This is a transcript of a Twitter conversation (or 'Tweeterview') we had with Katie Kitamura about her novel, The Longshot
. Thanks to everyone who sent us questions! The original is archived here - the version beneath is edited to include questions directed to the interview while in progress, and is formatted for easier reading.
Note: Questions are in bold while Katy's responses are in regular text.
Good afternoon, Katie. And thank you for taking the time to speak to us today about #summerreads
Our first questions come from the WCN Book Club discussion in #Norwich last night on the Longshot
What attracts/attracted you to Mixed Martial Arts fighting? #summerreads
I first came to the sport through my brother - it was almost like a brother-sister bonding exercise #summerreads
But quickly I became absorbed by the fact that it was a new sport, but with familiar, even classic narratives #summerreads
And it's always nice to be taken out of your comfort zone, particularly when writing #summerreads
How can people in the UK get to watch MMA matches? Can you recommend somewhere online that we can watch a full fight?
When I was living in the UK, I went to a couple Cage Rage fights - one in the O2 arena, in fact. There are some UK leagues.
www.sherdog.com is a great resource - it has links to place to watch fights online, message boards, articles #summerreads
And then there's always the near obsolete technology of DVDS - I watched a lot of DVDS while researching. #summerreads
Moving on to the book itself: the biggest bone of contention was around the ending: do you think Cal dies?
... Or is the ambiguity the point?
No, I don't think he dies. But it's left pretty ambiguous and the one big change btw book and script is that in the script
...there's an additional scene at the end where you see him dying. Which i'm happy with, i think it works well #summerreads
Was your writing influenced by other books and movies on boxing and fighting?
Yes. Mailer's The Fight, and Leonard Gardner's Fat City. Also James Ellroy, for prose style. #summerreads
But a challenge in terms of writing the technical side of the fight itself, was the fact that little had been written on MMA.
So you were essentially inventing the language of MMA?
Well, that sounds a bit grandiose - but it was interesting, friends who like boxing look at MMA and say it's 'ugly' -
I don't think there's an established aesthetic for it, either in terms of prose or film. Or even photography.
I don't think there's an iconic MMA photograph, yet. But it's a matter of time, the sport is very young. #summerreads
This question comes from: @adrianslatcher - @katiekitamura @WCNBookClub interesting about a "style" for MMA. I worked w/ a guy who was an MMA fighter & a mild mannered English Grad!
...it confounded any expectations I might have had. The dedication he required was massive as well.
@adrianslatcher @wcnbookclub Yes, I also found that to be the case re fighters - often very mild, and a lot very smart #summerreads
This question comes from @erghargh: can stories and photos make sense of MMA in a way that television can't?"
You mean in terms of a televised fight? Or in terms of reality television (there's a popular MMA reality TV series in the US)
Yes, in terms of a televised fight. Though I'd love to see the reality tv show too!
I think photographs can be instantly iconic, and also circulate in a manner that is different to television.
But I love watching live fights. Their narratives are always changing, getting upset. I get a real adrenaline rush from it.
Do you think your ballet training gave you a different perspective on MMA?
Well, it gave me a perspective - they're not so different as might appear at first. They're both about training, performance.
Strain, anxiety. Makes sense to me that Aronofsky made The Wrestler and Black Swan. They come from the same place #summerreads
And the two films was going to be my next question! Great minds!
I thought they were both great, and I like them as a pair. I love this idea of two films working in dialogue #summerreads
Does the economic prose you use come naturally, or was it something you employed to fit the story you told?
And from @katycarr How consciously did you craft and re-draft your prose style?
In response to Katy's question, I do a lot of drafts. I tend to work it down, taking as much out as possible.
Though it's a slippery slope. You can feel tempted to hit 'delete all' on the whole thing.
Re: prose style, I think it developed over the first couple drafts. I wanted to do something rhythmic, in the way of fighting
At what point did you give the novel the title? What does it say about Cal’s chances from the beginning?
Very late in the day. I had 'The Fight' as a working title really until the last minute. Don't think title says anything very
...good about Cal's chances, but hopefully people will still be willing to sit and have a read #summerreads
I know they are here in #Norwich and #Norfolk where you've had more than 300 loans in the last 2 months
Thank you!
Another from @erghargh: Has your work with Slavoj Zizek impacted the thinking behind the novel? #summerreads
Sure, in a lot of ways. Think it would be bit of a disaster to try to write a theoretical or Lacanian novel, but having some
...anchor in that material helps u understand what you're doing, why you (or a character) feel compelled to act in a certain way.
It's probably more helpful retroactively, but for me a lot of writing is retroactive, ie happens in the edit #summerreads
When you were in #Norwich recently you were finishing your 2nd novel. How is that coming along? #Summerreads
I've just handed it in. So fingers crossed my editor likes it . . . #summerreads
... Are there similarities between it and The Longshot? #summerreads
Maybe in terms of prose style. But it's a bigger novel, it takes place in a world that's kind of exploding open. Whereas The
...Longshot deliberately takes place in a clautrophobic world, a small world. Ie it takes place over three days, etc #summerreads
I really look forward to reading it!
Thanks!
Finally a couple of questions for our @writerscentre followers: Do you have any advice for new writers?
Only of the 'very cliched but nonetheless true' genre. It's good to keep doing it, to make it a habit, like working a muscle.
And good to try to get over self-consciousness, as that can be crippling. #summerreads
How did you manage to get over self consciousness?
By being not entirely convinced the novel would get published in the first place. And also by telling myself it could be fixed
...in editing (which it sometimes can and sometimes can't) #summerreads
Katie, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us today. Same time tomorrow?...
I was thinking more the virtual pub. Thanks, that was fun! #summerreads
Thanks, and good luck with remainder of the #summerreads programme
And you can see #Summerreads author Robin Bayley at #Norwich Millennium Lib next week http://bit.ly/revLC3