I’m amazed and delighted that readers all over the world have taken Saba’s story into their hearts. This first Q&A on the Dust Lands fansite is a memorable event.
Don't forget to follow Moira Young on Twitter! @moira_young
Click 'more' to read the Q&A where Moira answers many questions about the Blood Red Road film, gives what details she can about Book #3, explains the hardest scene for her to write, where she got her idea for the books, she even says the song that Saba and Jack dance to in Rebel Heart. And MUCH more!
How did you come up with the idea for Blood Red Road?
Well, it all started with a great concern of mine: the profound disconnect between human beings and the environment. We’re completely dependent upon the natural world – earth, air, water, plants and animals - for our survival. But we’re a short-sighted, destructive species. We live as if we’re lords of the planet and can exploit it as we wish, without consequences. In 2006, with global warming and climate change high on media and government agendas – tragically, no longer the case - I began to ask myself the writerly question, “What if?” What if the earth were to heat by two degrees? Three degrees? Four? What would happen? What would our world look like? And I began to write a book.
That first version of what would become Blood Red Road was called Dark Eden. I set it in a new ice age in the UK’s Peak District. I was working with the idea that the Gulf Stream, which ensures the UK has a temperate climate, had been interrupted by the melting ice caps. It was a third person, dual-viewpoint story starring a cave-dwelling girl and a boy who lived in a biosphere. I did a great deal of research and planning and wrote nearly 20,000 words of that book. I sent sample chapters out to agents, but no one was interested. For a number of reasons, I had to set that manuscript aside for a few months and when I came back to it, I realised that I was no longer passionate about the story. So I started again with a blank sheet.
I rethought, wrote, rewrote and despaired. I was always on the brink of giving up. Eventually, after three years, I had a jumbled, muddled mess of a first draft, which was completely unusable. So, once again, I started all over with a blank sheet. And this time, I heard Saba’s voice, telling me her story. Plainly and powerfully and clearly and I just wrote down what I heard. Much later, after the book had been sold and published, I realised what had happened. Somehow, during this long and painful process, I had found my way to myself. Not to some great idea or complicated plot plan with character sketches and maps, but to me. Saba’s story had to come from the very essence of me, the heart of who I am. Only then could I write it. And who I am is (among many other things): the vast Canadian landscape, an interest in history, a love of epic and Western movies and boys’ own adventure stories, music and poetry and theatre, and a need to explore the dark corners of the human soul.
In the winter of 2011, some four and a half years after I started, I put the finishing touches on the edited version of Blood Red Road. A few elements of my original ice world story remain: the fact that it takes place in a post-climate change future and the names Saba, Lugh and Emmi. That’s it. But Blood Red Road and the vast, dusty world in which it takes place, grew out of those first 20,000 words about an ice age Romeo and Juliet and wouldn’t exist without them.
So, you see, I didn’t come up with the idea at all. The spark was my concern for climate change. The rest comes from my life.
How did you come up with the idea to use incorrect grammar and spelling?
The only idea I had was that people living in the future are unlikely to speak as we do. Why should they? We don’t speak as people spoke two hundred years ago. We don’t even speak as people spoke fifty years ago. The English language is changing all the time. It’s a robust, tough survivor. Exploring language in a story set in the future seems obvious to me. For an uncompromising and brilliant example of this, look at Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban.
Because the story is told so strongly in Saba’s voice, I needed the reader to be able to hear her speaking, as I do. She’s illiterate and has led an isolated life with no influences other than her immediate surroundings and her family. Hers is not a dialect of Canada or the US or anywhere else. It’s uniquely her own. I use words and expressions from all over. Some of it comes from my Scottish father, who has a particularly colourful and unique vocabulary. I use words and phrases from different parts of the UK, which has particularly rich regional variations, and also dip into different eras. I’m always listening to the way people speak and writing down phrases and words that catch my attention. Kids from certain parts of London, for instance, use “ain’t” as a matter of course.
Having said all this, I didn’t make a conscious decision to feed all of these into Saba’s voice; again, it’s just what happened. But it turns out that the way she speaks – a kind of dry, spare, scavenged language - reflects the dry, spare scavenger world she lives in. The only way I could help the reader to hear her was to write it as I did.
You’ll notice that Saba’s language opens up and changes as her story progresses and she comes into contact with more voices, words and ideas.
There are very few deaf characters in literature. Was Tommo’s deafness just something you decided on or was there a particular reason?
No one’s ever asked me that before! But now that you have, I realise two things. Firstly, I didn’t invent Tommo. That is, I didn’t make a conscious decision that there ought to be a boy at the One Eyed Man. As I wrote that scene, Tommo just appeared on the page, along with the information that Ike had taken him in and they had formed a strong father-son bond. Secondly, I didn’t make a conscious decision that Tommo would be deaf. When he appeared, he couldn’t hear and that was that.
The conscious mind thinks it’s in charge, but when it comes to stories, it most certainly is not. It plays a crucial role in crafting a book, but stories are made in the unconscious. It was only as the second book was coming to life that I realised why Tommo had appeared and why it’s important that he is deaf. It’s strange how this happens, but it does.
I’ve talked a lot about conscious and unconscious here. I’ve read a lot of books about writing, but by far the best and most helpful one is Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande. It’s not about the craft or technical elements of writing. Her whole focus is on what she calls “the writer’s magic”; the writer’s mind and heart and how to harness the unconscious to write, then use the conscious self to criticise and reshape the work. It’s practical and inspirational and unlike any other. I recommend it highly if you’re a writer or would just like to know what it is to be a writer.
How old is Seth?
I mention the ages of some characters in the Dustlands but not all. When I do, it’s generally because it’s relevant to the plot and/or I want to illuminate something about the relationships between characters. One of the obsessions of contemporary Western society is chronological age and we categorise and judge people accordingly, but Saba’s world is not ours. It’s best if readers form their opinions and judgments about characters free of that constraint.
What is the song that Saba and Jack dance to in Rebel Heart?
We have plenty of books and art and buildings and written music to tell us who we were and where we came from, but recorded sound is still very recent in our history. To me, wind-up gramophones and 78rpm records are melancholy and achingly nostalgic. There’s a ghostly, just-out-of-reach romance about them that I can’t resist.
I never listen to music as I write. In fact, I need complete silence, so I wear earplugs. But I know this music so well that I was hearing it and feeling it as I wrote the last few pages of Rebel Heart. It runs through every line. The song Saba plays on the gramophone that she finds in the ruins of the lakeside hotel gives voice to her loneliness and grief and longing. Listen to the great Renée Fleming sing it as you read the scene and you’ll be right there with Saba, on that stony mountain lakeside with the snow falling around you. It’s ‘Song to the Moon’ from Antonin Dvorák’s opera ‘Rusalka’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLdz-SFFzM0
How did you come up with the name Saba?
She’s named after Saba Douglas Hamilton, a Kenyan woman who has worked in wildlife conservation all her life. Saba means “seven” in Swahili. I wanted a strong name for my female hero. One that wasn’t specific to time or place, that was neither particularly feminine nor masculine. I wanted her name to have a timeless quality.
But Saba isn’t based upon any one person. She is a classic hero pursuing a quest, exactly like the heroes of Greek, Celtic and Norse myths. You’ll note that I refer to her as a female hero, not a heroine. Saba is a pure-form hero, not in any way inferior or diminished as the word “heroine” implies.
What can you tell us about the Blood Red Road movie so far?
Ridley Scott’s London production company, Scott Free UK, purchased the option to develop it early on; a year before the book was published. I actually had a meeting with him! It was the most surreal experience of my life; sitting next to the director of Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise and Gladiator – among my favourite films - and chatting about our mutual love of The Wind in the Willows.
Here’s a little story for you. Ridley Scott trained as a graphic artist and does all his own storyboards for his films. After he’d read the manuscript he was having a phone conversation with his producer about it and, while they were talking, he made a sketch of Saba and Emmi leaving their burning home at Silverlake. I had it framed and it’s the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning. Just in case I think I’ve dreamed the whole thing!
We now have a first script by Jack Thorne which is being read by selected A-list directors. The producers have been looking at locations and talking to a number of potential financiers and they’ve got some serious interest. Once a director is attached to the project, they’ll work up a budget, bring in financing and we’ll be able to move forward.
I have what’s called ‘meaningful consultation’. That means that I read and feed back on script development, have input into the appointment of a director and input into lead casting.
Scott Free are among the first readers of the Dust Lands manuscripts, before they’re edited by my London and New York publishers. I’m glad to say that they love Rebel Heart. If Blood Red Road gets the green light, the intention is that they would film all three books back to back.
It’s encouraging that we’ve got this far this quickly. But the fact is, many many books are optioned and very few make it to the screen. However, we can all help make it happen. I can tell you that good sales figures for the books, internet buzz and a large fan base are absolutely crucial to whether or not the producers proceed. If you want to see Blood Red Road the movie, share your enthusiasm with your friends, urge them to buy the books, tweet about them and get others to join the fansite and follow DustlandsFans with a #FF.
Do you think names are of importance to your characters? If so, what names have meant the most?
Finding the right name for my characters is crucial. They don’t live unless I give them the correct name. For a long time, the shaman in Rebel Heart was called Penn Winterborn. I had a strong feeling that wasn’t her real name, and sure enough, I couldn’t get to grips with her and she didn’t work in the story. Fairly late in the day, I realised that the name was too earthbound for a star reader; something more airy was required. As soon as I called her Auriel Tai, she came alive.
I love the names of all my characters. I get very excited when I have to discover the perfect name for someone, even a minor character. I find them everywhere – maps, baby books, phone books, mythology, newspapers and magazines, books. I was in a huge hurry to find a name for a character who appeared unexpectedly when I was making the final changes to Blood Red Road. I decided I’d grab any book from my bookshelf, open it and whatever name my eye fell on first, that’s what this character was going to be called. The book was Samuel Pepys Life of Dr Johnson and I read, “Today, Mr Creed came to tea.” So, Creed he was. Luckily, it suits him perfectly.
I also collect interesting names from real life. My friends and family know this, so let me know when they come across one and I add it to my list.
I guess the name that means the most to me is Saba. She’s the star of the show and was there from the very beginning. She knew who she was long before I did.
Who is your favourite character to write?
Well, Saba runs through me like water, but I’ve got three characters who are a particular delight: Molly, Slim and Jack. And I loved writing Ike. He was such fun. I was very sad when he died.
Did you always want Saba to have a pet? What made you pick a crow?
It was always the case that she’d have an animal companion. I think this goes back to Toto in the original Wizard of Oz film, which I count as my first and greatest literary influence. In that movie, Toto is representative of Dorothy’s intuition. That’s a classic function of the animal companion and Nero is that, but animals can be useful in a number of other ways. They can reveal a softer, more nurturing side that characters don’t necessarily show the wider world.
In early versions of Blood Red Road, Saba had a pet wolfdog. I ran into trouble after a while because he couldn’t accompany her everywhere. I was always having to make arrangements for him and then reunite them and it was all very unsatisfactory. I was talking to my husband about it and he said, “You need an animal that can function in three dimensions. You need a bird.”
I love birds. I used to have a cockatiel named Lola. She had big attitude and thought she was a person. But obviously I needed a more extraordinary bird than that. A crow was the obvious choice. They rank among the world’s most intelligent animals. They’re not only tool-users but tool-makers. They can recognise individual human faces and experiments have shown them to be capable of forward planning.
Humans and crows have a long history together. For some cultures, they hold strong spiritual and mythical associations, but they’ve also suffered persecution.
When I went in to the Scholastic UK offices to hear their publishing pitch, they finished their presentation by bringing in a raven called Munin. She’d been taught to throw dice, just like Nero. They’d already won me over, but that clinched the deal.
What was the hardest scene to write in Blood Red Road? Rebel Heart?
I always find the big set piece action sequences a challenge. The most difficult scene in Blood Red Road was Saba’s escape from the Cage. I knew that the worst thing that could possibly happen at that moment would be if Vicar Pinch changed the gauntlet run. That would scupper all their carefully laid plans. So, of course, I had to do it. But then I had no idea how she would make her escape. It took me ages to figure out that Nero held the answer and all work on the book screeched to a halt. Now I’ll just write, “Something very exciting needs to go here” and come back to it later.
My husband is an architect, so he’s great at visualising how people move through space. He helped me with the action at the Yann Gap in Rebel Heart. But the most difficult scene in that book was Saba and Auriel in the sweat lodge.
What can you tell us about book 3?
Not a lot, I’m afraid. It picks up a month after Rebel Heart ends. It’s the last act of the opera, so it’s going to be big stuff. All I can say is, “Hold onto your hats, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
What is your favourite fictional dystopian world from films or books?
I’ve got two. The world that JG Ballard conjures up in The Drowned World is dreadful and unforgettable. The other is Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Magnificent. Genius. If you haven’t read them, do so immediately.
Do you know the title of book 3?
Yes. So do my publishers. All will be revealed in due course!
What book do you wish you’d written?
Besides The Complete Works of Shakespeare and On the Origin of Species, there are two.
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens – Pip’s journey to maturity with its misunderstandings, betrayals, misplaced pride, friendships, heartbreaks and hubris – always makes my heart ache with fellow feeling.
Persuasion, Jane Austen – Her last published work, this story of lost love, the importance of being true to yourself and second chances is my favourite Austen. It’s wise, elegant and movingly elegaic.
Finally, here’s a question I was asked recently:
Are you stressed when you write?
Yes. It’s ridiculous, really. I missed my deadline to deliver Rebel Heart. I was over two months late with it and my blood pressure rocketed. I couldn’t sleep, had dizzy spells, developed tinnitus and the doctor made me wear a blood-pressure monitor for 24 hours. But everything returned to normal once I pressed the ‘Send’ button to whizz the manuscript to my anxious agent and publishers.
I’m not a happy writer. I’m hopeless and pathetic. I write in a state of constant anxiety. Working to a deadline is agonising but obviously necessary. It doesn’t help that I’m a particularly slow writer. I write from the inside out, inching my way through the dark. I can’t work at home, there are too many distractions, so I rent a little attic room at the top of an old Georgian building in the centre of Bath. It has no internet connection, I hand in my mobile phone to the receptionist and I work with earplugs in. Even so, I find it difficult. I am plagued by self-doubt; I’m constantly thinking that this time my process won’t work, I’ll be discovered to be a fraud, the book will be rubbish, I don’t deserve success, I won’t have ever have another good idea etc etc. If you should happen to meet me, don’t be fooled for a moment by my cheerfully confident demeanour. Remember, I’ve been an actor my entire life! I should learn to meditate. I think that might help.
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