Author Interview: Paul Bassett Davies

Paul Bassett Davies is a writer, director and actor. Over the years he has written for dozens of British radio and television shows, working with some of the biggest names in comedy, as well as writing several BBC radio plays. He also wrote the screenplay for the feature animation children's film The Magic Roundabout. His new sitcom 'Reception' is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2013.

This month his debut novel, UTTER FOLLY, has been published on kindle. I didn’t need much persuasion to buy it. If you follow him on Twitter you'll already know he’s consistently hilarious. It's an honour to have him on my blog. 

UTTER FOLLY

“The novel is a wicked comedy about an English country house weekend. When a young man visits a well-to-do friend’s family he learns some harsh lessons about love, loyalty, and the landed gentry, as his friend’s barely-legal sister tries to seduce him, he becomes a suspect in the efforts of a deranged policeman to nail a local retired rock star for drug trafficking, and ends up with all his illusions about the upper classes – including his friends – demolished.”

This is your first novel and some people might be wondering why such a prolific writer as yourself took so long! Have you been carrying this idea around with you for some time?

I came up with the idea for this book many years ago. I originally wanted to do it as a serial, and persuade people to subscribe to it, paying to receive the next chapter, once a month. This would motivate me to write to a deadline, and also emulate the way that my hero, Dickens, wrote much of his work. It wasn't a bad idea, but I got involved in other things, and the book went to the back of my mind to simmer on a low heat, which tells me I wasn't ready to write it. I eventually began it about three years ago, by which time I think it had cooked for long enough.

There are lots of ridiculous scenes in 'Utter Folly'. I particularly loved the doomed Bingo game which made me laugh out loud. How much research did you do? And honestly, what is the most you've ever won at Bingo?

I have to be careful about admitting to how much research I did as there is quite a lot about drugs in the book, and also some bizarre sex. So I'll just mutter inaudibly about that. As for the Bingo scene, it's based on something that happened to me in my youth. A lot of the things in the book are based on my own experience, and on people I've known. However, nobody is going to recognise themselves, as the characters are drawn from several different actual people, plus a lot that's purely invented. So, put away the writs, libel lawyers. I think I can honestly say that I've never won anything at Bingo. A couple of years ago the Bingo industry spent a lot of money on PR in an attempt to rebrand it's image, and convince people it wasn't just for old ladies. There was a spate of TV ads showing hip young people having a groovy time at the Bingo game. I don't think it worked.

James, your main character, is a city boy who doesn’t have the relaxing country weekend he expected. What’s your personal preference, city life or country life? 

I lived in the country for a while, in the West of England, where most of the book is based. However, I was also living in Bristol at the same time, as a result of trying to have more than one girlfriend. Which didn't really work. But I love that part of the world, and my favourite type of countryside is in Somerset and Devon. It really is England's green and pleasant land. Given the right opportunity I think I'd like to end up back there.

Do you have a position on fox hunting? 

I'd like to know how the fox feels about it. In general I'm not keen on hunting unless you eat what you kill. But even then I have doubts when it comes to grouse and pheasants. They are probably the stupidest creatures in creation. There is no sport at all in killing them. A baby could do it with a stick. A pheasant is so dumb that if you went to a quiet country lane and placed an open pan of boiling water on a small primus stove in the middle of the road, eventually a pheasant would climb in.

Which character did you enjoy writing most and why?

Great Aunt Prudence, probably. She's so old, aristocratic and entitled that she simply doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. I also liked writing Jarvis, the cop who becomes increasingly demented, although in some ways you have to be more careful and controlled than ever if you try to write about people being crazy. Someone simply raving isn't interesting. What's interesting is that people who are undergoing what we describe as a psychotic breakdown actually have a very logical, coherent and complex view of the world; it's just different from the one that most of us would call sane.

The writing process has been described endlessly and usually as a form of torture. Writer @Matthaig1 recently tweeted:  ‘Writing a novel is like trying to squeeze an elephant through a doorway. And equally likely to end in crap’. How was the process for you?

It's hard work but I love it. I'm very, very lucky. To be able to make a living as a writer, as I have done for at least some parts of my life, doing what I most love in the world, is wonderful. I consider myself blessed.

What time of day do you write best? And with what beverage, if any? 

I am very undisciplined. I try to write in the morning but not until I've had some coffee. I sometimes do some more in the afternoon and evening. I often do quite a lot of thinking before I sit at my desk. I do good work in the bath, and going for walks. Writers always have problem convincing their partners that they're actually working, when it appears that they're snoozing on the couch. It's very unfair on the partner, and I feel sorry for anyone who lives with a writer, including children and pets. When I was a lot younger I used to write under the influence of various things. It felt good, and I'd be convinced I was writing pages and pages of pure genius. Then you read it in the morning and you'd find that nearly all of it was trash. I used to reckon that you'd get about an hour of reasonable work and the rest was useless. I don't recommend it. You've got to be in it for the long game, and you need to look after yourself. Just say no, kids.

Will you be writing more novels in the future?

Yes. I've nearly finished the next one. It's called 'Dead Writers in Rehab,' because it saves having to explain what it's about.

You’re currently working on a new BBC sitcom for Radio 4. Are you allowed to tell us anything about it?

I'm not going to. There's not much to say. It's a simple set up. It's all about the characters. Character first, then story, then jokes. I don't like disclosing too much about what I'm writing in case I jinx it. I'm not superstitious - just slightly stitious. A lot of writers are like that, which is an interesting dilemma, because one of the ways you're meant to build an online profile, and engage with readers, is by talking to them about what you're doing. I didn't talk much about the content of 'Utter Folly' while I was writing it. But I did something I don't think anyone else had thought of yet: I held an online book launch party on Twitter and created a hashtag: #VirtualBookLaunch. That was fun.

Have you got any tips for aspiring writers?

Just one. Persevere.

UTTER FOLLY is available to BUY  from Amazon for just £2.49

Paul Basset Davies blogs at www.thewritertype.blogspot.com

The Dangers of Writing Who You Know

Imagine that a character in your book walks into your workplace frothing at the mouth because they know what you’ve done. 

They've read every word you've written about them and they don't like it.

This is the subject of my GUEST BLOG for Wattpad. 

Read more.

How to Write a Serialized Novel

Materials Required: Cork board, post-its, map pins, pens,
mug of hot liquid, laptop

Prepare – Write a big chunk of the book before you post the first chapter. Otherwise you risk being unable to produce Chapter 2 which could lead to an inferiority complex and the belief that you're a useless writer with no ideas. The latter may be true but there’s no need to let the world know.

Get out of bed – Obvious and yet often quite tricky. You must resist the urge to melt into the warm embrace of your partner, cat, dog, chimp, water bottle, pillow... Do not be fooled by the voice, inner or otherwise, that calls out for ‘Five more minutes’. Before you know it 5 minutes have turned into an hour of strange dreams and your writing slot has come and gone. Remind yourself that the reward of completing a serialized novel will be much greater than a few more minutes cuddling someone or something that you may well be cuddling for the rest of your life anyway.  

Fuel – Put the kettle on while your computer is warming up. A hot tea will replace the cuddles you have sacrificed by getting up early. Tea, in this case, refers to any hot liquid in a mug, including coffee, perfumed herbal stuff (although I can’t recommend it) and water with something in it, like a floating lemon, slice of orange or spoon of honey. Don’t be too imaginative, you need to save your imagination  for your upcoming chapters.

Write  - The first hour is crucial. Do not check your mail, do not tweet, do no comment on banal facebook statuses, do not comment on interesting facebook statuses, do not ‘like’ anything. Write. Write. Write. Don’t edit, don’t reread. Don't play about with the font. Don't text people to tell them that you finally did it, you finally got up early to write. Just write damn it! 

Edit –  Edit a chapter a couple of days before you post it. For the purpose of continuity you might need to read the whole book from time to time. It might be that you've forgotten your character is supposed to have a limp, in which case you’ll need to reinstate it (he’ll forgive you in time).

Trust – Your pre-written chunk of novel provides a buffer when you get stuck. When this unhappy time comes and you’re staring at a blank screen with tears in your eyes and demons in your mind, keep calm. ‘Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen,’ said the essayist, Ralph Waldo Emerson (along with a bunch of other people on twitter). You have committed to this project and you will finish it. Sit on the floor with your cork board of post-its and trust that an idea will come.

My serialized novel SPRAY PAINTED BANANAS is live on Wattpad.com 

I post chapters every Monday and Thursday.

ShopGirl: The Second Coming

Do you remember that chandelier shop on
Tower Bridge Road?

For over 2 years we were closing our shop.

We were closing so long that it became funny.

Have you seen the Shopgirl blog trailer?

You know the bit at the end where Blake Harrison does his cameo:

Blake: Are you closing?

Shopgirl (Katy Wix): Yeah

Blake: Not closing down though?

Shopgirl: Uh, yeah

Blake: But you’ll keep the shop, yeah?

...

Yeah, well, that was supposed to be a joke.

You see, at the end of our closing down sale, we moved our remaining stock upstairs and a vintage furniture and flag shop moved in called ‘Lost & Found’.

I suppose I should’ve known that while there were chandeliers in the building, it was not over.

The other give-away was that our stock kept growing.

I was working one day a week to help dress chandeliers for wholesale but not all of those lights left the building.

Most offices are illuminated with grim low energy lights but ours is heaving with sparkling crystal chandeliers.  

In the back of my mind I always knew these lights would eventually need to find a home.

And now the time has come.

The furniture and flag shop has announced they are leaving.

That means that there will be an empty shop below us.

You can guess the next part.

Well, there’s no point in keeping 150 chandeliers hidden away in an office, is there?

FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY (I’ve heard that before!) from November, the chandelier shop on Tower Bridge will be making a second appearance.

I don’t think there’s much point changing the shop name.

‘Lost & Found’ couldn’t be any more appropriate.

Our Chandelier Showroom

         (and yes, that is me trying not to laugh at the end)                 

To view some of our lights visit www.crystalpluslighting.com 
Or call:  0207 357 7244
Be warned, they are far more beautiful in the flesh. 

Launch of Serialised Novel: Spray Painted Bananas

My serialised novel Spray Painted Bananas launches today on Wattpad.com

It's a romantic comedy about Amber, a broke temp working in a catering firm in London, who after years of scrounging free wine from wacky art gallery openings with her best friend Farrell, decides there’s no reason she can’t become a conceptual artist herself. 

I'll be posting 2 chapters to begin with and then one chapter per week. 

Please come and find me on Wattpad and VOTE if you'd like me to continue the story!

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

There comes a point in your life when you can’t go on being scared. For me that point comes regularly, most often after my third glass of free wine. I say ‘free’ because I do most of my drinking at posh gallery openings. I stand in the middle of them, look around me at all the glamorous individuals muttering appreciatively and I pretend I’m in my natural environment. I pretend I’m an art collector and select pieces for my many rooms in my many mansions, and then I get the bus home.

If Londoners complain that booze is too expensive it’s because they’re not making the effort to track down the free stuff. There must be a show opening every evening of the week in this city and as long as you can stomach a bit of pretentious chatter then you can succeed in having an entertaining and cheap night out.

My partner in crime tonight is my best friend Farrell. He works part-time in a book shop and is as broke as I am. Pretending to acknowledge the striking composition of a randomly placed chair or the depth of meaning of some paint-splattered socks suspended from the ceiling is a small sacrifice to pay for a few complimentary beverages. We’d volunteer our comments if it meant getting free nibbles, but unfortunately the art industry seems to survive on a liquid diet only. And also no one particularly wants our comments.

Tonight the artist’s chosen materials are thick paint and reclaimed plywood. Plywood which has been reclaimed from skips, though judging by the state of them I’d be more inclined to say reclaimed from war zones. It’s the most traditional exhibition we’ve seen in ages. There’s still a concept thrown in though; there’s always got to be a concept typed up and displayed on a wall to be mulled over for months to come. Farrell and I prefer to make them up as we walk around.

A lot of strange things make it into galleries. Frankly I don’t know what went wrong with creating something you might actually want to put in your living room. I like landscapes but a landscape in the world of conceptual art could be anything from a peanut on a stick to a video of a talking meringue.  

The show is called Life & Death of a Ghost and is made up of five paintings on rough sheets of plywood and a stuffed chicken. The artist, who goes by the name of ‘Ghost’ has only used two colours, grey and green. Contrary to what you’d expect, the greener the subject the more dead they are supposed to be. The chicken is a grey lump. This means the chicken is alive. And yet it is stuffed. 

Continue reading on Wattpad...

'SHOPGIRL BLOG' TASTER FOR SITCOM - Starring Katy Wix as ShopGirl

          

I'm so happy to be able to share with you the final edit of the Shopgirl Blog Film. It stars Katy Wix (Not Going Out) as Shopgirl and Annette Badland (Torchwood) as Mum. It also features a cameo by Blake Harrison (Inbetweeners).

For the background story you can read the blog post I wrote not long after we shot the film in my Mum's chandelier shop, 'ShopGirl: Take 1, Camera, Action!'

A massive thanks to all the crew and cast who made it possible. It was a great experience and I'm thrilled with the result. 

Signed copies of my book 'Shop Girl Diaries' are available to order from My Books. 

How (Not) To Make a Book Trailer

                   

Once I’d decided to take on the challenge to write a serialised novel I knew I needed a book trailer. Words aren’t enough anymore. Writers need to know how to use images, audio and special effects to promote their work.

The problem is I had no idea how to make a video.

I spent a whole Sunday fiddling about with Windows Movie Maker and had nothing to show for it at the end.

‘You’re not supposed to know how to make one,’ my husband said, trying to make me feel better about what I felt was a complete and utter waste of a day.

But I wanted to know! 

'I'm not aiming for an Oscar!' I said. 'Just a basic video with pictures moving to a bit of music...'

Do you often hear yourself saying, ‘I’m not technically-minded’? Do you say it when you secretly want to be technically- minded? Well, don’t say it anymore because the more you say it the harder it will be to change. Open up to the possibility and you might just surprise yourself!

Thanks to Paul Carroll’s article in Writing Magazine, I learnt about Kevin Macleod and FMA (Free Music Archive) where I could browse through thousands of tunes to use for my video.  

Great! I had music but no pictures.

I realised after that frustrating Sunday that I was never going to find free pictures to illustrate the idea I had in my head.  

Not willing to be defeated, I began to draw.

I only draw once a year usually and that’s in August just before my Dad’s birthday. He’s been collecting my homemade cards since I was little and they make him so happy that I can’t possibly stop now. 

Step 1 I drew

Step 2 I scanned the drawing into my computer

Step 3 I edited them in Paint (colouring in with a mouse can be very tedious so background music is essential, a glass of wine helps too).
Step 4 I added pictures to the easy-to-use timeline.

Paint is old-school I know, but I wasn’t going to wait around until I’d learned Photoshop. You've got to start somewhere.

I loved making it and although it’s not very polished or professional, I think it captures the mood I’ve been in since starting Spray Painting Bananas: 

Upbeat and happy!

My first chapter should be out on Monday 15^th October on wattpad.com – so sign up and come find me!

  
Meanwhile I hope you enjoy my lovingly-made book trailer:

                    

If you like it, share it!