Today’s interview is with Charlie Lat, an author running a free writing workshop during the pandemic.
LQ: Tell me a little bit about yourself.
CL: Hello. My name’s Charlie. I write about all kinds of things including love, history, politics, friendship, the environment, and social justice. I used to work as a journalist but now I work with young people with special needs and disabilities and I teach creative writing.
LQ: What does your writing process look like?
CL: At the moment I’m writing every day in the morning around 8am. For a while I was doing the #5amwriters club but you have to get up very early to do that. I really respect anyone who does it. Whatever time of day I write, I find the main thing is to follow the story and focus on the motivations of the characters and what is driving the story forward. I find it much easier to write when I’m excited to find out what’s going to happen next. I used to do lots of planning but now I find it’s better not to know what’s about to happen when I start a new page.
LQ: What was your favorite book to write so far?
CL: The one I’m writing now. I think with each book you learn something about how to write and your own process and it becomes more fun and enjoyable.
LQ: Who is your favorite character to write about?
CL: That’s a good question. I think I enjoy writing difficult characters because it gives you more freedom to have some fun. My protagonists are usual quite ‘good’ but it’s fun to write friends, family, or mentors who are a bit wild, sassy, or unpredictable.
LQ: Who are your favorite authors? Have any of them influenced your work?
CL: Some of my favorite writers are Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and Maya Angelou, they all have such an interesting way of looking at, and writing about the world. I’m also learning a lot from contemporary writers like Cheryl Strayed, Sally Rooney, Deborah Levy, and Angie Thomas. I like the style of Jack Kerouac, Hunter S Thompson, and Ernest Hemmingway, although I would probably have quite a different point of view from them on a lot of things.
LQ: How are you doing during the current pandemic?
CL: I found the first few weeks quite tough, but I’m trying to stick to a routine now. It’s hard to take in everything that’s happening, but I’m focusing on staying positive rather than thinking worst-case scenario. I know a lot of people are suffering and I think it’s really important we try and help each other out as best as we can.
LQ: What are you currently working on?
CL: I’m working on a ‘Novel in Pages’. Every day I publish a page of a novel (the length of a piece of flash fiction) and publish it on my webpage. It’s a story about three twenty-something women, Jessica, Riley, and Lauren, living together in London until Lauren’s mum gets a cancer diagnosis. The rest is a little bit of a mystery and an adventure.
LQ: Anything else you would like to share?
CL: I’m running some free writing workshops online through the lockdown. If anyone’s interested you can contact me via twitter or my webpage.