Tales Of The Unexpected by Isabelle Broom

20th October 2020

I plan my novels in exactly the same way as I plan my trips abroad.

I always know where I’m heading, I always have a deadline or departure date pencilled in and I’m always full of the same wonderful excitement before I set off.

Casa Batiló

People often talk about writers as falling into one of two camps – the plotters and the pantsers. The first is self-explanatory, while the second term refers to a more organic approach – the “flying by the seat of your pants” method of writing, where you don’t follow meticulous chapter plans, refer continually to complicated graphs or cover your office walls with Post-it notes. Similarly, some travellers are adamant that they want to follow a strict itinerary when they venture abroad, while others simply stick a pin in a map and roll up two days later with a rucksack of essentials and a travel guide they picked up in the airport.

Me? I like to do a bit of both. Plan the main plot points of a novel and perhaps pre-book a few excursions before I set off on a holiday. I find that with writing, as well as with travelling, often the best, most magical and memorable moments happen when you simply sit back and let them.

Lisbon Flea Market

When I arrived in Lisbon to research my most recent novel Hello, Again, the only real plan I had was to wander; simply stroll, take in the sights and follow my instincts. It was how I stumbled across the flea market that brought my two central characters, Pepper and Finn, together, and how I found the tucked-away bar where they later share their first kiss. In Hamburg, an organic wine bar gave me the location of Finn’s business, while the larger-than-life host provided me with a brilliant blueprint for his best friend. By the time I reached Barcelona, I knew enough about artist Pepper to appreciate how moved she would be by Gaudi’s eclectic work – but it was going into Casa Batlló and seeing, touching and feeling his creations myself that made her emotions so much more authentic on the page.

Writing a novel is like going off on an adventure. You visit places you’ve never been, make new friends, learn things about yourself and teach others in turn. Because stories, like countries, cities, towns, streets, forests, beaches and mountains all have the power to make you feel something.

And, more often than not, that something will be truly miraculous.

Isabelle Broom

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