11.02.2011

"Stripped" – the back story

I started writing my novel, Stripped, in 2003. Earlier that year I had performed a one-woman play which I had also written, the three interiors of Lola Strong, which was about an architect, identity, being Australian and the relationship between interior and exterior space. I had been thinking about all of these issues for many years, so I felt that probably that was it, that was the one work which everyone is supposed to have in them. But then I did a Generative Writing workshop with a fabulous theatre director and writer, Jenny Kemp. To my surprise, encouraged and stimulated by the exercises and the environment, a whole new world started to emerge onto the page. That was the world of Stripped: the streets of Melbourne at night, the strip club, the sisters who have a complicated relationship, the journalist who loves sex but hates women, the magical realist elements, and the exploration of death.

In 2004, I started the Professional Writing and Editing course at RMIT. I did it part time, continuing with my acting work, and continuing work on Stripped. As all writers do, I wrote a lot of words and threw a lot away. Over time I started to realise that the centre of the story is Lillian’s death, and that because the story is told by multiple narrators there is no room for fill. The writing style, which is quite dense and poetic, became more defined and there were a few characters and a couple a small story threads which I cut out altogether. Through constant workshopping in classes, the input of both teachers and students, and with the help of a smaller workshopping group I was involved with, the novel became more and more refined, clearer, tighter and more powerful.

Stripped has a slightly unusual form. It follows, chronologically, the development of Lillian’s cancer, her treatment and, eventually her death. The story is told, however, as I said, by multiple first person narrators, their chapters intersecting to cover the events of the story. Each of these characters has a very different voice, perspective and emotional reactions to the events. In addition the writing is very pared-back, almost poetic. Thus, what we receive as readers is a richly textured, layered, and complex picture of the way in which these lives are changed by their encounter with death.

In 2005 I was awarded the Marion Eldridge Award for Emerging Women Writers, for a first draft of Stripped, which was an Australia-wide competition. With the help of this award I was able to complete a polished second draft.

During 2007, my final year at RMIT, I worked on a third full draft of Stripped, a process which included having it read in total by two health professionals associated with cancer care and further discussions with Dr. David Thomas and Dr. Simon Wein at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

In early 2008, I was approached by Sophie Cunningham who, having taken over the editorship of Meanjin, was interested in serialising Stripped. She read the third draft, offered editorial suggestions and I proceeded with another rewrite. The first part of Stripped was published in Meanjin, Volume 67, No.2, June 2008. It was approved by Sophie and expertly copy-edited by Richard McGregor. Each subsequent edition has included the next part of the novel with the final part being published in Volume 69, No.2, June 2010.

It was a fantastic opportunity to have had the novel serialised in Meanjin, and to have had the excellent editorial input of Sophie Cunningham, and Richard McGregor, and I received some really lovely feedback. Many people however said, “Yes, but when are you going to publish it as a whole?” I thought long and hard about how to do it, as it was now in a kind of no-man’s land of having been “sort-of” published. With Sophie’s assistance I came up with the plan of publishing a beautIfully designed, limited edition of the novel with a hand letter-press printed cover. Stuart Geddes, of chase and galley, had already been doing the design for Meanjin and I really loved his work on that so he seemed the perfect collaborator, and my dear friend, Carolyn Fraser of Idlewild Press has been doing amazing work in letter-press printing for years, and I was thrilled to at last be working on a project with her.

I applied for money for this project from the City of Melbourne, which I received, and we are well on the way.

During November and December 2010, we all met a number of times and finalised the design, then in January, the plates for the letter-press printing were ordered from the USA, and over the last two weeks Carolyn and Stuart have printed the cover. It looks fantastic. Yesterday Stuart, Sophie and I signed off on the inside pages, which have been sent to the printer. On Monday we’ll have a proof to look at and if that’s ok the printer will take the covers, print the inside and then bind the book. Wow. Very close now…

The launch is on March 15th, 5.30 – 7.00 at fortyfivedownstairs. If you’d like to come, send me a line. I am very excited and very nervous.

Finally, because things unfortunately changed recently at Meanjin, and they were going to buy some copies from me, I have a budget shortfall. This has opened up another whole adventure however, which is crowdfunding. If you’re interested, or want to buy a book and can’t make it to the launch, go to www.pozible.com.au.

This project was supported by the City of Melbourne Writing about Melbourne Arts Grant Program.