Andrea Mayes was born in the north of England in 1955 and emigrated to Melbourne in 1976.  She has written stories and poetry since she was a child.  Her writing has won awards and commendations and has been published in literary magazines, anthologies, newspapers, and broadcast by the ABC.  Her critically acclaimed novel, The Rose Notes (Penguin 2005), interweaving the stories of two families in a fictional southern Riverina landscape, is listed for VCE Literature Studies 2008/9/10.  Her second novel, Shearwater (Penguin 2007, 2008) tells the story of Cassie Callinan as she learns to to handle one of life’s more brutal surprises with her own brand of courage and humour.  A journey of self-discovery set amidst the peculiarities, loyalties and secrets of a fictional fishing village in south-west Victoria, Shearwater reached the Top Ten Bestsellers list nationally.  The novels are available through any good bookshop.  The Rose Notes is also available as an audio book, and the audio version of Shearwater will be released later in 2008.  The author has recently returned from Naracoorte in South Australia, where she has been researching limestone landscapes for her third book.

Photo by Patrick Byrne

Chey Birch of Simplicity Works interviews Andrea Mayes:

When did you start writing?

I can't remember a time when I didn't write.  Even when I was very young, I was always scribbling and folding up bits of paper to make my 'books'.  I was the eldest of five children and I think writing has always been my secret place to go to.

What did you start with? i.e - poems, short stories, scripts.

I started writing poems when I was very young and graduated to stories later.  Mum used to send my poems off to local newspapers like The Burnley Star, so I had the dizzy experience of seeing my name in print at an early age.  I think I was nine or ten before I began to write stories down and invent characters.

How did you learn your craft? (study, how-to guides, etc) 

I've read books on the craft of writing but mainly I've learned by reading, reading, reading.  And practising the craft as often as possible, initially using the short story form to try out structures, voices and ideas.

What is the secret to your success? 

I guess I'm happy if I'm learning, if I can feel I'm getting better at something, and I work very hard at this.  Self belief is probably the most important factor of all when it comes to reaching any goal, but I've also been very fortunate in my publishers, who support and encourage me, and get the books out to my readers.

Did you always have faith in yourself?

Faith in myself as a writer, yes.  But that isn't quite the same thing as having faith in the piece you're actually working on.  I think doubts are a necessary evil - they balance out the highs you get when you think the writing is going well.  If I start feeling too pleased with myself, I'll read a paragraph from something amazing: Winton's Cloudstreet maybe, or Coetzee's Disgrace, Tyler's Accidental Tourist,  McEwan's On Chesil Beach, or Ondaatje's The English Patient, or the bold and brilliant Carpentaria by Alexis Wright, or just about anything by David Malouf or Alice Munro (sigh).  It isn't difficult to remind yourself how much there is to learn, and for me that's a good place to be.  A good place to write from.

Did you get a lot of negative responses when you first sent manuscripts out?

Often when I sent out stories there would be no response at all but I tried to get feedback whenever possible.  Feedback, even if it seems negative, can give you a chance to turn something around, see your work from another perspective.  If you're going to be knocked flat by a negative reaction, you just won't make it.  I kept going, on the basis that if you persist, you're going to get somewhere eventually.

Tips for other up and coming writers? 

Tips - read widely and practise.  Get as much feedback as you can, and learn to love the editing process.  Don't leave good ideas in your head, write them down as soon as possible or you'll lose them.  And when every flat surface in your house is covered with these almost illegible scribbles, don't lose heart. The good ones float to the top eventually.
   
What do you think is the most important skill for a writer?

The ability to rework, reshape what you've written.  There are many different ways to tell a story and the first way you choose might not be the best.  Take the time to experiment.  Don't be afraid to break apart what you've written.  

Has this always been what you wanted to do?

Yes, writing is what I've always wanted to do but life takes you along other paths.  Earning a living, having a child, the whole career thing.  It wasn't until my mid-forties that an attack of the 'now-or-nevers' pushed me into taking up fiction writing as a profession.
   
What time of the day do you usually write? Do you think it matters?

I can, and do, write at any time but I find creative exploration is best done early in the morning, before anything else in the day has grabbed my attention.  Editing work is usually done later in the day.

How do you come up with your ideas?

There's no shortage of ideas.  The brain is a planet, really.  What's most important, and perhaps the most mysterious part of the process, is the way the ideas connect.

What inspires you?

I get a great deal of joy from Australian landscapes, flora and fauna, and I like to communicate that feeling in my writing whenever the story allows it.  Humour is also important to me, and courage - the quiet everyday courage of ordinary people living their lives.

Do your characters come from real life?

No, my characters are not based on real people.  It takes me around two years to develop them from scratch, to see and hear them and understand them.  They are entirely my creations and that's the way I like to write.  I find it satisfying.

To contact Andrea: andrea@andreamayes.com