Samuel Burr: 'Writing is a craft and not a gift as far as I’m concerned'
BY Emily Powter-Robinson
9th May 2024
Samuel Burr worked on his debut novel The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers (out now from Orion) during our six-week Starting to Write Your Novel course in 2019. We spoke about his time studying with us, writing believable fictional friendships and how his background in TV influenced his approach to writing fiction.
You studied on our Starting to Write Your Novel course in 2019. How did studying with us impact your approach to writing?
Writing is a craft and not a gift as far as I’m concerned. Every course I’ve ever attended has helped me become a better writer and the CBC course I signed up for back in 2019 was no exception. It was a brilliant introduction to all the fundamentals of fiction writing, including plotting, characterisation and dialogue – and I frequently dip into the notes I made on the course, even now! There is so much to learn when you first set out that it can feel slightly overwhelming, but what I loved about the course was that the exercises really helped to put the theory into practice.
Many of our students find lifelong writing friends on our courses. Are you still in touch with anyone you met on the course?
I must admit, I’m not, because it was online! But I have met countless other alumni members since finishing the course who have all gone on to do amazing things.
Your debut novel The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is out today with Orion. It follows an orphan brought up by Britain’s top puzzlemakers as the great secret of his inheritance begins to unfold. Can you tell us a bit more about the book and the inspiration behind it?
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is a novel you can read and you can play. With real puzzles infused into the prose of the story, it’s about a bunch of brilliant, eccentric geniuses and a young man at the heart of their community, desperately trying to find his place in the world.
It’s centres around Clayton Stumper - a young man who has grown old before he’s grown up….
Clay dresses like your grandad and drinks sherry like your aunt. At 25 years of age, he finds himself as one of the surviving members of a very British institution - the Fellowship – a community of elderly enigmatologists where he was abandoned at birth, made up of some of the smartest minds in the country. Among them are a mazemaker, a quiz setter, and a jigsaw artist to name just a few. But there’s a mystery at the heart of the Fellowship…. a puzzle that’s yet to be solved…. and that’s how Clayton came to be there, and where he came from.
When the founder of the Fellowship – an esteemed cruciverbalist (or a crossword compiler) called Pippa Allsbrook passes away, she bequeaths her final puzzle to the young man she’s raised as her own. And so we follow Clayton on a quest, as he pieces together the clues of his past, and finds himself at the same time.
Like most novels, it’s hard to pinpoint a single idea, person or story that inspired the book. But there is a moment that stands out as being particularly significant. When I was nineteen, I made a documentary inside a retirement village. I was at film school in London and wanted to practice my filming and interviewing skills during the half term break. Along with another student, I borrowed a camera and tripod and set off to live in the village for a week, making friends with all the residents, finding out all their stories. It was a fascinating experience, not least because at eighteen years old, we were completely exhausted by their busy social lives. They were always doing different activities!
I remember, at the end of the week, looking forward to getting home and putting my feet up. There was something intrinsically funny about the idea of a pair of teenagers being immersed in such an old community, but feeling older at heart than the people they were living alongside. I think I’ve always been a bit of a young fogey if I’m honest. That’s probably where the character of Clay comes from…!
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers centres around lost (and rediscovered) love and friendship. Do you have any advice for budding writers looking to write believable fictional friendships?
In life, all friendships are different, but as one of my characters says in the book, ‘... a good friend should build you up, help to make you a better version of yourself.’ So, when I’m writing a scene featuring a set of friends, I’m thinking about what they have in common, yes, but more importantly I’m thinking about why they’re different. What can each character’s unique attributes bring out in each other? How do they lean on each other for support? How do they complement each other? What about their friendship brings out the best in each of them?
As a TV producer, you have worked on popular factual shows including the BAFTA-nominated Secret Life of 4-Year-Olds. Does having a background in TV have any bearing on how you approach writing fiction?
I’m definitely a very visual storyteller. When I’m about to write a new scene, I imagine lifting a camera and try to imagine what I’m pointing it at. It sounds quite basic, but I want to be able to steer my readers through a scene as if they’re seeing it unfold themselves. I also take a lot of inspiration from television and film. In fact, one of the earliest sources of inspiration for Puzzlemakers came from a BBC Four documentary about crossword compilers. I stumbled upon it one day and became obsessed. I loved the idea of a group of grown-ups who had committed their lives to having fun. The contributors in the film were charming and eccentric and very British and the prospect of writing a mystery novel with them as the principal cast was something that immediately excited me.
What upcoming books are you looking forward to reading this year?
I always keep a note of upcoming books that I’m excited about. Here’s a handful I’ve recently jotted down, having heard great things. The Coast Road by Alan Murrin (May 2024) The Curious Travellers Guide to the Wasteland (June 2024) Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers (August 2024) All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whittaker (July 2024) Love Letters to a Serial Killer by Tasha Coryell (July 2024) The Book of George by Kate Greathead (October 2024).
It feels like a missed opportunity to not ask you this question: do you have a favourite puzzle or board game?
I would say my favourite puzzle has got to be a jigsaw. There is nothing quite like drawing the curtains, pouring a glass of wine and sorting through a thousand pieces! The thing I love about puzzles is that they’re something we all have a connection to. Whether it’s memories of playing with a shape sorter as a child, doing a jigsaw with your grandparents, or Wordle on the subway. Puzzles are part of all of our lives. And they are pure escapism. When we’re solving puzzles we’re not thinking about anything else at all. I think we could all do with a bit of that right now.
Finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
I’m delighted to have the opportunity to write a second book with Orion Fiction, which is another standalone novel. While I can’t say too much at this point, I hope that anyone who has read and enjoyed The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers will also enjoy my second book. Nostalgic joy. That’s all I’m saying for now!
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers is out now!
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