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Feature > An interview with Sarah WatersAs you know Sapphic Central is a new product. It is very endearing then, for a celebrity like Sarah Waters to agree to do an interview with us – even more so that she agreed to answer questions that perhaps meander somewhat away from the usual Sarah Waters interview track. Don’t get us wrong, we have read lots of Sarah Waters interviews and loved every one of them – yes we admit it, we’re fans – but while we know her books, have heard her talk about the processes involved in writing them, know of her angst about The Night Watch, joy of Tipping the Velvet, fondness for Gentleman in Fingersmith, frustration that Affinity is always regarded as the poor relation compared to her other books, there is much we don’t know about Sarah Waters herself.  We decided then, that since we were so graciously being given this opportunity, it was the least we could do to find out as much as we could about Sarah Waters, the woman. What does she do to relax for instance? What does she love, what does she loathe? Who, in her life, does she most admire? Does she cook? How have other cultures reacted to her, and of course, the crucial question – does she wear lip balm??? Jules found out the answers to these questions and more when she caught up with Sarah over the phone… We started off our conversation with the usual introductions. I admit it – I was feeling a little nervous when I picked up the phone – let’s face it Sarah Waters is a bit of an icon in Sapphic circles but I needn’t have worried, she’s easy to talk to and very sweet. How chuffed was I for instance when one of the first things she did was to congratulate Sapphic Central – we must be very excited she said, setting up something from scratch. I agreed that we were (I failed to mention that we were really excited that she’d agreed to talk to us – a degree of decorum never comes amiss in such circumstances after all!) What follows is not a word-for-word recitation of our conversation but rather a ‘flavour’ of Sarah Waters. It is the result of copious notes, memory and impressions, my account of most of our conversation. I opened by asking her how she was coping with the gruelling publicity schedule she was currently doing: so many interviews, so much time travelling – does she find that it peaks and troughs enormously, or is there a more consistent level of media interest in her now that her celebrity status is growing? It is obviously most intense when a book comes out, she said, but this time with Night Watch it’s been amazingly spread out. The advanced publicity began back in November/December then of course January and February were absolutely crazy when the book was released. She had been back in the country for about two and half weeks when we spoke following a tour of America, Australia and New Zealand and expected it to be quiet on her return but it hadn’t been at all! I asked her if she finds the whole publicity thing quite difficult because I’ve always had the impression that she’s naturally quite a shy person? I am quite shy, she says, but I suppose I’ve become used to it now. Radio especially I found really hard at first but it’s been a gradual rise really, the whole publicity thing didn’t really happen until Tipping the Velvet was on TV and then Fingersmith did really well… it was at that point she says, that all the publicity and interest in her freaked her out a bit. We spoke about her next book – yes, it’s true it will be set in the 50s; the early 50s; the post war years. She currently feels really at home in that era. She spent many an afternoon watching old 40s movies to get the feel of the era for Night Watch, an opportunity that was less available to her for her previous books, although she admits to feeling as equally at home in the 19th century. The whole history of the war and the post war years though really fascinates her and she isn’t ready to leave it yet. When I asked her whether her story line or the era comes first for her she happily admits to being completely unnerved by Night Watch – usually it’s the stories that come first but Night Watch felt completely different.  Do you ever just want to give it all up half way through a book, I ask (God knows I’ve wanted to give up many an article!). I’m relieved to hear that every single book she’s written she has hated at some point, thinking that she’s never going to get through them. Then she remembers that that’s not quite true about Tipping the Velvet which was really quick and fun to write. She admits to being happy to ride the storm with them though, knowing that she’ll get over it. Do you find yourself worrying the plot lines over dinner every night, like most people go through their work woes with partners? I ask. She laughs at that, admitting to the ‘inevitability’ of talking about it with Lucy, her partner – but not too often. She has a friend who has always been honest with her criticism at the early stages of her writing – which is helpful she finds if sometimes a bit depressing. I ask her whether or not criticism bothers her - does she take it to heart? Not if it’s fair and constructive she says. That’s how you grow as a writer. She’d much rather be given fair and constructive criticism than bland praise. She finds it slightly frustrating though if she feels the critic has ‘missed the point’, but accepts that her books will not be everyone’s cup of tea. When you’re writing a book do you ever get to the point where you’re completely satisfied with it, or do you want to just keep going and going? She can always continue to write, she says, and she could go back to any one of her books now and improve them. The trick though is to not be too hard on yourself, to accept that a book at a certain point will be as good as it can get, and to let it go at that point. And when she does let it go, does she have any control over how it should be marketed? Would she want that type of control or is she happy to pass it on and let the publishers get on with it? She is happy not to have any control at all over that part of the process – that is what her publishers do, she says, she is happy to sit back and let them get on with it. The only thing that is sometimes difficult is that as her profile increases, her reputation seems to precede her and she has no control over that. The fact that she is always Sarah Waters, lesbian this, lesbian that has never really been a problem for her – in fact, it may well have been the reason why she was noticed in the first place. She sounds genuinely grateful for the loyal support of the Sapphic community (a very committed fan base) and she is more than happy to give back to it. She is more likely to be recognised in the street by a lesbian than the general public but generally her  ‘celebrity’ hasn’t been a problem. She hasn’t noticed that it has impinged on her life at all. Interesting though that her books haven’t done so well in America. She thinks it’s because she is still considered a niche writer over there. I decided to change tack and bite the bullet (can you use a mixed metaphor when you’re writing about a writer?): can I ask you some more personal questions I said, fully expecting a no back! The response may well have been reticent, but it was definitely positive! (Relax, I did promise not to be intrusive!). Here goes then, some lesser known facts about Sarah Waters:
And finally, I ask her a really personal question (but again, she gives me permission to ask it – bless her). Do you wear lip balm? I ask her. Yes, she says quite happily. (I’m gutted.) Oh no! Please say you’re joking, I wail (yes, I wailed while talking to Sarah Waters!) We then entered into an intense debate about lip balm. It’s just not nice kissing someone with lip balm on, I complain. Really? I haven’t had any complaints so far. Then she begins to worry in case her girlfriend’s just being polite about it. Although she assures me she’s not wearing it as much as she used to, I’m not so sure. I promise to send her the link for lip balm anonymous – it’s the least I could do by way of a thank you for talking to me. All Sarah Waters photos by Charlie Hopkinson First published: June 06 |
"Can I ask you some more personal questions I said, fully expecting a no back! The response may well have been reticent, but it was definitely positive!"
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