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About Vincent Tuckwood
Vincent Tuckwood is a story-teller working in fiction, song and verse. At any given point in time, he’s proud to be a father, husband, son, brother, cousin and friend to the people who mean the world to him.
He is the author of the novels Escalation, Family Rules, Karaoke Criminals and Do Sparrows Eat Butterflies? as well as the 2010 poetry collection, Garbled Glittering Glamours. His screenplays are Team Building and the screen adaptation of Family Rules, Inventing Kenny.
What inspired you to write your first book?
There’s a long story behind that!
I’ve played guitar since I was 9 years old, in bands since I was 11. My main creative outlet was song-writing and verse for most of my teenage years - when I used to work a Saturday job in a shop in my home-town, I’d often be writing snatches of lyrics on bags in between serving customers.
Then, when I was 19 and at university, I began to develop a form of dermatitis – which wouldn’t be diagnosed as an allergy to Glycerin until 14 years later – and within a year, my hands were covered in cracks and peeling skin. Playing the guitar was agony, though I still did of course, but I’d lost those moments of sitting in calm reflection and expressing myself through my songs.
I became seriously depressed and was quite far down the spiral before I found myself with a pen in my hand, writing the first words of my first novel, Of The Tribe.
So, I wouldn’t describe it as being inspired to write my first novel, as much as I would finding a way to breathe creatively when I was close to suffocating
What books have influenced your life the most?
I read voraciously, both fiction and non-fiction, so it’s difficult to pin down specific books.
Some books that now feature high on my list didn’t make sense at first, mainly because I think I read them when I was too young. A good example of this is George Orwell’s 1984, which I tried to read several times as a teenager, and could never get past the first few chapters. I read it again recently and was stunned by Orwell’s prescience – especially given the idiocy of modern politics, the shock doctrine and double-speak media, where it feels like 1984 is being used as a “how to” manual. I guess I needed the maturity of the intervening years to be able to open myself to its political insights.
For fiction, I will always go back to The Stand by Stephen King – who I think is one of the best story-tellers ever. I’m drawn to post-apocalyptic stories generally because all rules are off the table, and this is the best I’ve read. It’s also because of the humanity of King’s characters. It’s always a welcome return to visit with Stu, Nick, Frannie, Mother Abigail and the rest.
Also, I want to give a nod to a story that transfixed me as a young teenager: Mystery Walk by Robert R McCammon. Beautifully told, achingly affective in parts. McCammon is a master story-teller.
For non-fiction, I generally read books about the intersection of neuroscience, behavioral research and psychology: what makes people tick. From this space, I guess I’d have to go with The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, which helped me square away a lot of my own interior dialogue as I re-emerged into my story-telling self.
Finally, for writers new and seasoned, The Right To Write by Julia Cameron is a must.
What are your current projects
Having just published two novels in 2011, I’m taking a short break from full-length fiction to recharge my batteries. The next original project is bubbling, though I’ve yet to decide whether that will be novel or screenplay.
I’m currently adapting my novel Do Sparrows Eat Butterflies? for the screen. That screenplay will be called Certainty. Alongside that, I’m adapting my novel Karaoke Criminals for a 4-part television drama. That’s such a Brit story that I’ll likely have to sell it trans-Atlantic to my home country – I’d love to see it on the BBC.
Finally, I’m very excited to begin work in the next month or so adapting Escalation for the screen. It’s a very cinematic novel and should be great fun to adapt.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
The simple answer is no, I’m a big believer in the work standing as it was on the day it was published. It’s possible for me to get lost in the tinkering forever – Bill Clinton isn’t the only one who can argue what the meaning of ‘is’ is!
That said, with Family Rules, I’ve had the joy of adapting it to screenplay this year, with my screen-writing partners, James Patric Moran and Timothy Quinlan. As a result, I’ve already had chance to change a couple of things.
One simple thing was the song playing when Kenny gets to Strawberry Fields in New York. In the book I’d used a memory I had of a guy singing The Beach Boys’ Sloop John B there – it had struck me odd at the time, kind of juxtaposed against its being a memorial to John Lennon. But when we wrote the screenplay, we had Kenny running across the city with Bella to the heartbreaking song Love by Lennon himself and this segues into the guy singing Nobody Told Me. It’s so dramatic – if we can get the rights to use these songs, it’ll be an incredible moment. Ah well, we can dream.
We also brought a neat twist on the end of the story, but I’ll give away too much if I describe that here!
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author?
None really; everything is good learning.
One thing that really grates, though: when someone hears that you write, their first question is “What have you published?” As an unpublished writer of several novels, that used to drive me up the wall. It’s such a materialistic quantification of an art-form. I had to force myself to learn to smile and say “does that matter?”
Every artist has worth, for nothing else than choosing to step out of conformity. The passive-aggressive, veiled criticism of “how much have you sold?” is one of the most damaging things any of us can ask of an artist, especially to those early in their artistic journey.
So, please, say it with me: “That’s interesting, can I have a look at your work?”
What has been the best compliment?
I get the feedback that my stories tell themselves, that the reading is effortless, and that’s the best I can hope for. I’m humbled by that. To be present on the page, guiding my readers and yet have them not notice me – that’s very cool.
Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
Yes… Don’t worry about aspiring to be a ‘Writer’. Just WRITE! There are so many reasons and distractions that the world will place before you that will make you avoid writing. Just do it! Write!
What is your favorite quality about yourself?
I see only possibilities.
What is your least favorite quality about yourself?
I think a lot, and very quickly, so often I’ll state an opinion like it’s fact because I’ve already thought hard on it. That can be perceived as my shutting others down, though that’s seldom my intention. I’m constantly forcing myself to slow down and listen to others’ opinions – though it’s very, very hard for me. I don’t think I’m alone in this; we could all do with learning to listen more.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Just that I write to be read. And there’s nothing better than hearing from someone who’s reading one of my stories. So, I hope your readers get in touch at http://VinceT.net and join me in this crazy story-telling journey!
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