Writing is a solitary act, and it can be terrifying sharing your writing with others. Jacqui Lofthouse was one of the first people to whom I showed the manuscript of what would become my debut novel, and my trust in her was repaid with some wonderful lessons that have stayed with me through the years. I didn’t know then that over a decade later, I’d be re-writing the novel as a screenplay and getting ready to share the story with lots more people all over again.
It started with a text message in the wee small hours: ‘I’ve been up all night reading your book, can’t put it down.’ Such words are catnip to any novelist, but especially to a debut writer.
It was from Tigre Haller, another creative soul who was, like me, living in Colombia with his husband. Our journeys had started out on different sides of the Atlantic – me in Northern Ireland, him in the US – but we’d both ended up living in Bogotá, prompted to move there because we fell in love with a Colombian or with Colombia itself.
A chance encounter
Tigre and I had come across one another at events, expat parties and in cafes. Bogotá had coffee shops on every corner (still does), usually full of people sitting quietly in corners tapping industriously on their keyboards or in groups plotting and planning all the projects they’d been emboldened to start there. It was the kind of place that made you believe anything was possible.
A few days after the text, Tigre pulled me aside at a party, ‘I want to make a film of your novel.’ He was already full of ideas on how to translate the story to the big screen.
We agreed we’d talk, and we did, but it wasn’t the right time for either of us. Tigre had just founded Bogotá’s first professional English language theatre company and was promoting a guidebook he and his husband had just produced, and he was also busy establishing himself as a screenwriter.
For my part, I’d just spent three years living with Dancing with Statues and had no desire to throw myself back into it. Plus my mind was already focused on my next novel, The Belfast Girl.
A reminder about dialogue
I had worked with Jacqui on an early draft of Dancing with Statues, and I recall one of her many (many!) helpful comments was about dialogue. She loved how much dialogue there was, but she reminded me that even in prose the dialogue was best if you approached it like you were listening to it, like it was a drama. She made some suggestions that helped move the conversations from mundane to moving, without seeming overwritten or contrived.
Fast forward eight years after that kitchen cocktail party discussion with Tigre and, in 2022, now living in London, an idea came to me when I was out running. What if we changed one of the main characters so that it was no longer a young woman who fell for the handsome Colombian guy, but a young man? This, for me, brought a new dimension to the central relationships – not just the main love story but also the family relationship at the heart of the novel, which would then be about a dutiful son and his reclusive father. This was a story I could throw myself into writing because it wasn’t just a revisit of the original but a reimagining.
Character dynamics
When I suggested this to Tigre he needed some time to think about it. As a gay man, he knew that it was much more than simply switching out the woman for a man. There were other dynamics to consider.
After taking time to meditate on the thematic shift, the name of the new protagonist, Liam, came to him, and the fresh take on the story started to come to life. Finally, we started working on the script together in earnest.
We soon found a rhythm of working together that developed the story in exciting new directions, while staying true to the emotional core of the original.
The script now focuses on Liam, a Northern Irish teacher, who gets the chance to escape a troubled past when he meets a joyful Colombian lawyer, Miguel. But the young men’s future together may be doomed unless Liam can face up to the suspicions surrounding his family’s involvement in a terrible tragedy that took place when he was a child.
It examines how much one needs to excavate past tragedies to be able to push forward and embrace joy, and how painful that can be when so much is unknowable, especially after the sudden loss of a loved one.
A long distance writing process
There have been many times in the writing process when Tigre and I wished we could lock ourselves in a room and write together. But the geographical divide has forced a process on us that has its advantages. We exchange drafts and comments in advance, so our video calls are really focused, and we have time to digest the other’s suggestions and come to a view before reacting. We’ve found a way to individually make our mark on the piece in a way that feels seamless. We no longer recall who wrote what.
Throughout this process, I’ve reflected a lot on some of that early advice from Jacqui. It made the novel better, and I feel like those lessons have stayed with me and have helped me in writing the screenplay too.
We’re now in early talks with production companies and we’re planning a streamed table read in a few months’ time to help showcase the project’s potential and attract other collaborators. I’m looking forward to listening to the dialogue and hearing our two lovers, Liam and Miguel, talk, laugh, fight and fall in love all over again–and hopefully see them on screen in a cinema very soon.
Here’s what Caroline had to say about working with The Writing Coach
I came to Jacqui with an early draft of my first novel. Her feedback was detailed, constructive and well thought out. She was able to point out and explain to me exactly what was and wasn’t working. I had previously taken a few writing courses and read lots of books on creative writing. However, I learned more from studying Jacqui’s feedback on my work than any course. Her comments not only improved that particular novel but they also made me a better writer in general.
More about Caroline
Caroline Doherty de Novoa is the author of the novels Dancing with Statues and The Belfast Girl. Dancing with Statues, set in Ireland and Colombia, is being developed into a film. Her short stories have appeared in various collections, and she is the editor of the works of creative non-fiction Was Gabo an Irishman? Tales from Gabriel García Márquez’s Colombia and Cocktails with Miss Austen: Conversations on the world’s most beloved author. She has most recently published a middle grade novel, Noora and the Seers, under the name C.D. de Novoa.
To buy Dancing with Statues from Amazon click here (affiliate link)
To learn more about Caroline’s books visit her website https://www.carolinedohertydenovoa.com/
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