How has it been since you won the Epigram Books Fiction Prize?

Still the same, actually. Though, at times, in my daydreams, I imagine different outcomes and possibilities: what if I have not won the prize? Maybe I’m still trying to come to terms with the idea of winning. Definitely a big milestone in my writing career.

What has changed, and what hasn't?

Nothing has changed; at least nothing tangible or visible in my eyes. More recognition, yes, but it has its own burdens. The work of writing remains the same: slow and painstaking, but always moving along, gradual and steady.

You mentioned to us at the awards dinner that you'll give your parents a treat with the prize money. Have you done so already?

They have been so busy with their work (they work on weekends) and taking care of my siblings’ kids, so it’s been postponed indefinitely. But soon, I hope.

Let's start at the beginning: What was your childhood like? What kind of imaginative life did you have?

My parents are hawkers, and have been for over thirty years. They used to clock super long hours, from 6am (with the preparations) to after eleven at night, but they have since cut down on the hours to take care of my siblings’ kids.

Perhaps, because we – my elder sister, my younger brother and I – were left alone at home most of the time, we had to find ways not to kill one another, and also to kill the long hours. Most of the time, we would be tearing the whole flat up, and keeping it a mess. We used to make “spider webs” from the reels of cassette tapes which covered the entire living room, and several times, we flooded the kitchen so we could pretend it was a (shallow) pool to swim in.

Occasionally, we would burn books and loose pieces of paper to make fires at the rubbish chute or open window. Why we never burnt down the flat remains a complete mystery to me. We might not have been the worst kids ever, but we were darn close.

When and how did you start to write?

Frankly, I don’t remember when exactly it was that I started writing – I wrote my first short story, in my early 20s to 'try it out', and the story was really terrible. At least I had the foresight to destroy/delete it then.

But I do remember making a conscious, deliberate decision to be a writer towards the end of 2004, during a solo trip to Redang, where I brought along my manuscript of short stories (the first draft of Free-Falling Man [Oh's debut story collection, published in 2006]) to edit. It was there that I knew (and convinced myself so) in my heart and gut, that I wanted to write very desperately, and that I was willing to do anything to write and to write well, even if it meant to give up most of the things that had made up my life then. It's a good trade-off, which I never regret, though there were hard times along the way.

I was working in one of the banks, in the marketing department, but I didn't quit my full-time job until 2007. I held onto my job, even after my decision, while writing my stories on the side. It was only after I published my second story collection, Never Been Better, that I quit my job and wrote full-time. By then, I had a small pool of savings to last me out for a couple of years; I was living with my parents at the time, so I only had to worry about my daily expenses.

What were some of the demons you wrestled with, early in your writing career?

The constant sense of inadequacy as a writer. Before I started writing short stories, the only pieces of writing I’d done are essays for assignments in the university, and a few freelance pieces on leisure and entertainment. That was the only writing experience I had, and it felt insufficient.

Plus, there was a very bad experience early on, after I’d completed the manuscript of stories for Free-Falling Man. An established local writer, who had seen the stories, had provided very discouraging feedback on my stories, basically telling me to reconsider my decision to become a writer. It almost killed me then, but I had managed to crawl out of it, eventually.

The self-doubt is always there, even now, and is actually useful in many ways, in how I approach and write each of my stories. I constantly ask myself: Is this the best you can write, and, if not, can you rewrite it again? This refrain, with its sting removed, is absolutely essential in shaping my craft in short-story writing. 

How did the premise for The Infinite Sea evolve?

I knew I wanted to tackle the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, after it happened, and for a long while, I wanted to write a short story inspired/based on it. But somehow, in the shadow of my mind, I knew it “deserves” a bigger scope, and that I wasn’t ready to write it, yet.

At the start, I also knew the whole story would revolve around a small group of friends – which later became two couples – who had known each other for a long time, and how the disaster would test the strength and limits of their relationships, breaking and pulling them apart. The individual voices of the characters came to me, in drips and torrents, over time, each distinct and singular, and so, I gave each character a complete arc – their pasts, their unspoken histories, and the brick-and-mortar of their lives. 

What was making the transition from short stories to novel-writing like? What was the hardest thing about it?

It was daunting, to say the least. Half of the time, I’m battling with myself—the doubt, the incessant questioning, and the misery of the long road—and mostly it’s about my ability to write (this doubt is always there, trust me). I know I had a good idea for a novel; I just wasn’t sure I had it in me to fulfil the scope and ambition of the novel in my head then, and I really hate the idea that the novel I would be writing would be a paler, lesser version of what I’ve envisioned it to be (of course, the story in one’s mind would never match up to its final version; it’s a completely different beast all together, and it’s not a bad thing at all).

Because I structured each chapter in the novel as a short story, in episodic form and taking turns with each of the main characters, I was able to dismiss the fear of writing the novel. My years of short-story writing saved my ass, so to speak. I strove to pack each chapter/story with as much as I could, so they could each stand alone.

How do you balance the desire for experimentation with form, with the need to tell the story?

Story always comes first, for me.

Once I have the gist/whiff of the story, I would consider the form, and also how I would like to tell it differently. At the start, I would try different structures and ways of story-writing, which can sometimes be exhausting and derivative, but it’s a useful process of trial and error. You know what you’re capable of, and what you’re good at, and what best serves the story.

But, sometimes, you just want to toss everything up in the air, and plunge in headlong – that’s what makes writing fresh, alive and novel.   

We had a conversation about your rewriting of the wuxia form in English (in a story in Love, or Something Like Love). How did that come about?

I grew up in the early and mid-90s, and it was the renaissance of HK swordfighting/wuxia films, and I swear I watched every swordfighting/wuxia film that was ever screened in the local cinema. My all-time favourites are 新龙门客栈, 笑傲江湖, and 笑傲江湖之东方不敗. I knew, of course, that there are swordfighting novels in Chinese, but I was so terrible at the language that I knew it was impossible to read any of them. So I decided to write one myself, and I had a fun/insane time coming up with the plot, intrigue and twists-and-turns that are the backbone and fundamentals of a great swordfighting film/story, I feel.

How do you think your Singaporean identity and bilingual background manifests in/influences your writing?

I don’t think it has any significant influence or impact on how and what I write, at least not from what I can sense from my writings. When I write, I bring all of myself into it, and it’s really hard to distinguish or separate different parts of my being – physical, emotions, psyche, tics, background, identity – from one another. If this does come up in my writings, well, so be it – it could easily be a conscious choice, or an unmediated decision, but I would usually let the story dictate its own needs, and to find ways to fulfil, or overcome, them. I very rarely like to force my hand on the story that I’m writing.     

What is your writing routine like? Do you have quirks - lucky charms you must have on your desk, secret writing places, etc.?

Now, I write in the day, for about three to four hours. And because I live on my own, and have a writing room, I write there all the time. Usually, it’s breakfast, and then writing; most of the time, I have to coax myself into the study room to write. When I lack the inspiration or desire to write for the day, I would read a short story from a writer I like or respect, and hope/pray/beg that it would trigger something in me to start writing.

The whole process of getting started all over again every day never gets old. And no, there’s no magic to writing for me, unless it’s all imagination. 

Who is your first reader?

I don’t have a first reader, though sometimes I would show early drafts of some stories to a close friend, but not all my stories. Some stories, which are usually the tougher pieces, are only out in public, and available for all to read, when they are published.

I get very self-conscious with the earlier drafts, and always try to be merciless with these drafts – rewriting them again and again – before I send them out into the world. 

Who are your favourite authors, and who are you reading right now?

Some writers whom I’ve grown to love recently are: Hanya Yanagihara, whose A Little Life, totally devastated me—how is it possible to pack in so much beauty and cruelty and kindness and sadness into one novel? —and Tessa Hadley, whose short stories are truly ravishing, meticulous and shot through with wry, penetrative observations.

Of course, the perennials: Alice Munro, George Saunders, Karen Russell, Yoko Ogawa, and Li Yiyun.

Right now, I’m reading Mary Gaitskill’s The Mare. She’s a writing goddess; I’ll read (and study and make notes about) anything she writes. 

What are you working on now/next?
I’m working on a new story collection that will consist of speculative fiction pieces, titled Signs of Life. And I’m hoping to start my second novel next year; the idea for it seems ripe for reaping.

How does one stay financially viable as an author?
Marry up! Find a rich sponsor/patron! Apply for the mother-father scholarship! :P

It's the question I ask myself all the time, back then and even now. My solution: when I'm broke and need to survive, I find a full-time job and work for a couple of years/months. Save enough (and when I get bored and restless with full-time work), and I quit and write. Repeat.

Along the way, I look around for freelance writing/teaching jobs, which help just a tiny bit. My resume is a tattered patchwork of jobs - you can imagine what the HR of the companies I worked at previously had to say about this! But we do what we can to survive and write.

On July 7, 2015, Singaporean writer Clarissa N. Goenawan was announced as the winner of the Bath Novel Award 2015. Her manuscript, Rainbirds, clinched the international prize for unpublished and independently published novels - chosen out of 806 manuscripts submitted by writers in 41 countries, including the United States and Britain.

London-based literary agent Mildred Yuan, who judged the competition, praised Rainbirds for "its unmatched combination of a lightness of style combined with a compelling story". The prize comes with
£1,000 and a trophy designed by artist Jessica Palmer.

Born in Indonesia, Clarissa moved to Singapore when she was sixteen. A graduate of the Curtis Brown Creative novel-writing course and a mentee on the WoMentoring Project, her short stories have won several awards, and been published in The MacGuffin, Your Impossible Voice, Black Denim Lit, Needle in The Hay, and Writing The City.

She has also been shortlisted for the Dundee International Book Prize, for Rainbirds. The annual prize for debut novels, now in its 11th year, comes with a publishing deal with Cargo Publishing and £10,000, the largest cash prize for unpublished work in the UK. The winner will be announced during the Dundee Literary Festival in October 2015.

We Are A Website's co-editor Eva Aldea interviews Clarissa, days after her Bath Novel Award win:

Congratulations on winning the Bath Novel Award with Rainbirds. We are very excited that a budding Singaporean writer has taken home this prestigious award. Tell us a little about this as yet unpublished novel.

Clarissa N. Goenawan: This is the novel pitch. An apathetic young man, his enigmatic sister, and a precocious teenage girl, each with a secret of their own. Japan 1994: Twenty-four-year-old Ren Ishida’s humdrum life is shaken by his older sister’s murder. Guided by recurring dreams of a little girl, he discovers a painful truth that unearths secrets from his past.


What made you write this particular story and explore this subject?

The idea came when I thought of what would happen if someone died unexpectedly, and no one really knew what kind of life she had been leading. What would her family feel? Would there be any regrets? After that, the rest of the story grew organically.


The first chapter leaves us with a lot of clues and unanswered questions, wanting us to know more about what happened. Is it a detective novel? 

While there’s a mystery waiting to be solved, it’s not really a whodunit novel. I personally think it’s a coming-of-age story masquerading as a murder mystery. My latest query says it’s a literary fiction with elements of magical realism – but to be honest, it keeps changing!


Why did you choose to set the novel in Japan?

I wanted an Asian country with four seasons and a wide range of backdrops, such as mountains, lakes, etc. I shortlisted a few options, and eventually decided on Japan.

I studied Japanese language in high school and still read copious amount of manga — so that helps, but I also did tons of Google searches and library visits. I even pulled out the historical weather data and the moon phase calendar of 1994. But, when it comes to research, I think it’s also important to know when to stop. Most of the data I gathered never made it into the book.


Describe your writing journey from idea to prize-winning novel.

It started as a childhood dream. I was an avid reader and always loved to write. But, growing up, I realised, it wasn’t a very feasible make-a-living plan. Sounds familiar? I kind of forgot about it, until a few years ago, when I decided to take a break from the workforce. At that time, I told myself I only live once; why not try doing something I really, really want to do? I decided to pick up writing again.

 
What did you do before writing full-time? How did it influence you as a writer?

I was previously doing sales and marketing (I majored in marketing). Once, I worked for a book distribution company. It gave me a lot of insights into how publishing works. I learnt that the success of a book depends not only on the book itself, but the team behind it.

 
Tell us about the writing process for Rainbirds.

I spent one and a half months writing the first draft (excluding the preparation time - for example, staring at the wall, looking for inspirational photos, etc.).  Then I spent another one and a half years editing it, before sending it out to competitions and agents.

 
What is your writing routine? Do you write every day?

Yes, I write every day! I use the term ‘write’ very loosely here, because I also count other writing-related activities, such as editing and researching. And I really mean every day - including Christmas, New Year's Day, and my birthday. The only period I don’t write is during the Chinese New Year. The visitation agenda is always very packed.

Obviously, this strategy wouldn’t work for everyone, but it works for me... and Stephen King!

I usually write in the morning or at night, approximately three hours per day. Sometimes, I’ll meet up with a writer friend who stays in my area and we’ll go to Starbucks to write.


How do you motivate yourself to write a long work such as a novel?

I’ve got plenty of cheerleaders! They are other writers also working on their own novels. We keep one another updated on our progress. I’m also a huge fan of NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo. In fact, I wrote the first draft of Rainbirds during NaNoWriMo.


Who are your mentors and support network? How did you find them?

I’m lucky to have Jenny Ashcroft as a mentor. We met through The WoMentoring Project (http://womentoringproject.co.uk), which offers free mentorship for female writers. Jenny was actually the one who encouraged me to send my novel for BNA. I also receive plenty of guidance from Anna Davis and Chris Wakling from Curtis Brown Creative, which I attended thanks to a grant from NAC. My critique partners and beta readers come from various places. Some are ex-classmates, some are Twitter friends, some are fellow writing project collaborators, but I met most of them online.

 
How do you decide which comment from your “beta readers” to heed and which to ignore? Do you ever disagree with them?

If the majority of my beta readers say that something doesn’t work, they’re usually right. It gets trickier when I get conflicting feedback. At the end of the day, I think you just have to go with your gut feelings.


How do you create character? Is character driven by plot or the other way around, or is there a different process altogether?

For me, the character drives the plot. The story would have been completely changed if Ren had a different kind of personality.

 
So how do you go from character to plot? Is it organic or do you plan it? How do you decide if a plot direction feels right?

For Rainbirds, I didn’t really plot. I just continued to write and write, hoping that it would eventually lead to something. The first draft was a mess, of course. I left it aside for a couple of months. After that, I went through the manuscript as a reader and took note of every point that didn’t feel right, before addressing them one by one. There was a lot of rewriting and editing.


There is a thriving writing scene in Singapore, despite it being such a small place. Why do you think Singaporeans are such keen writers?

I would attribute it to the culture that encourages reading. Look at our awesome public libraries! Writing seems to be a natural progression for self-expression.


Is global reach important to you as a writer?

Even though I’m writing primarily for myself, I would love to reach as many readers as possible.

 
How easy or hard do you think it is for Singaporean literature to reach a wider audience? Why?

It’s never easy to break into the market, and the same holds true for writers from any country, whether Singapore, Malaysia or anywhere else. There are many rejections and the waiting time is extremely long. It’s very easy to feel dejected and throw in the towel.

Having said that, I see so many great talents in Singapore. It’s just a matter of time before Singaporean writers get more recognition. After all, readers everywhere are always looking for a good book, regardless of which country it comes from. And recently, there is an increasing call for more diversity in literature.

 
What are your plans now? What are you working on at the moment?

I’m crossing my fingers for the Dundee International Book Prize and also looking for an agent to represent me. In the meantime, I’m working on my next novel.


Do you want to reveal anything about that next novel? 

Actually, I have two works in progress at the moment. One of them is a love story, and another one is a mystery. Both are still in the early stages.


Relief or pressure: Has your approach to your writing changed now you have one prize-winning novel under the belt?

I guess it changed slightly from ‘Nobody wants my first novel and I’m writing another one’, to ‘What if the next one is not good enough?’ But I take comfort from having a group of supportive mentors, critique partners, and beta readers. I can always count on them to say, ‘This doesn’t work because of blah, blah, blah. Please rewrite.’