Trying to write your Gibraltar novel?

Get that novel written!

My last blog post focused mainly on being a writer in the 'professional' sense of the word - copy writing, feature writing, journalism and other types of writing for which, if you're good, happen to have a contract for it and/or you stand your ground, you might well get paid.

But just in the past few days and purely by coincidence, I've had a few conversations with friends in Gibraltar who are in the throes of, or have written, or are thinking about, writing a novel. All three were equally excited about their work as they were wondered what their next steps should be and how to go about publishing these. We also spoke about what is the nebulous thing we might term the "Gibraltar novel", if, in fact any such thing exists, or whether could there be any such piece of literature?

Keeping their names confidential, this is a basic summary of the conversations:

Gina

Lockdown was great, to be honest. I had to stay at home, the weather wasn't exactly great, and although we were a bit worried about money, my husband was able to work from home so it was just me that took a pay cut and we can manage. What this did was give me the time to get down to the manuscript. I already had lots of notes from some research I'd done ages ago, and ideas I keep having that sort of pop up when I'm doing the washing up and dull things like that. I managed to get almost all of it written - just a couple of chapters to tie up loose ends and I can say I've written a novel!

Of course, that's just my first draft. It's going to take a lot more work to finish it properly but I'm really excited!

I don't think it will ever be a "Gibraltar novel". I mean what is that anyway? It's not as if that many Gibraltarians have published novels, is it? This story is set in Barcelona, where I used to live in my twenties. I've set it in the seventies - I was young then and I remember some of the way things were with my family in Spain when Franco died. It's about a working family and how they dealt with the changes that happened in Spain over time - you know, democracy, joining the EU, the whole separatist terrorist events, Spain getting all permissive compared to how it used to be...I'm excited about it. I'm going to try to see if I can get a publisher in UK because there are no proper agencies and publishers here - you have to self-publish and I'm not sure I can do all that.

I have read some local novels: Mark Sanchez (although the one I read was a bit dark for me); and also Mary Chiappe and Sam Benady, the detective novels - I read two - and they were quite enjoyable too. But I prefer something real and meaty and I'm not sure Gibraltar has enough subject matter to interest readers.

Now, I love Gina and she's pretty good at writing and I will read her novel if it ever gets published. Writing a  novel is one thing, but getting it noticed by a literary agency and having a publisher invest in publishing it involves hard, hard work and an enormous amount of luck. I wish Gina all the best. But I disagree about Gibraltar having enough subject matter. The "Gibraltar novel" is never going to be overtly about Gibraltar. It is far more likely to be about characters and it may be set here, or partly here and partly somewhere else and it will deal with all sorts of themes and issues, from historical detectives to the discontent of a student returning from university to a lacklustre career, to a story of abusive relationships, to a crime whodunit set in our glorious marinas. Gibraltar has a bit of everything in it and plenty of material to keep any writer busy for many lifetimes.

To publish.....

Imran

Lockdown was busy for me - I work in essential services. But I have had some incredible ideas because I have been working really closely with some incredible people and people are my biggest inspiration. The only thing is I don't know if I can possibly write a "Gibraltar novel" because I'm not Gibraltarian and when my contract expires I might have to go back to Manchester.

As far as writing is concerned, I've got the basic premise written out, some character sketches and a whole load of post-it notes across my living room wall sketching out the basic plot. It's quite exciting. I've written a novel before but never tried to get it published, but I might give this one a go. I'm probably going to set it in Gibraltar and perhaps have my characters travel - I'm not quite sure yet. I'm not really 'local' enough to write about Gibraltar; it would be seen as cultural appropriation, wouldn't it?

I've been reading some local authors though, which is quite interesting. I like urban fantasy novels and had read a few of Katerina Martinez novels before coming here and before realising they're written by a Gibraltarian husband and wife team! My novel is not going to be urban fantasy - my imagination doesn't run to that I'm afraid! I did think of something steamy based on essential services (I hear they can earn you a fair bit in royalties) but I'm too shy for that, so I'm sticking to a bit of intrigue and some romance, and the novel will also touch on racial tensions as I have experienced quite a bit of that over the years in different places I've worked.

I'm not sure I agree with Imran that you have to have been born here to write a "Gibraltarian novel". A writer as astute and observant and analytical as Imran can pick up the flavour of a place and the issues that dominate that society's thinking pretty quickly. Whether he leaves or not at the end of his contract, his publication would at least add to the body of Gibraltarian literature that is steadily growing. 

Jotting notes in your break helps to get the novel written!

Marie

Lockdown was horrible because I do like to get out a bit every day. I live alone and it was hard not being able to see family, but we all got through it and are here to tell the tale. I didn't think I would ever get round to writing, but I was terribly bored in lockdown so I decided to write down some of my memories of being young. I thought my grandchildren might like it - if they can ever read my handwriting. I have an iPad but I prefer to write longhand in a notebook.

Then I found that I wrote for several hours every morning, and I got carried away writing the story of how my mother met my father - she couldn't stand him when they first met, but eventually, because my father was very charming, they fell in love. But they had quite an exciting courtship because they lived in La Linea and he was involved with the Unions and when the Civil War broke out he joined the Army to fight Franco, and that meant she was in danger and she had to go into hiding....well I'm not going to tell you all of it now. As I write it I am thinking it makes a brilliant story and maybe I can turn it into a novel. I know it starts in Spain but of course, they ended up with family in Gibraltar and then were separated during the Evacuation...a very eventful life they had. Do you think anyone else other than maybe my grandchildren would be interested?

Yes, yes and yes again, Marie! Of course we would be interested. Her parents' story is part of all of our story, part of what it is to be Gibraltarian, part of what has made Gibraltar the place and the people it is today. I hope she managed to go from notebooks to setting it out as a fictionalised account or maybe a memoir. Certainly the material would suit both.

With several books a year being published by Gibraltarians, despite the difficulties of publication, the "Gibraltar novel" may well be a very real thing that our kids discuss in literature lessons in the not too distant future. Meanwhile, we await with eagerness Sanchez', Martinez', Calderon's and Durante's forthcoming publications,and more plays by Felice, among others. And mine, if I can ever get round to editing the MS!

That manuscript.....