Clare Harlow: 'Look out for other writers who aren’t afraid to gently tell you how to make your work stronger'
BY Emily Powter-Robinson
14th May 2024
Clare Harlow worked on her debut middle grade book Tidemagic (out now with Puffin Books) on our three-month Writing YA & Children’s Fiction course in 2016. We spoke about her time studying with us, her advice for aspiring writers applying for courses, and her reaction to finding out that Tidemagic is Blackwells Children's Book of the Month for May!
You studied on our three-month Writing YA & Children’s Fiction course in 2016. How did your time studying with us impact your writing journey?
The YA & Children’s Fiction course gave me drive and focus. I went into it having been writing for a only few months and feeling so uncertain about… well, everything, really. Studying online was perfect. I was on tour and could still come to class. Thanks to Catherine Johnson and my course-mates, I came away confident and bursting with ideas, although it took me a while to hone them. One particular piece of advice from Catherine has really stuck with me. She told me to always take the more interesting fork in the path. It sounds so obvious, but I was getting tangled up in the idea that my protagonist simply wouldn’t take action at certain moments in the story. To massively paraphrase what Catherine said, it’s the writer’s job to move the circumstances around the character to force them to act. I’ve taken that into everything I’ve written since, including Tidemagic.
Many of our students find lifelong writing friends on our courses. Are you still in touch with anyone you met during the courses?
Well, this is the other thing. I had no idea that I’d make such good friends. Truly, I don’t know where I’d be without Gill Perdue and Gianna Pollero. We write in different genres (Gill writes the Shaw & Darmody crime series with Penguin Ireland and Gianna’s Monster Donuts trilogy is published by Piccadilly), but they are always my first critique partners and sounding boards. We’re in touch pretty constantly and, although geography means we only meet in-person once or twice a year, they both made it to my launch party for Tidemagic this month, as did Susie Wolfe, who writes fantastic dystopian YA. A lot of our group have gone on to be published, including Penny Chrimes, Joanne O’Connell, and my fellow 2024 debut Neil Taylor, whose twisty YA thriller Anticipation comes out with Neem Tree Press in August.
Your debut middle grade book Tidemagic is out now with Puffin. It’s a magical adventure story set in the fictional world of Shelwich, with themes of friendship and mystery. Can you tell us a bit more about the book and the inspiration behind it?
Tidemagic is set in Shelwich, where magic ebbs and flows with the tide, giving people temporary magical powers every time the river rises. When the magic is high, my protagonist, Ista, has the ability to transform to look like anyone she’s ever laid eyes on. Meanwhile, people are disappearing – the rumour is that they are being snatched by monsters called grilks. With Ista’s father among the missing, she teams up with unexpected allies Nat and Ruby. The three of them venture into the hidden caverns beneath Shelwich to unravel the mystery, but the secrets they find there are far stranger than they could possibly have bargained for.
So much of the world-building has been influenced by the part of south-east London where I live. The idea for the magic system crept up on me when I was walking by the river. The tide was high, and the water splashed onto the footpath. It was a misty winter afternoon and dusk was creeping in. In that moment, it was easy to imagine magic in the air and monsters in the shadows. Meanwhile, lots of local landmarks have crept into the story in one form or another. Some are obvious, like Greenwich observatory being the inspiration for the Moon Tower, others less so. The door that inspired the door to the Shrieking Eel Inn, for example, is in the park. I didn’t know what was behind that door when I wrote the story (and I won’t say here, for fear of giving away spoilers), but when I found out, I couldn’t believe how perfect it was.
In a previous life, you were an actress, touring with theatres all over the UK and Ireland. You’ve now turned your love of storytelling from stage to page! How does your background in theatre impact your approach to writing fiction? Does it help you craft dialogue – and are there any other areas where there is helpful crossover?
One thing my acting experience definitely gives me is the ability to immerse myself in a scene and imagine it taking place around me. Writing Tidemagic, I often felt as if I was standing at Ista’s shoulder, experiencing the twists and turns alongside her. The downside of that, of course, is that it’s sometimes hard to step back and see the big picture. As a writer, you sort of have to be the scriptwriter, director and actor at the same time. Fortunately, I have the most amazing team around me – my agent Amber Caravéo, my book one editors Natalie Doherty at Puffin and Nancy Siscoe at Knopf, and Ben Horslen at Puffin, who has stepped in alongside Nancy for book two. They’ve done a phenomenal job of keeping me on track.
Do you have any tips for the aspiring authors reading this who are thinking of applying to a writing course?
It can be a big financial outlay, so only do it when you can make time to get the most out of the course. Go in with an open mind, and take notes, even about the feedback that doesn’t chime with you in the moment. It may well make more sense in the long run. Lastly, look out for other writers who ‘get’ what you’re trying to do but also aren’t afraid to gently tell you how to make the work stronger – they’re your future critique partners.
Tidemagic is Blackwells Children's Book of the Month for May! How did you react when you found out the news?
I was speechless, actually. It’s such wonderful news, and I can’t thank Blackwell’s enough for their support of Tidemagic. I had a lovely video-call where I got to meet some of the booksellers, and I was blown away by their enthusiasm. I’m so looking forward to meeting them in person.
Finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
This summer, I’m touring all over the place, visiting bookshops, schools and festivals to chat all things Tidemagic and help young writers craft stories of their own. At some stops, a special guest will be joining me – a life-sized model of one of the grilks, the monsters in Tidemagic. It has been created by designer Hannah Postlethwaite and prop-maker Caroline Perry, and it is absolutely incredible. Meanwhile, Tidemagic Book Two is just about ready to go to copy edit, and I’m also coming to the end of my MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. For that, I’m working on a YA horror manuscript, which I’m hoping to finish drafting by the autumn. And then it’s time to crack on with Book Three. Wish me luck!
We're delighted that Tidemagic has been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize in the Younger Readers category!
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