Patrick Neate: Slamming Books, Writing Books

Patrick Neate is the acclaimed author of novels like Jerusalem and Twelve Bar Blues, and the co-creator of superlative literary monthly shindig, Book Slam, which recently heralded such luminaries as David Simon (creator of The Wire), up and coming female rapper Speech Debelle and superior spoken word auteur Charlie Dark. His books are brilliant deconstructions of folk tales from around the world, of Britishness and of urban culture. Neate's sardonic and slick writing style has won him plaudits for all his published works. On the eve of the release of his new book Jerusalem, we thought he'd be the ideal candidate to talk about his writing process and about what he's been reading.

> What is your process as a writer?

Process? I write. And then, when it doesn't work, I keep writing. And then I write some more. After that, I mostly write...

When I'm in the the middle of a book, I'll insist on 1000 words a day (even if I bin them all immediately thereafter). Otherwise, I'm not so strict, but I do always try and write something creative. A typical day sees a lot of work in the morning. Mornings are good. Most afternoons I'll go for a run and then drink a Pret-a-Manger mango and mandarin fizzy drink. They're like crack.

> How did Book Slam come about and are you pleased with how it has evolved?

I was approached by Ben Watt to do a book event and, because I'd done bits of spoken word myself, I was keen. At first, nobody came except my mates. Then they stopped coming. But, gradually, it built a following and now it's rammed every month. And yes, I am pleased. I mean, I think Book Slam supports literary diversity and that's important. After all, for such a diverse society, it's amazing how we all seem to tell the same stories ... not a good thing.

> Have you always read? What did you read as child and teen?

Yes and no. I did read as a kid, but probably stopped as a teenager. I'm often asked by worried mums why their sons won't read. Generally, the answer is, 'because they're teenage boys'. I don't think it's anything to worry about too much. The big revolution for me, weirdly, was reading Jane Austen by accident - she's just so funny and clever and I was hooked.

> When did you begin writing your own stories?

I'd love to claim I wrote my first novel at the age of 10, but the truth is much more prosaic and, indeed, embarrassing. Basically, I started writing as a student when I feared my genius (not 'literary genius' mind, just 'genius' in general) might go undiscovered. Was it cool among my peers? Not as cool as I'd hoped. As for the subjects of my first stories, they are, thank God, lost to history. This makes me realise the internet is a dangerous tool as a repository of awful writing - didn't have that when I started, thank god.

> What are you currently reading?

Super-Cannes by JG Ballard and a manuscript of a novel by one of my friends. Both are rather scarily good.

> Outside of literature and books, what has been the biggest influence to your work and why?

Mum and Dad - wise good people who understand life as it is.

> When working on a novel, how much planning do you do? Do you sketch it all out first or start and keep writing till THE END?

It varies from novel to novel. I've written chronologically and back to front. The latest novel, Jerusalem, was more of a jigsaw. There are three major storylines and I wrote them in bursts and then stitched them together and hoped they didn't look too much like Frankenstein's monster. As a rule, though, I'll just write and keep going til I hit about 30,000 words, then I'll have a more serious think about where it's heading.

> Who is your favourite author of all time?

Yikes! Impossible question. Seeing as I've already mentioned her, though, I'll go with Austen. What keeps me going back to her? She's just so funny and so true. I love the fact that what she writes is so of its time and yet remains universal - something redemptive in that, I think.

> Do you ‘write what you know’?

No. Writing is the place where I explore things that intrigue me - not just far-flung places, but far-flung emotional and intellectual states too. That's what I do it for. Besides, in the words of Aaron Neville, I don't know much.

> What do you prefer about the medium of books and words and literature to anything else?

I'm not sure I do prefer literature to anything else. But I longed to be creative and I had no talent for visual media, dance or anything like that. I think that's pretty fortunate in some ways - many of my more gifted friends have got caught in a tug of war between their skills. I had no such problem.