NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fresh off a
string of literary hits, British journalist-turned-fiction novelist
Jojo Moyes has penned her latest best seller, "One Plus One."
At the heart of the book is the unlikely pairing of
successful technology executive Ed and single mother Jess, who
hail from opposite walks of life and undertake a mutually
transformative road trip.
Moyes spoke with Reuters about her writing style, visual
thinking and the growing divide between rich and poor.
Q: How did you handle the transition from full-time
journalism to writing fiction?
A: It was hard. Being in a newsroom is very stimulating
and buzzy, with lots of camaraderie. I would start the day and
did not know where I would wind up. I had a child and was
pregnant with my second, and I realized that I could not run
around with a passport in your handbag with children at home.
I went from the heart of everything to feeling like it’s just me
and a computer surrounded by empty silence. I wound up getting
an office, which gave me a reason to get up with a coffee and
paper in hand.
Q: How did you develop your fiction writing skills?
A: I have always written. I was one of those kids who
would always fill exercise books with girls and telepathic
ponies. I started working nights for the newspaper where I had
quite a large amount of the day to fill between waking up and
going off to work. This was before the Internet and daytime
television in the United Kingdom. I wrote to fill my day.
I then lived a Bridget Jones existence in a house with lots of
different apartments. I would hand chapters to different flats
to see whether they were interested enough to keep reading. It
became a challenge to see whether I could get to the end of the
book. It was not enough to write -- I wanted to write well. I
ended up writing three books before getting published.
Q: How did you choose "One Plus One" as the title?
A: It is almost an ironic title because both Edward and
Jessica are at pains in the beginning to stress they do not want
a relationship. They do not have room for it. Jessica says, “I
do not want a one plus one ...”
We wanted a slightly mathematical bent in the title, without
alienating all the readers who didn’t like math.
Q: Can you describe your narrative process?
A: Writers divide fairly cleanly into those who only work through
what they hear and those who are more visual. I am the latter where
I lie down on my office floor and play scenes through my head to
cinematically -- several times with different elements -- to see
what works. I can’t write a scene until I can see it. I know a lot
of writers who would never do it that way and prefer focusing their
time crafting a perfect sentence.
Q: Were there any social messages that you wanted to convey?
A: I wanted to look at the widening gap between the rich and
poor. When I was growing up, I was told that you could do whatever
you wanted to do as long as you worked hard enough and were bright
and good to people.
I wanted to look at a family with that natural optimism,
determination and talent, in a society where the odds are
increasingly stacked against them. I break Jess down, but I was told
the story was getting bleak so I decided to give the family a
slightly happy ending.
This book was inspired partly by a true story. My cleaner told me
about a neighbor who had slammed the door in her face to take a
call, which happens to Jess in the book. My cleaner felt like she
was treated like she was nothing. I know this neighbor, who is
smart, polite and articulate. I found it hard to reconcile these
actions with the person.
I look at the growing social divide, and it makes me think about
where are we all going. What happens with the mutual lack of
understanding and trust that comes along.
(Editing by Chris Michaud; Editing by David Gregorio)
