“Winning the prize really made a difference in getting people interested”
An inspiring interview with former Fiction Prize winner, Sarah Brooks, author of The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands.
Sarah Harman shares her writing journey and the benefits of entering the prize.
How and when did you get into writing and have you taken any formal qualifications?
Like a lot of English majors, I always dreamed of writing a novel ‘someday.’ But it wasn’t until early 2022 that I actually decided to do it. I signed up for Faber Academy’s six month ‘Write Your Novel’ course with Nikesh Shukla. I found that having the external structure of the course (and the pressure of group workshops!) forced me to take myself seriously as a writer, though I still didn’t manage to finish my novel during the course. That took me a whole other year.
What inspires you to write and what do you love writing about?
This probably makes me sound like an uptight control freak, but I’ve really come to love the sense of creative control you have as an author. My previous career was in TV news, which is a super collaborative industry; every success is a team effort. So it was really exciting—and occasionally terrifying—to embrace having total creative control over my own story.
How did you hear about the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize and what made you enter?
A writer friend told me about the contest. At first, the thought of famous writers like Rose Tremain and Sheena Patel actually reading MY work was enough to make me want to curl up into a ball and hide. But ultimately, I realized if I ever wanted to be a published author, it would be good to practice ‘putting my work out there.’ So that’s how I talked myself into entering.
How did you feel when you were selected for the longlist and shortlist?
I was over the moon to be selected for the longlist and then the shortlist. When the announcement was made, I was still in deep slog mode, grinding out the final chapters of the manuscript, and it really gave me the motivation to keep going.
How did it feel to win?
Winning the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize was one of the top 5 best moments of my life. I’d never won anything before, and it would be hard to overstate how meaningful the recognition was to me at that point in my life. The announcement was made at this wonderful prize ceremony in Cambridge. I burst out ugly crying, and then, the American that I am, threw my arms around Dame Rose Tremain, who was very gracious about the whole thing.
Has being involved with the Fiction Prize helped your writing career?
Winning the Fiction Prize changed everything, and I’m so grateful. Firstly, it’s given me a wonderful network of fellow writers, industry professionals, and past Fiction Prize winners, all who have been so generous in sharing their advice and contacts in the last few months.
It’s also given me a wonderful community of writer friends. The five other women on the shortlist—Amy, Helen, Smita, Anna, and Carrie—are amazing writers. We formed a WhatsApp group where we share tips and read each other’s work. Last month some of us went to a literary event together; tomorrow a bunch of us are meeting up for drinks. Writing can be so solitary, it’s amazing to have this community. And of course, a ton of literary agents reached out to me after the prize was announced. I won’t lie, that part was pretty exciting too!
What advice would you give other aspiring writers about their writing careers?
I hardly feel like I’m in a position to give anyone advice, so maybe just some encouragement: You can do it! Keep going! Finish your draft. Enter as many contests as you can—it’s good to practice putting your work out there, and you never know—it might just change your life.