Black Rock by Amanda Smyth
Amanda Smyth was born in Ireland to Irish/Trinidadian parents. She grew up in Yorkshire, but visited Trinidad regularly. Her short stories have been published in New Writing, London Magazine and broadcast on Radio 4. On publication of her 2009 novel, Black Rock, she was chosen as one of Waterstone’s New Voices 2009.
Amanda was awarded an Arts Council Grant for her first novel. Black Rock has been described by Anita Sethi of the Independent as ‘a vivid and compelling story, exploring the extent of our control over our destinies.’
Lime Tree Can’t Bear Orange by Amanda Smyth (US title of Black Rock) has been nominated for the 41st NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) Image Awards in the Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author category.
Black Rock/Lime Tree Can’t Bear Orange was chosen as one of Oprah Winfrey’s Summer Reads.
KM. Amanda, you attended creative writing workshops in Trinidad and completed an MA in creative writing at the prestigious University of East Anglia in 2000. Some people are dubious about the value of trying to teach creative writing. What do you feel you gained from your writing training?
AS. In Trinidad I was lucky enough to find Wayne Brown, a wonderful writer and teacher/mentor. His teaching manner was direct and tough, and at first I didn’t think I could take it. But I soon realised how much I was learning and I asked him to give me extra homework. He told me that I had talent, but that I needed to work very hard. Time was passing; although my writing showed strength and promise, I was older than I should be. (I was 29!)
Whenever Wayne edited a piece of work, a story or a poem, I would put my original writing next to his, and compare the two – every word, every comma, semi colon, full stop. It was a great way to learn.
At UEA, in a workshop environment I benefited from sharing my work with a class, and I learned how to critique other people’s work, too. That was a new thing for me, and an area where I wasn’t very confident. I didn’t have a first degree; studying for an MA was my first university experience.
KM. Do you prefer to write short fiction or novels? And what is it you like about your favoured genre?
AS. I prefer to write novels at the moment, but that might change. At one time I would only write short stories.
KM. You seem to have led a relatively exciting and unconventional life so far. Do you think your background has contributed to your capacity for creativity?
AS. I believe we mine ourselves for our stories, mostly. Or at least, I do. So my experiences definitely feed my imagination. I have never been particularly happy in a conventional situation.
KM. I understand that Black Rock was originally inspired by a true story that came from your childhood. Are there other powerful memories lurking that might (even as we speak) be evolving into a new novel?
AS. Yes!
KM. In the Black Rock acknowledgments you thank your mother and grandmother for sharing their stories with you. How have they responded to what you have created?
AS. My mother is very pleased that all the hard work has paid off, I think. And my grandmother was proud, especially at my book launch in Trinidad. She was always so generous with her stories about the family; she was a very good and entertaining storyteller. My mother is, too.
KM. You worked as an actor when you were younger. I like your main protagonist, Celia, because she is so vivid and multifaceted. How much of yourself (if anything) do you see in Celia?
AS. Growing up, I always felt like the odd one out, never quite sure where I belonged. This sense of displacement is something Celia feels, and it leads to insecurity. Like Celia, for a time I looked for security in all the wrong places.
KM. Celia is mixed race and black. Lime Tree Can’t Bear Orange (US title of Black Rock) has been nominated for the 41st NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) Image Awards (Congratulations!) How tricky is it to step in to the character of someone from a culture that is different from your own?
AS. I never felt that far removed from Celia, really. As I said in the previous question, Celia is driven by a need to find her roots, her place in the world, and this would have been true whether she was black or white. I could relate to that.
KM. I have heard you speak about character development and you say you find that plot evolves from character. Can you tell us a bit about this process?
AS. In the early drafts of Black Rock, I had a fixed idea of my plot. However, when I tried to force my characters into this plot, it just didn’t work. There was a certain point where I had to strip it right back, sit down with Celia and ask her what she wanted to do, how she would end her story. I hope that doesn’t sound pretentious, it really was like that.
KM. There is a terrible poignancy for me in the fact that Celia is speaking to her Aunt Sula about going to university one moment and being kitted out in a maids uniform soon after. Black Rock is set half a century ago; do you feel the injustice inherent in this scenario continues to this day?
AS. Not in the same way. Celia was very poor, and because of that her options were limited. That must be true today, to some extent, for young people in rural Trinidad and Tobago.
KM. One Black Rock reviewer commends how you write local patois in a way that is ‘energetically conjured’. I sometimes find colloquial language difficult to read but I had no problem with the speech in Black Rock. Is representing vernacular something you find easy or challenging?
AS. Celia’s voice came quite easily to me. But there were parts in the novel where I wondered if her patois slips a bit; it’s important to keep an eye on these things.
KM. I enjoyed the way you avoided cliché in your Black Rock characters and in situations. For example, Celia is our heroine but, even as a young girl, she is a pragmatic liar; she claims she is ill to avoid a visit to Roman Bartholomew’ mother; she says that the grubby maids’ uniform is not in the drawer to avoid wearing it; (both examples delighted me). Are you aware of working to confound expectations and avoid stereotypes in your writing?
AS. I can’t say that I’m aware of doing this consciously. In earlier drafts I wanted Celia to be more devious and dislikeable. But it didn’t really work.
KM. Recently, the Guardian asked authors for their top ten writing tips. What is the single best piece of writing advice you have received? And do you follow it?
AS. Wayne Brown used to tell me to read a writer at least ten years older than myself, that way they have something to teach you.
KM. Thank you, Amanda. It was lovely to meet you and a great treat to get to ask you these questions!
Interview by Kim McGowan
Links:
Independent review by Anita Sethi