“When I was thinking about whether I could be a writer, whether I could make other people feel the way I felt when I read a certain book, I read it over and over again. It wasn’t a novel, it was a short story,” writer Daisy Johnson told the crowd at London’s Bazaar Winter Literary Salon. Below, she shares her words of wisdom about mastering media. These came at the right time. Johnson won the annual short story award in 2016, and the 2025 contest is now accepting entries.
In 2018, Johnson became the youngest author to be shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize with his novel Everything Under, but his latest book The Hotel returns to short stories, all set in the same eerie East Anglia. It is a fascinating series of concise stories. guest house.
“The short story is short so you can grasp and feel the whole thing in your head and take your time to break down every line and understand why it works,” she said. “I also learned that by re-reading other people’s collections, I can sometimes see how the stories, while technically independent, can sometimes be related. I like to weave in links – little jokes, easter egg-like tricks – so I have a little conversation with the reader.”
Conversation between Mr. Johnson and Francis Hedges of Bazaar
Johnson has no set ending when it comes to his story arc. “This plot is a real exploration for me, and I think that’s often why my characters explore things or find things on their own,” she says. looked back. “I often want my readers to have the same sense of uncertainty that I have when I write. That feeling of incomprehension or ambiguity is a very human feeling to me. It’s something like that.”
Johnson also explained to her the importance of location when starting a story. “Setting is very important. Sometimes I start with a particular building or landscape, but if the story doesn’t work, it’s because of the setting,” she said. “So far, I’ve had personal connections with every place I’ve set my sights on.”
Looking ahead to when his novel will be published, Johnson personally loves the experience of sharing his novel with the world. “There’s something freeing about taking them out of your hands and into someone else’s hands. It’s great to see them have a second life and it’s great to see people give their opinions. It’s great to have it and hear people say, “I thought something like this happened here, but what does that mean?” It’s kind of? “If you don’t feel that way, you probably shouldn’t publish it,” she advised, although she acknowledged that creative problems are inevitable when looking back. “You always think, ‘Oh my god, why is there a semicolon there?!’
Johnson’s parting words offered solace to budding writers who sometimes hit a wall. “I’m not very good at writing, and I often feel very sad,” she said with a wry smile. “But about once a week or a month, there’s a moment of real brilliance where your whole body goes, ‘Oh my god, this is it! This is what I was trying to say, or this is the way I was trying to say it.’ be.” . ”That moment is why I do it and why I keep doing it. ”
Hotel
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