Sophie's Bio: Sophie lives on the South Coast of England and has taught Drama in state High Schools and Colleges for over 20 years. After stepping away from the classroom a few years ago, Sophie completed a Post Graduate course in Creative Arts and Mental Health at Queen Mary University of London and has since explored 1:1 work with vulnerable young people using creative writing as a therapeutic tool. Sophie also works with older adults on the recording of their memoirs, providing prompts and exploring different connections in their lives. The story 'Downsizing' explores the connection between grief and place and the overlapping thought pattern between mother and daughter.
If you haven't already read "Downsizing," take a moment to do so and then come back here for an interview you don't want to miss.
Sophie: I was thinking about places I used to visit and how my late parents’ house was
now gone with all its memories. It has left a huge gap in my life and I was
talking with friends about how, if you don’t think too carefully, you can imagine
your parents still there (as it is in a different town that I don’t visit often)
continuing to live some other kind of life. Mrs. Bolton’s voice is inspired by my
mothers and I started to imagine her looking out at the garden and musing
on her life. I let her speak to see where it went.
I think I was aware that my voice needed to be there all along, as Stef's voice, but I waited for the right moment to
bring her in to expose the fact that this wasn’t real, it was a flight of fancy and
Mrs. Bolton had died some time before that. I started getting really interested
in what was real and what wasn’t and how the presence of someone in your
life doesn’t end when they die.
WOW: I'm going to go back and reread the story knowing so much more about the voices involved. Revision is such a big part of the writing process. How
did “Downsizing” change from first draft to final piece?
Sophie: There are a few versions of this story, some which are up to 2500 words and
the shortest being this one at 750 words. The longer story contains more
background to the character of Mrs. Bolton, where she was before that house,
how it used to be a B&B and her reflections on how she tried to lift herself
beyond the mundanity of some of her life (where she is now trapped). Mrs. Bolton is more frustrated in the longer story and Stef’s voice at the end
contains more detail of the trauma of Mrs. Bolton’s death. I think it is sadder
and a bit darker.
I actually started with the shorter version rather than the
other way round, so I was occupied with what detail to add rather than
remove. The shorter story is more suggestive of the deeper emotions with
some reference to a complicated relationship with her daughter, but this is not
fully explored. It was difficult to decide how much space to give to Mrs. Bolton
and how much to give Stef. It could have been more evenly divided but Mrs. Bolton’s
voice was very strong and references Stef quite often throughout, making that
relationship front and centre whoever was speaking.
WOW: This piece is so rich in detail. How did you decide what
deserved a spot in such a short story? I feel like this is even more important, knowing the story was originally much longer.
Sophie: I spent a lot of time removing details when I was writing the initial version but
I felt it was essential that some remained. The details I chose to include had
to contribute to Mrs. Bolton’s relationship with Stef and offer something new to
her character. I tried to use the senses to give colour to the story with things
they could both see and touch and voices they could hear. As the whole story
takes place in one location, I wanted the reader to be able to see and feel it.
I also drew the perspective in and out with the immediate details in the room
contrasting with what was outside the window. Other members of the family
like Mr. Bolton and Stef’s brother seem to only exist outside the house, which is
interesting, and adds to the feeling of otherworldliness in the world Mrs. Bolton
inhabits. And I’m happy with that as it led to me deciding on a clear division
between the real memories and the vaguer ‘life’ that Mrs. Bolton was living
upstairs.
One could think about interior and exterior lives and how we live
both and I think there was an awareness of this although I’m not sure I could
fully express it. Ultimately I was led by Mrs. Bolton’s interior world, and she
provided me with the detail as I imagined her looking around. I’m always
telling students to use the senses and it really works!
WOW: It worked very well. This story has such an amazing twist! What advice do
you have for writers who are trying to work surprises into
their own work?
Sophie: I didn’t intentionally set out to have a twist, but I am drawn to multi-narrator
writing where each narrator reveals a new perspective. As a tip I think it is
worth thinking about what voices surround the central character. By zooming
out and looking at what else might be happening to influence the whole story
you might find a surprise angle, but I’m no expert!
WOW: What a great way to look for just the right twist. In your bio, you relate that you encourage young
people to use writing as a therapeutic tool. What do you
tell these young people that might be of use to our
readers?
Sophie: As a drama teacher I am driven by character and story and I found that the
process of creating a character who is ‘other’ but might hold some of the
young person’s own feelings and thoughts gives them the freedom to explore
their own identity. The process of writing, as I’m sure your readers know, is
therapeutic itself, and there has been much research done into what happens to
us in a creative holding space where we can explore versions of ourselves. I
would say that although the writing itself is the expression, much of the
‘therapy’ comes in the 1:1 interaction between the young person and their
mentor; it is in the prompts given and the questions asked that gently
encourage them to question why they hold the opinions they do that much of
the exploration and discovery is done.
WOW: Mentorship is so critical in the creative world! Thank you so much for taking time to share with our readers. And good luck with bringing more of your stories to life!
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