Always Take Notes #194: Kevin Barry, novelist and short-story writer
26 snips
Sep 3, 2024 Kevin Barry, a celebrated novelist and short-story writer with accolades like the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, dives into his creative journey. He shares the backstory of his latest work, 'The Heart in Winter,' revealing its evolution since 1999. Barry discusses the challenges faced by his character Tom Rourke in a 1890s Montana mining town, alongside reflections on the Irish diaspora. He also explores the balance between planning and spontaneity in writing, while highlighting the influence of Irish literary giants on his work.
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Turn Research Gaps Into Character Traits
- If you don't want to learn technical detail, make ignorance part of the character so research becomes unnecessary.
- Barry avoided researching horses by making Tom inexperienced, turning a potential block into a character trait.
Make Research Invisible On The Page
- Historical research should be submerged so the reader feels the world without seeing the research.
- Barry reduced his original epic ambition to a small cast (a man, a woman, a horse) to let character and action carry historical verisimilitude.
Flu, Wuthering Heights And A Revelation
- Reading Wuthering Heights while pretending to have flu at school opened Barry to literature as transport to other places and times.
- That early encounter convinced him books could carry you wholly into another world and influenced his love for gothic atmosphere.