Emilie Connes

Emilie Connes is French by birth and learnt English in Africa. She also writes in French and Spanish. She moves every three years to a different country which is thoroughly confusing but helpful as far as writing goes.

She completed a degree in English Literature at Lancaster University. It was followed by a Masters in Creative Writing at the same institution, her final portfolio being a collection of short stories entitled Loose Ends.

She has had several poems published in small press magazines in the United Kingdom such as Orbis, Anon and Citizen 32. She has also been a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines for several years now both as a feature writer and a reviewer of books and plays. She is working on her first novel.

Allaboutlove has published Emilie Connes’s collection of short stories, Loose Ends. We asked Emilie Connes a little about herself and her writing:

When did you start writing?
A sunny afternoon. I was 12 and I was bored, reading a sci-fi novel the title of which I don’t remember. I thought to myself - ‘Hey, I can do better than this’. So I did.

Your stories show a great interest in people – their emotional responses and how people relate. How did this develop in you?
Shyness is key. You watch people more than you talk to them so inevitably you end up making observations.

Do you have any other projects on the go? What are you writing at present?
I have just finished the first draft of my first completed novel, which is a thriller. The proof-reading it always the fun part I think, as the hard work is over with. I have also a book of poems on the go entitled ‘Tropical Maladies’, as well as two fantasy stories which I should really finish one day…

You were born in France, but you move around a great deal. Why? What drives this passion for new experiences?
Wasn’t my choice actually! My mother is a diplomat for the French government, so every four years we had to change country. It was a wonderful experience but to be perfectly honest the only thing I want to do now is stay in one place and never move again. I long for a pipe and slippers.

How does it help your writing process? Doesn’t it make it hard to interpret the nuances of people’s responses and reactions (which seems to form the heart and voice of your writing) in a strange culture and / or language?
On the contrary, I have found that people’s responses and feelings are generally the same in every country, but they express them differently. Similarly, if I describe an emotion in another language, when put into context an English-speaking audience will generally get the gist.

Doesn’t the constant moving get lonely?
Horribly.

Do you find writing lonely?
Absolutely. I miss the hustle and bustle of an office and contact with real, live people. Writing is the one thing in the world I want to do but I have to do it alone. I would say it is the loneliest pursuit in the history of mankind.

Are you a disciplined writer? Do you have set times and a place to write?
Recently, yes. It’s the only way to get on. I force myself to write a minimum of two pages a day, which isn’t much in the grand scheme of things but it all adds up. No set time, but it has to be in front of a window with a view. I don’t like the sense of being caged-in.

Do you ever fear, before you sit down, (as some writers say) that the talent may have dried up and disappeared?
No, because in my opinion there is no such thing as “talent”. Like Hemingway said, writing is 1 percent talent, 99% hard work. Work hard enough and you’ll get there. I am an absolute believer in this. Writing does not come naturally to me, I have to beat it out of myself every inch of the way, but it’s all worth it in the end.

Read Triptych part 1, Triptych part 2, Triptych part 3 and Marmite, Diamantés and Fuzzy Carpets

To buy a downloadable copy of Loose Ends click here.