become a writer?Primarily, it was my mum. She read me really inappropriate poetry from a very young age – Tennyson, Keats, Longfellow, Byron – and some of my first memories are crying "Mummy, tell me the one where the girl drowns!" I have obsessively loved stories ever since, and so it was natural that the minute I could hold a pencil I was trying to make up my own. Mum encouraged my imagination to be as elaborate as possible and kept all of my attempts in a box, so I'd say if I can write now it's entirely because of her. By the time I started school, I had already decided I wanted to be an author when I grew up. It's a part of who I have always been, and always will be. I owe that to my mum. Harriet is a very strong character; she's clumsy and loves books and facts. Is she very much like you at her age?Yes. We're not identical, and when I write her I think of her as a separate character, but the essence of her is basically the essence of me as a teenager. It's not just in the fact that she's geeky and loves books and falls over a lot (which I do) but in other qualities: in her naivety, in her willingness to see the best in others, in her occasional hot temper and selfishness and earnestness. I try not to write her as I want her to be, but how she is: flawed, insecure, irritating and self-obsessed at times, good-hearted and funny at others. Maybe that's why she has resonated with girls: because she is so utterly imperfect. That's something that unites all of us.Did you enjoy being a young model, and would you recommend it? How would you respond to people who say that the fashion industry is portraying an unrealistic image to young people?Honestly, I didn't enjoy it. I was far too insecure and shy, and it was essentially torture for me: I thought I was ugly, I was embarrassed, and I genuinely believed for two years that somebody, somewhere, had made a terrible mistake. I wish I could have done it again as an adult, because it was fascinating and a special experience. I just wasn't mentally equipped at that age to deal with it. As for nay-sayers, I think – as with most things – it's not black and white. Yes, fashion can portray an unrealistic image to young people: as can pop music, films, magazines, books. It can also be aspirational and inspirational, and a lot of fun. I think the key is to try and encourage young people to enjoy it in moderation and realistically, for what it is. A lot of models don't even look like models in real life. Who or what inspired you to become a writer? Primarily, it was my mum. She read me really inappropriate poetry from a very young age – Tennyson, Keats, Longfellow, Byron – and some of my first memories are crying "Mummy, tell me the one where the girl drowns!" I have obsessively loved stories ever since, and so it was natural that the minute I could hold a pencil I was trying to make up my own. Mum encouraged my imagination to be as elaborate as possible and kept all of my attempts in a box, so I'd say if I can write now it's entirely because of her. By the time I started school, I had already decided I wanted to be an author when I grew up. It's a part of who I have always been, and always will be. I owe that to my mum. Harriet is a very strong character; she's clumsy and loves books and facts. Is she very much like you at her age? Yes. We're not identical, and when I write her I think of her as a separate character, but the essence of her is basically the essence of me as a teenager. It's not just in the fact that she's geeky and loves books and falls over a lot (which I do) but in other qualities: in her naivety, in her willingness to see the best in others, in her occasional hot temper and selfishness and earnestness. I try not to write her as I want her to be, but how she is: flawed, insecure, irritating and self-obsessed at times, good-hearted and funny at others. Maybe that's why she has resonated with girls: because she is so utterly imperfect. That's something that unites all of us. Did you enjoy being a young model, and would you recommend it? How would you respond to people who say that the fashion industry is portraying an unrealistic image to young people? Honestly, I didn't enjoy it. I was far too insecure and shy, and it was essentially torture for me: I thought I was ugly, I was embarrassed, and I genuinely believed for two years that somebody, somewhere, had made a terrible mistake. I wish I could have done it again as an adult, because it was fascinating and a special experience. I just wasn't mentally equipped at that age to deal with it. As for nay-sayers, I think – as with most things – it's not black and white. Yes, fashion can portray an unrealistic image to young people: as can pop music, films, magazines, books. It can also be aspirational and inspirational, and a lot of fun. I think the key is to try and encourage young people to enjoy it in moderation and realistically, for what it is. A lot of models don't even look like models in real life.
Would you call yourself a geek, and isn't that a bit of a negative term?Yes, I would, and when I was a teenager it certainly was a negative term. There were no positive connotations twenty years ago. Now, I think people are starting to embrace what being "a geek" actually means: individual, passionate about knowledge, fascinated by the little things. Geeks have changed the world, and I think that there's no shame anymore in being unique, or single-minded, or potentially anti-social. Words have altered in meaning throughout the history of every language, and I think "geek" is slowly shifting to mean something different to what it meant when I was a child: which was, in essence, "loser". We're winning now, and nobody can ignore that. We know you like travelling; what is your favourite place to be?I love so many parts of the world – if my first passion is writing, my second is travel – but if I had to choose it would be Kitago, which is a sleepy little rice village at the southern tip of Japan. I lived there for eighteen months, and have never met sweeter people, a more beautiful environment or – frankly – better weather. The beaches are perfect and isolated, the waves perfect for surfing, the rice-fields are stunning, the mountains, the sashimi, the sunshine and cherry blossoms and palm trees… I miss it every day.Wilbur has an amazing personality and a unique way of doing things, was your agent anything like him or did you just make him up?I pretty much made Wilbur up, although my agent was vaguely flamboyant. I've met a few eccentric people in my life who probably helped to inspire him, but I only realised quite recently that his bizarre way of talking – essentially making up terms of endearment – came from my mum. She was always calling me "little moo-cat" as a child and I think I subconsciously stole it and took it to its natural conclusion with Wilbur. I do love him, though. Writing him always makes me smile.What was the best thing about writing Geek Girl and the sequels?I'm lucky in that I enjoy all the different elements of being an author – research, talking to readers, signings, festivals, touring – but the bit I love best is actually writing the books, which is handy because it makes up roughly 90% of the job. Writing can be frustrating, and lonely, and stressful, but I love the entire process: from making up the plot to getting to know the characters to finding the right words to tell the right story. There's something slightly wonderful and scary about it – there's a blank page, and then something new exists that hasn't existed before – and I always feel slightly like a magician. I've created something, and that's a good feeling.Before your success with Geek Girl, did you write any other books and would you revisit any of your old work?Before Geek Girl was even a twinkle at the end of my fingertips I wrote an entire 120,000 word adult novel. It was very serious, very earnest, and told from the perspective of six different characters, which is highly ambitious for somebody who has never written a book before. It probably has some OK bits in it – although I'm too embarrassed to read it to find out – but I was trying too hard to write "like a writer" and you can tell: there were lots of metaphors about the sparkling dew on the grass and the trembling leaves on the trees, etc. I might revisit it eventually, but it would need a total overhaul and a sense of humour injected. And a lot less dew.Have you any plans for your writing after the Geek Girl series, and would you try a different genre?I've got a few plans for books after the Geek Girl series ends – comedies for teenagers, but with a slight twist – and one day I'd love to have a go at something totally different. It's an adventure, not knowing quite what I might do but knowing I have the freedom and time to work it out. Hopefully, I have quite a few years of writing left in me, and I plan to make the most of them.What was your favourite book and who was your favourite author as a teenager?I was an old-fashioned child, and Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery was my favourite book as a teenager. I adored Anne Shirley, and – as a lonely little girl without many (any) friends – she was my literary kindred spirit. I still think it's a beautifully written series, and the characters are some of the most alive I've ever read. It's particularly interesting reading it as an adult, and seeing both how I've changed and how Anne grows up too. It's a very special book to me, and I always have more than one copy. I actually gave Harriet red hair as a grateful little nod to Anne.What is your favourite piece of clothing?I try not to get attached to objects, because the minute I do I lose them. My favourite all-time items were a brown corduroy jacket and a black belt with a gold lion clasp, but they both went missing: I still grieve them daily. Would you call yourself a geek, and isn't that a bit of a negative term? Yes, I would, and when I was a teenager it certainly was a negative term. There were no positive connotations twenty years ago. Now, I think people are starting to embrace what being "a geek" actually means: individual, passionate about knowledge, fascinated by the little things. Geeks have changed the world, and I think that there's no shame anymore in being unique, or single-minded, or potentially anti-social. Words have altered in meaning throughout the history of every language, and I think "geek" is slowly shifting to mean something different to what it meant when I was a child: which was, in essence, "loser". We're winning now, and nobody can ignore that. We know you like travelling; what is your favourite place to be? I love so many parts of the world – if my first passion is writing, my second is travel – but if I had to choose it would be Kitago, which is a sleepy little rice village at the southern tip of Japan. I lived there for eighteen months, and have never met sweeter people, a more beautiful environment or – frankly – better weather. The beaches are perfect and isolated, the waves perfect for surfing, the rice-fields are stunning, the mountains, the sashimi, the sunshine and cherry blossoms and palm trees… I miss it every day. Wilbur has an amazing personality and a unique way of doing things, was your agent anything like him or did you just make him up? I pretty much made Wilbur up, although my agent was vaguely flamboyant. I've met a few eccentric people in my life who probably helped to inspire him, but I only realised quite recently that his bizarre way of talking – essentially making up terms of endearment – came from my mum. She was always calling me "little moo-cat" as a child and I think I subconsciously stole it and took it to its natural conclusion with Wilbur. I do love him, though. Writing him always makes me smile. What was the best thing about writing Geek Girl and the sequels? I'm lucky in that I enjoy all the different elements of being an author – research, talking to readers, signings, festivals, touring – but the bit I love best is actually writing the books, which is handy because it makes up roughly 90% of the job. Writing can be frustrating, and lonely, and stressful, but I love the entire process: from making up the plot to getting to know the characters to finding the right words to tell the right story. There's something slightly wonderful and scary about it – there's a blank page, and then something new exists that hasn't existed before – and I always feel slightly like a magician. I've created something, and that's a good feeling. Before your success with Geek Girl, did you write any other books and would you revisit any of your old work? Before Geek Girl was even a twinkle at the end of my fingertips I wrote an entire 120,000 word adult novel. It was very serious, very earnest, and told from the perspective of six different characters, which is highly ambitious for somebody who has never written a book before. It probably has some OK bits in it – although I'm too embarrassed to read it to find out – but I was trying too hard to write "like a writer" and you can tell: there were lots of metaphors about the sparkling dew on the grass and the trembling leaves on the trees, etc. I might revisit it eventually, but it would need a total overhaul and a sense of humour injected. And a lot less dew. Have you any plans for your writing after the Geek Girl series, and would you try a different genre? I've got a few plans for books after the Geek Girl series ends – comedies for teenagers, but with a slight twist – and one day I'd love to have a go at something totally different. It's an adventure, not knowing quite what I might do but knowing I have the freedom and time to work it out. Hopefully, I have quite a few years of writing left in me, and I plan to make the most of them. What was your favourite book and who was your favourite author as a teenager? I was an old-fashioned child, and Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery was my favourite book as a teenager. I adored Anne Shirley, and – as a lonely little girl without many (any) friends – she was my literary kindred spirit. I still think it's a beautifully written series, and the characters are some of the most alive I've ever read. It's particularly interesting reading it as an adult, and seeing both how I've changed and how Anne grows up too. It's a very special book to me, and I always have more than one copy. I actually gave Harriet red hair as a grateful little nod to Anne. What is your favourite piece of clothing? I try not to get attached to objects, because the minute I do I lose them. My favourite all-time items were a brown corduroy jacket and a black belt with a gold lion clasp, but they both went missing: I still grieve them daily.
We know that you studied English Literature and Shakespeare at university, and we have to study him at GCSE. How relevant is Shakespeare today and do you think there's a danger that studying him might put people off reading?Honestly, I think Shakespeare still has something in it for everybody. The language is so beautiful, so inspiring, so passionate, but even if you take that away you're still left with stories that cut down to the base of emotion and what it means to be human. Jealousy, anger, fear, love, thoughtlessness, selflessness, hate: they're all there, and they will never change. Shakespeare understood the heart, and if children are put off by it might be because they're being taught to approach it as some kind of distant, unobtainable language instead of what it was written as: rollicking good stories to entertain every day people, not the elite. It's important to remember, too, that they should also always be taught as plays: Shakespeare never intended anyone to sit and just read them. The thought would have absolutely horrified him. Approach his work the right way, with fun and a sense of adventure, and it can be exciting and beautiful, not daunting. We know that you studied English Literature and Shakespeare at university, and we have to study him at GCSE. How relevant is Shakespeare today and do you think there's a danger that studying him might put people off reading? Honestly, I think Shakespeare still has something in it for everybody. The language is so beautiful, so inspiring, so passionate, but even if you take that away you're still left with stories that cut down to the base of emotion and what it means to be human. Jealousy, anger, fear, love, thoughtlessness, selflessness, hate: they're all there, and they will never change. Shakespeare understood the heart, and if children are put off by it might be because they're being taught to approach it as some kind of distant, unobtainable language instead of what it was written as: rollicking good stories to entertain every day people, not the elite. It's important to remember, too, that they should also always be taught as plays: Shakespeare never intended anyone to sit and just read them. The thought would have absolutely horrified him. Approach his work the right way, with fun and a sense of adventure, and it can be exciting and beautiful, not daunting.