IN CONVERSATION WITH CAROLE MATTHEWS

Carole breaks a taboo by writing her own screen adaptation…

She spent her first modest advance on paying bills and her mortgage. Now, while her latest book, The Sweetest Taboo, is set to hit the stores in February 2004, Carole Matthews is busy turning an earlier novel into a Hollywood scripts and has spent her latest rather large advance on an even larger mortgage…

1. Congratulations on getting film rights for A Compromising Position, and
For Better, For Worse. When is filming due to start on both projects and do you have any say in the casting?
Thanks! It’s a huge buzz to sell the film rights to a book. But, after the initial rush of excitement it’s horrifying to learn how slow the movie business is. On average, a movie takes around 7 – 12 years to get to the screens. Needless to say I haven’t rushed out and bought a Premiere dress yet! For Better, For Worse was supposed to be ‘fast-tracked’ to catch the coat tails of Bridget Jones’ Diary and here we are two years later still yet to produce a final script. It hasn’t been an easy route. So, based on the law of averages, I guess we’ll start filming in about five years!
With A Compromising Position I’m working on the script myself with the producer of Edward Scissorhands, but the rights have yet to be sold. I wanted to make sure that I could actually do an adaptation of my own work before we went to a studio with it. I’m not sure that the writer is the best person to translate her own work to another medium, but I’m giving it a go! It’s a sharp, and not entirely pleasant, learning curve.
I’ve also just sold the rights to A Minor Indiscretion to a really great producer called Robert Wuhl who is writing the script. I’m going to associate produce the project with him which will give me a greater say than with For Better, For Worse. I can’t wait to get started on it!

2. Once filming gets going how involved will you be with director and producer?
On For Better, For Worse I have absolutely no involvement at all. Once you sign over the rights, the only thing you then have to do is bank the cheque. But to be fair to the studio they have kept me very involved with the script and the process. I think this is mainly because I was in LA – coincidentally – when we closed the deal and was able to meet everyone involved – the producer, the writer, the development executive at the studio. The producer is lovely and we’ve developed a nice rapport – she wants to make sure that I’m happy with how it’s coming along. But even if I were unhappy, technically, I’d have no say at all. I’m confident it’s in good hands though – the producer, Bridget Johnson, worked on As Good As It Gets which Jack Nicholson won an Oscar for and also Jerry Maguire which starred Tom Cruise. With A Compromising Position I want to have much more involvement in how the project runs which is why I’m starting with doing a draft of the script myself. With A Minor Indiscretion, Robert Wuhl has been great at keeping me involved every step of the way. I’m learning so much from him.

3. Have you met any big movie moguls to discuss the projects yet? If so who and how did it go?
Yes! With For Better, For Worse, I arrived in LA after sleeping under the stars in the Mojave dessert with a bunch of Navajo Indians (don’t ask…) to find a whole bunch of meetings had been set up for me in the tower block they used to film Die Hard! Sublime to the ridiculous. I met a whole bunch of ‘suits’ who I’m never likely to see again. I also caused great consternation as I walked to the studio offices. I was greeted with a horrified look and the phrase ‘Honey, if you want to walk in LA we’ll take you to a gym!’. Then they floored me by telling me it was a really low budget film – just 30 million! I very nearly spat out my cup of tea onto their lovely carpet.

4. What are the main difficulties with turning a book into a script and how did you overcome them?
I guess the main difficulty is that a book that runs to around 100,000 words needs to be cut down to about 7,000 or less to make up a film that runs for around two hours. It means you have to cut out rather a lot of your favourite bits! I think my books are quite visual, but invariably there are changes needed to make the scenes work better for the big screen. I think the worse thing, is that once you’ve written a novel one way, it’s very hard to unpick it and put it together in a different way. I still haven’t overcome the difficulties yet! I’ll let you know when I do…. : )

5. The layout for scripts is obviously very different from a novel, how did you learn the format?
Like the layouts for novels, there’s an industry standard for movie scripts. I have a friend who works as an art director in the movies who sent me some old shooting scripts that were gathering dust in his loft, but there are a million different ‘how to’ books that deal with screenplay layout. I found the easiest to follow was The Screenwriter’s Bible by David Trottier. It’s a real idiot’s guide, but make sure you get an up to date copy – things do change.

6. Did you use any special software? If yes what and how was this helpful?
Yes. I splashed out a hundred quid or so on Final Draft. It’s so yummy! It does it all at the push of a button for you. One snag is that you have to fiddle about with it to get it to recognise American paper sizes – which you must submit on to make a script the right length – but there’s a fix for it on their website. Again, it seems to be what most people use in the industry.

7. For you what is the best thing about selling film rights - aside from the cash? And the worst?
The best thing? I don’t know why, but there is a nice rush about selling film rights. Maybe it’s being associated with the glamour of the film industry or the hope that one day you might just see your name up in lights. It’s also fun to have conversations with people about Hugh Grant who aren’t joking! LA is a mad, mad place and it’s fun to have even the tiniest bit of my toe in that world… : )
The worst thing? The utter lack of control – which for a control freak is a real test! Add to that the interminable amount of time it takes to get any project off the ground and it’s a pretty frustrating mix. But I’m learning from all of it.

8. What sort of deal did you get for the film rights? And what are you planning to spend it on?
I got a deal with enough noughts on the end of it to make me smile! I recently went to a talk by the writer, James Patterson and he said the best thing about Hollywood is the size of the cheques they like to write and I think there’s an element of truth in there!
The deal arrived at a time in my career when I was drowning in paperwork, so I spent it on employing some help! It meant that my partner, Kevin, could give up his full-time job to come and run the office for me. You have no idea what a difference that has made in our lives – my LA agent calls him my ‘Life Facilitator’ and that isn’t very far from the truth. I can concentrate fully on my writing and Kev takes care of the rest. So hurrah for Hollywood!

9. Your latest book, The Sweetest Taboo comes out in paperback in Feb, how long did it take you to write and is it your favourite to date?
I spent about six months writing The Sweetest Taboo. I’ve had several trips to Hollywood now and just couldn’t resist using some of the anecdotes and experiences I had over there. It’s one of my favourites because I just had so much fun writing it. I had to go rollerblading on Venice Beach as research, for heaven’s sake – how could I not look at that fondly?
But, I think my overall favourite is still A Minor Indiscretion simply because I had a very relaxed time while writing it and I felt that I really got into my stride as a writer with that book. I found my voice, if you like.

10. Was Sadie's character clearly defined when you first began writing or did it evolve with the book?
I spend the majority of time in setting up a book by creating my characters. Nothing is left to chance there. I do extensive biographies for them all and am even sad enough to cut out photographs from magazines so that I have a picture of what I want them to look like to work with. This also helps when it comes to movie casting!

11. Where did your inspiration for the two central characters - Gill and Tavis come from? Are they based on anyone you know or have known?
No, I’m afraid Gill and Tavis are very much figments of my imagination. Shame! I just wanted all the characters to be not quite what they seem. Hence the ultra-successful movie producer whose personal life is falling apart. So much of Hollywood is based on make believe that I thought it was a nice starting point.

12. How much of this book is taken from your time in the media industry and is this how where the idea for the plot came from?
The idea came to me when I was visiting Paramount Studio back lot and there are a lot of entire streets that are movie sets. The buildings look like three hundred year old stone constructions, real in every way, but see them from the back and they’re knocked together with a bit of plywood and given a quick lick of paint. From that, I thought it would be fun to explore the way that people have a public persona, but you can never be quite sure whether or not it’s an accurate presentation of the real person inside.

13. Is this part of a two or three book deal and have you sold world rights?
It the last book in a three book deal and I’ve just signed with Headline for another two books and have already delivered my next one which will be called With or Without You. The rights to The Sweetest Taboo have been sold in the USA – it will be my fourth book out there – and I sell in about eleven other countries which my agent will be doing deals with in due course, I hope!

14. Tell me about your first job and how you got into writing?
I was working as a beauty therapist and wrote to Central Television to say that I’d like to see more on TV about beauty matters – this was aeons ago at the advent of daytime TV. They wrote back and offered me a job! From that I wrote my own scripts for a short series on aromatherapy I presented within a programme called Look Good, Feel Great (with Rosemary Connolly and Diana Moran the Green Goddess!) When that finished, I went on to write articles on health and beauty subjects for any magazine willing to take them! I got into writing fiction by entering the first short story I’d ever written to a national competition which to my utter amazement I won! I used the money from that to go on a novel writing course and from that the tutor gave me the name of my agent, who thankfully took me on.

15. You were originally in broadcasting - has this helped your career as a writer?
I don’t think it helped my career as a writer as such, but it gave me confidence in my ability to write – if that makes sense.

16. If so, how?
I guess it was the first time I realised that I could write to an acceptable professional standard. I had to get on and do it as no one else had the knowledge to write the scripts about aromatherapy. It was a bit of a baptism of fire. But it was really the first time I’d attempted to write anything other than school essays and I was amazed to find how much I enjoyed it. It also gave me the discipline of writing to a specific length and within a specific time frame. Deadlines never phased me after that!

17. You have written columns on magazines - who was your first commission for and how did you go about it?
I first wrote for Women and Golf magazine. It was a total fluke how I came to get the job. The magazine had just started up and my (now) ex-husband wanted to buy a subscription for me as we were both keen golfers at the time. He phoned the office and in the course of the conversation they told him they were looking for someone to cover the health and fitness aspects of golfing. I was duly volunteered, had an interview and was taken on straight away. I worked for them for about two years doing reports on golf courses with luxury spa facilities and telling people how not to get sunburned on the golf course! I could never convince myself it was real work.

18. Are you writing any columns now? If so for which publication?
No. I find writing a regular column too time-consuming. Trying to come up with something new every week or every month is a bit of a slog – I’ve been there, done that, got the tee-shirt! But it’s a great way to start out.

19. Previous jobs include TV presenter and running an aromatherapy business and you have travelled extensively - has your background provided a wealth of ideas for plots?
Yes! Everything has been stored away for future use. Only the names will be changed to protect the guilty! But seriously, I’ve had done a lot of different things and that always helps with ideas. It terrifies me when I speak to writing groups and people say they want to write but have no ideas. I always advise them to get out there and live a little – or preferably live a lot!

20. Do you feel travel and a varied life has helped you develop as a writer?
I have led a somewhat varied life, haven’t I? Thanks for mentioning it! But, yes, I do feel that it keeps me fresh to fill my life with interesting experiences. I use material at such a rate, that it would be very easy to become jaded. I love travel and we always take our trips with a bunch of strangers as I love group dynamics and watching how people interact. As soon as our travelling companions know that I’m a writer they always tell me lots of lovely stories – usually stuff that you couldn’t possibly make up! I always come back revitalised and brimming with ideas.

21. What, if any, were your main difficulties when you first started writing novels?
My main difficulty was making myself sit and write. After a long day at work, it’s just not what I wanted to do. I’m sure many of your readers will empathise with that! There’s always something else that needs doing and it’s amazing, how very attractive a pile of ironing becomes when faced with a blank screen – in the end I used to tie my leg to my desk so that I wouldn’t wander round and find something else, much more enthralling to do. If you really want to write a novel you simply have to put the hours in – there’s no short cut guys!

22. Do you take a structured approach to writing - say planning chapters for example or do you just go with the flow?
I’m very structured in that I have an outline when I start out and all my characters are set up and the basis of how they will interact is in place. But I try to be flexible as I write so that I get some surprises too! I love it when my characters do all the work and I just sit and write it down. Days like that are very nice indeed.

23. Have you changed your approach to novel writing since the first book? If so how?
I’m more relaxed about it now, I think. I don’t get so panic stricken about writing ideas down in case I forget them. If I do forget them now, I know that others will be along to fill their place. But my general approach to the process of writing a book hasn’t changed much. I hope I’m getting better at it as time goes by, I’m certainly enjoying it more and more.

24. As a journalist you obviously understand the importance of editing do think it equals the difference between publication and the slush pile?
Absolutely! I often mentor writers who I meet on the workshops I sometimes run and I haven’t yet taken on a manuscript that was in a fit state to be sent out. And people wonder why they’ve had a dozen rejections! Manuscripts have to be delivered to a high professional standard. Publishers now don’t have the time to spend correcting your mistakes – that’s your job! If you present a sloppy manuscript, full of mistakes it will come sailing right back to you.

25. Do you write from nine-to-five or when the mood strikes?
I write from 10.00am – 7.00pm, five or six days a week. When writing is your day job, you can’t afford to wait until you’re ‘in the mood’.

26. How important is it for writers to have their own, private space when they are working?
Just after I divorced I was working in the corner of the bedroom in a one-roomed flat surrounded by my cat, my clothes and the rest of my worldly possessions – and I was never happier. That’s when I wrote For Better, For Worse. Now I have the luxury of a nice big office all to myself! We built a summer house in the garden last year and I had visions of myself producing wonderful, creative work in it – in reality, every time I go near it, I fall asleep. I’m probably better if I have a brick wall to look at then I don’t get distracted by the view. I guess everyone needs to do what works for them.

27. How did you get your first book published, did you submit it on spec, was it commissioned or sent via an agent?
I was given the name of an agent by my tutor on a writing course at Fen Farm I mentioned earlier (unfortunately now closed) and on her advice sent my first novel, Let’s Meet on Platform 8, to Darley Anderson who sold it straightaway to Headline.

28. What advice would you give to anyone who would like/or is trying to write their first novel?
If you want to be published commercially and want to make a living as a writer, it’s essential to study the market carefully. It never ceases to amaze me how many writers insist on writing stuff that they don’t have a hope in hell of ever getting published. Look what’s selling in the bookstores and supermarkets. Give yourself a fighting chance!

29. What do you consider to be the main pitfalls of this and how can they be avoided?
Unless you’re a celebrity you’re never going to get to see your life story taken up by a mainstream publisher. My advice is to use your life experiences to write a great novel. Don’t think that you can just write one book either – the constraints of modern publishing mean that you’ll usually be required to deliver a book every year and in the same style and genre. This is how your build your readership. Make sure you want to do that. Many people seem to say that they want to be writers without having an real idea of what that actually entails. Talk to other writers! Find out!

30. What would be your advice to an author who has just been accepted for publication?
Be prepared to do your own publicity. Certainly with the first few books, everything is likely to be left to you. Fill your calendar with local talks for libraries, writers groups, get to know your local booksellers.

31. How should they negotiate with publishers to ensure they get the best deal?
They shouldn’t negotiate with the publisher – they should get an agent pronto!

32. Do you think an agent is essential for early success?
See above! I think an agent is essential to help you learn the ropes of your trade as quickly as possible. A good agent is worth his (or her) weight in gold.

33 . Tell me about your typical week - say how much time is spent on planning/research, writing, talking to publishers and dealing with finance such as tax etc?
I probably spend a month planning a book before I actually start typing in earnest. Then I’ll concentrate solidly on getting the script completed. Talking to publishers is a tiny percentage unless I’ve just delivered a manuscript or we’re talking about cover design or a book is due out. I do very little in the way of office administration – hurrah! – as I’ve said, Kevin does all of that now. The majority of my time that isn’t spent on writing is taken up by promotional work – talks, book signings, interviews, etc. I also do quite a few radio shows in the course of a month. Bizarrely, the more popular my books become, the less time I seem to have to write them.

34. Who would you say have been the greatest influences in your life and why?
I’ve learned a lot from a great many people, too many and too varied to name and I admire a lot of people, but I have no one I could name as a major influence. I’ve always been horribly self-reliant and that’s probably one of the most useful assets for a writer.

36. How much was your first advance and what did you spend it on?
My first advance was rather modest and I spent it on my mortgage.

37. And your latest advance?
My last advance was rather large and I spent it on my mortgage which is even larger.

38. Who are your favourite authors and have they influenced your own work? If so how?
I love James Patterson – short, sharp chapters and fast-paced stories. I try to emulate that in my writing to keep the plot bouncing along. I also like Marian Keyes for her sense of humour. I read Maggie O’Farrell for beautiful, thoughtful writing. I’ve just read Alice Sebold’s Lovely Bones and one day, when I grow up, I’d like to write like that.

39. Andrew Motion says he takes Lemsip to boost his "creative" powers. Do you have any vices while writing which help you concentrate?
No. As I get older, I’m trying to give up all my vices! Even my tea is decaffeinated these days. I do admit to taking some hideous herbal tablet called Brain Food which are the size of horse pills, but are supposed to get all those pesky little neurotransmitters working at full pelt. I like to think they help but have no idea if they really do. Sometimes, I think it would actually be better if my brain would slow down rather than speed up.

40. What in your opinion is the one necessity a writer can't do with out?
In my opinion it’s a Kevin! Everyone needs a staunch supporter, someone to soothe your fevered brow on the days it doesn’t go so well, someone to tell you a joke when you can’t think of one yourself, someone to make tea and fend off the tax man and fix the computer when you’re ready to throw it through the window. And someone who’ll tell you your books really are funny when some horrible reviewer has said they aren’t… Yes, a Kevin is definitely a necessity!

41. Where would you like to be in ten years time?
Relaxing on a beach in the Bahamas with ten number one bestsellers under my belt, my current novel enjoying an extended run on the New York Times list, half a dozen movies on DVD, maybe an Oscar or two for best screenplay. Other than that I’ll settle for being healthy, happy and still paying the mortgage by writing for a living… : )

This interview appears with the kind permission of  Writers'Forum