Meet the tutor: ruth figgest
Ruth Figgest is a novelist and short story writer. She was born in Oxford and grew up in the US. Her short stories have been shortlisted and commended for the Bridport Prize several times and in 2013 her short story The Coffin Gate was broadcast on Radio 4. Magnetism, her debut novel was published by Myriad in 2018. She teaches on the Eastbourne-based course. Here she talks about her writing life.
When do you first remember wanting to be a writer? I was surrounded by books growing up and saw literature as valuable and always felt that writing was an important thing to do. From a young age I enjoyed writing stories. I guess it was always on my career plan. I’m pleased to be a writer and contribute in this way.
Your debut novel Magnetism was published in 2018. Spanning more than fifty years, it is the story of a mother and daughter, set against a backdrop of social change in the American mid- and south-west. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the story and your journey to publication? Magnetism is an episodic novel. I enjoyed visiting these two characters who kept cropping up in my thoughts. I imagined seeing them connecting and disconnecting at different points in their lives, and in their shared life together. Once the right structure was found, I submitted the novel directly to the publisher and it was accepted for publication. The process, for me, was straightforward and relatively quick.
You’ve written many short stories that have been shortlisted and commended for the Bridport Prize. How does your writing process with a short story differ from writing a novel? A novel is a long journey. You need to spend time with the characters and it requires a different kind of stamina than that needed for writing a short story. A novel should be complex and there’s time to explore characters and develop conflict and subplots. Whereas a short story is a container for a single experience. In the process of writing a short story, the work must be tighter, more to the point emotionally – even though you still want to leave space for the reader to draw their own conclusions about the conflict and themes.
One of your short stories The Coffin Gate was broadcast on Radio 4. How did it feel listening to your words on the radio? I went to the taping of the story and was a privilege to hear the actor chosen to read the story apply her take on my words in front of a live audience. I was amazed to discover that the producer had a real understanding of my intentions with the story. After the first read through she asked for a re-read of five lines with notes on inflection and emphasis, the exact lines I’d also mentally registered as “not quite right” in the first read through. When it was broadcast, I had a party at my home to listen and to celebrate. It felt great.
What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Writing requires headspace and solitude to daydream about your characters and to explore options for how to proceed. The most challenging aspect is the fact that when you set out you might only have a few images, or several lines of dialogue or a half-formed conflict. A writer often has only a limited sense of the story ahead and it can feel like driving in thick fog hoping you’re going in the right direction. This in-between living requires faith. You have to trust your subconscious knows what it’s doing.
And the most enjoyable? I like puzzles. I get satisfaction out of solving this huge puzzle of how best to present a story to allow the reader an experience that will change the way they view something, or that will allow the reader to understand something new. Doing it well is satisfying.
How does teaching creative writing impact your own creative process? Writing is a skill that improves with experience and practice. Thinking about writing (what works and what doesn’t work so well), reading others’ work, and teaching crafting techniques contributes to my own work. There’s always something to be reminded about, or to learn afresh.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given about writing? A novel is not a never-ending soap opera or a series for TV. A novel is a contained work of art with a beginning, middle and an end.
What’s your go-to book about the craft of writing? Writing Fiction: a Guide to Narrative Craft by Janet Burroway and Elizabeth Stuckey-French.
You’re marooned on a desert island with the complete works of Shakespeare and a religious text of your choice. What fiction book do you want to have with you? And would you prefer a notebook and pen, or laptop to write with? The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. A laptop so I don’t run out of paper.
What’s on your reading list right now? Monkey Grip by Helen Garner; Who Do You Think You Are by Alice Munro; Forgiven by Alison Stoker
What are you working on at the moment? I’m working on two novels – one based in the Southwest USA ( I’m introducing/knitting in another POV which is painstaking work) and the other based in Oxford (which is nearly complete).