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| Toby Ball (photo by Juliet Grant) |
There
are a lot of wonderful writers living in our state, some full-time, some part-time. As the Director of
the NH Center for the Book I get the opportunity to talk to many of
them. This interview series of Q&As with New Hampshire authors here on Book Notes lets me share that experience a bit with
my blog readers.
If
someone hasn't read your work yet, where should they start?
The books all stand alone, but there’s no reason not to
start with the first one, The Vaults. My hope is that it is interesting and
rewarding to watch the changes in the main characters and the city in which the
books are set, as the years (and books) go by.
When
did you first think of yourself as a writer?
That’s an interesting question, because I think the way I
have defined the idea of “writer” and how it pertains to me has changed. To a
certain extent, I think that you become a writer when you are working on your
fourth draft of something, or when you edit out a passage of writing you really
like because it doesn’t serve the work as a whole. In other words, I think
being a writer means showing a commitment to doing the difficult, not-so-fun
work on projects and a willingness to make sacrifices to produce a better work.
Another important aspect for me thinking of myself as a
writer was being paid for my writing. It’s not that the money itself was so
important (though it never hurts), but the recognition that my writing was, in
some people’s opinions, at least, compelling enough that people would be
interested in reading it.
How
did you end up living in NH?
I got my master’s in education at U. of New Hampshire and
really loved the Seacoast area. My interest in UNH stemmed in large part from
having spent summers on Bear Island in Lake Winnipesaukee when I was growing
up. My great-grandparents bought a cottage there in the 1930s and I have been
up there every summer of my life. Why wouldn’t I want to live close by?
Where
do you like to write?
I’m honestly not very picky. I probably do most of my
writing in the guest room or living room at my house, but I enjoy working at
Bear Island (preferably on the dock) or sitting at a coffee shop in downtown
Portsmouth or pretty much anywhere with an empty chair and relative quiet, or
at least not too much distraction.
How
important is place in your writing?
My three books all take place in a fictional city, called
the City. The City is in many ways a character in the books. It is vast,
crumbling, multi-ethnic, riven with tension between rich and poor, and
systemically corrupt. The plots generally revolve around changes in the City
and how the people live there react or adapt to these changes.
What do you do when you aren't writing?
I have two kids (8 and 17) who I spend a lot of time with
– playing games, doing projects, things like that. I play basketball and indoor
soccer and summers at Bear Island include a wide range of water sports. I’m
also a big Washington Wizards and Syracuse Orange basketball fan.
I also have a full-time job as the Program Manager at the
Crimes against Children Research Center and Family Research Lab at the
University of New Hampshire.
What’s
the best piece of advice (writing or otherwise) you were ever given?
Write another draft.
It’s so easy to convince yourself that you have completed
a novel because you are fatigued or impatient. But it is crucial that
everything be as strong and polished as you can possibly make it before
submission to an agent or editor. You have one chance to impress; don’t
squander it by not putting in the necessary work. I typically have written four
to six drafts (real drafts, not just fixing errors) before I even send it to my
agent. There are usually a couple more drafts (at least) before sending to an
editor, and another two or three drafts at that point.
What books do you love and what about them speaks to you?
I love many types of books and for different reasons. I
really like books that show me a different way of looking at the world or that tackle
an issue from an angle I hadn’t thought of before. But I also like books that
plunge me into a life completely different from the one that I lead –
preferably one that is suspenseful and dangerous. My favorite books, such as
The Smiley trilogy by John LeCarre and the Thomas Cromwell books by Hilary
Mantel, manage to do both of these things.
What
are you working on now?
I’m working on a novel outside of the City series. While
it possesses the same basic sensibility, it is set in the here and now and
would probably be less likely to wind up in the mystery section of your library
or bookstore.
What do you want to share that I neglected to ask about?
I think the most
important things for a writer trying to get published are persistence and a
thick skin. You are going to accumulate rejections - that's just the way it is
- but you can't be discouraged by them. Everyone gets them. It's a subjective
business. That doesn't mean that persistence alone will lead to success - the
first novel I wrote was never picked up and I finally realized that it simply
wasn't good enough - but it is a rare person who finds publishing success
quickly.
Learn more about Toby's work, and check the calendar to see when he will be at a bookstore near you at http://tobyball.com
