Tricks of the trade with Áine Ní Ghlinn 7 November 2016 – Posted in: Authors, Writing, Interview
Comhrá le hÁine Ní Ghlinn faoina modh scríbhneoireachta tar éis di Gradam Réics Carló a ghnóthú don dara uair as a chéile.
Céard a mholfá don léitheoir gur mhaith léi bheith ina húdar? Mholfainn dó nó di a bheith ag léamh. Gach sórt scéil, gach sórt leabhair. Bí ag léamh agus ag léamh agus ag léamh. Chomh maith leis sin, mholfainn do dhuine ar bith atá ag iarraidh a bheith ina údar fáilte a chur roimh chairde samhailteacha. Bíonn gach carachtar a shiúlann isteach is amach as mo leabhair mar a bheadh cara samhailteach agamsa. Siúlann siad go léir thart liom ar feadh i bhfad sula gcuirim focal ar pháipéar. Fanann siad liom – iad chomh beo le fíorchairde – go dtí deireadh an scéil. Ansin scaoilim leo agus fáiltím roimh chairde samhailteacha nua le haghaidh scéalta nua! Bíodh go leor cairde samhailteacha agat má theastaíonn uait a bheith id’údar! Cad é an rud is deacra duit, agus leabhar á scríobh agat? Is minic a bhíonn deacracht agam le críoch scéil. Bíonn smaoineamh áirithe agam don chríoch agus mé ag tosnú amach ar an scéal a scríobh ach de réir mar a fhásann na carachtair, de réir mar a athraíonn an príomhcharachtar ach go háirithe, faoin am go sroichim deireadh an scéil b’fhéidir nach bhfuil an chríoch a bhí im intinn ar dtús oiriúnach a thuilleadh! Fásann carachtar uaireanta ar bhealach nach raibh tú ag súil leis agus tú ag tosnú amach ar an scéal! Nuair a bhí mé ag obair ar Hata Zú Mhamó, mar shampla, agus é ionann is críochnaithe, bhí mé fós míshásta leis an gcríoch. Ba é an tríú mac agam – an mac nach raibh linn sa Zú – a chabhraigh liom le deireadh an scéil. Bhí seisean ag cuimhneamh ar mo mháthair freisin. D’fhéadfá cuairt a thabhairt uirthi, cúpla uair a chloig a chaitheamh léi – ach ansin, dá mbuailfeá isteach chuici arís an lá dar gcionn, d’fhéadfadh sí a rá leat nach raibh cuairteoir ar bith aici le seachtain! Nuair a chuir mo mhac an méid sin i gcuimhne dom bhí deireadh an scéil an-éasca go deo!
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We caught up with Áine Ní Ghlinn to talk about her writing methods after she was awarded Gradam Réics Carló for the second consecutive time.
What’s your advice for the aspiring writer? If you want to be a writer – read! Read all sorts of stories, all sorts of books. Read, read and keep on reading! Also – welcome imaginary friends into your life! Every character who walks in and out of any of my books spends times with me – just like an imaginary friend. These imaginary friends walk around with me for quite a long time before I even begin to write and they stay – as live as any real person – until I reach the end of the story. After that, I let them go and I welcome in new imaginary friends for new stories! If you want to be a writer – I suggest that you have lots of imaginary friends! However, I would advise that you don’t walk around talking to them out loud… It just might give people the wrong impression! What’s the most difficult part of the writing process for you? I often struggle with the ending of a story. When I begin a story I sometimes have a particular ending in mind. Sometimes, however, characters grow, change and evolve in a way that I hadn’t envisaged. When that happens, the ending I had planned might no longer work. I like to think of my characters as people and allow them to evolve and grow in whatever way works. When I was working on Hata Zú Mhamó, for instance, and almost finished, I was still unhappy with the ending. My third son – the one who wasn’t at the Zoo – helped out there. He reminded me of his grandmother’s ‘memory lapses’. You might visit her on a Sunday and then on Monday, she would be liable to tell you that she hadn’t seen a visitor for a week! That sorted the end of the story very easily!
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