A published novelist for a decade, Courttia Newland still manages to surprise. From his debut novel The Scholar to his recent collection of short stories Music for the Off-Key, the west London-born former rapper, playwright and documentary filmmaker is celebrated for his ability to convey the reality of life facing many young black people in England. He speaks to Joy Francis about his new projects and future plans.

April/May 2007

Courttia Newland

You’re in the middle of writing a novel. What is it about?

It is called Minx. It is about a girl whose nickname is Minx whose relationship with the main male character sets up a whole chain reaction. I’m using the story as an allegory about the widening gap between the black middle classes and the black working classes. I don’t want to reveal anything yet as I’m nearly finished. I’ve been working on it for a while.

Do you have a publisher waiting for the book?

Not really. I’m trying to get into the whole idea of just writing for myself. I’m enjoying what I’m doing rather than working towards any sort of deadline. That is the way I mainly write my books. Trying to meet deadlines just doesn’t suit me. It suits other people.

When were you in a situation when you did have to meet a deadline?

With Snakeskin and it didn’t suit me at all. I can write to deadlines, but each novel is completely different. I usually end up doing something completely different and spend different lengths of time on each book. I don’t have a routine for my books. Most of the books that I’ve had published have been written in the way I’m writing Minx. I’m proud of Snakeskin, but as an experience I didn’t enjoy it.

You are only 33, yet you have been writing for over a decade. What motivates you to keep writing and would you say you are more confident now as a writer?

I feel more quietly confident as a writer. Back when I wrote Society Within I was overconfident. Now I think I have a healthy respect for what I’m doing. I know I can do this, but it doesn’t mean that if you don’t apply the same amount of pressure on yourself to do it right that you can’t stray sometimes. It is weird – I have been published for ten years. Having that experience behind you it is like a relief. I know what I’m doing now whereas before I was just like, what is all this? It was like keeping my head above water. Now I’m treading water comfortably.

I want to take you back to 80s television: The Dukes of Hazzard and Night Rider for example. Didn’t you use these shows as templates to write stories?

I didn’t even like The Dukes of Hazzard. I hated it. You had to watch it because there was nothing else on. It was more about the spirit of these programmes at that period in time. When you look at movies now, you are seeing a resurgence in Sci Fi films because my generation is coming forward and making them. That is how those TV programmes influenced me to do different things with black characters. In a literary sense I am a descendent of people like George Lamming, Earl Lovelace and Linton Kwesi Johnson. They shaped who I am as a writer as did hip hop.

Why did you write Music for the Off-Key, a collection of short stories?

I wanted to drop that right after Snakeskin in 2004, but no one would take it including my publishing company. They said short stories don’t sell. When I sent it to people they didn’t say anything for six months. They don’t tell you anything in the publishing industry. When I asked what was happening with the collection, they said the stories are great. I said, if the stories are so great why isn’t the collection being published? I didn’t hear anything for another six months. There was a lot of that going on. In the end I gave it to Kadija [(Sesay) George] and she gave it to Pepal Tree. They liked it and published it.

What is the life of a modern novelist both as a profession and as a living?

It is a tough profession. That’s why I’m only now buying a house. I don’t drive and I don’t have kids because I know I can’t do that right now. All that time when they were sitting on Music for the Off-Key I wasn’t making any money. I started off with a really big ‘up’ period with The Scholar. It’s whether you can get through when it isn’t so good. I have Fellowships, Arts Council work so I feel more comfortable now. There is a certain amount of work I’m not going to do which means that I will be in a certain pay bracket. The freedom that that gives me is amazing and that is what I really crave. I can do the ‘money’ thing but it is too restrictive for me. I’m not saying that I don’t want the money, but it has to work for me.

What has been your greatest lesson from working with publishers?

People say to me, you are not as big as you should be and more should be done. I can’t think of any other way I could have done it that would have made my writing career any different. And that’s why I’m still here. When I look at the publishing industry, I think it has got harder for black publishing. The door has got that much smaller for everyone, but it is hitting black people doubly hard. All you can do is really, really push yourself and write the kind of books you want to write. It can be published, but even then it will be a struggle.

Do you have plans to write for television, bearing in mind its early influence on your writing?

Every experience I’ve had with TV as a writer has been bad. But I’ve linked up with Noel Clarke [Dr Who, Kidulthood] and Menhaj Huda of Stealth Films. They have taken an option out on Society Within and are talking about making it into a TV series with BBC4 and Kudos who did Life on Mars and Hustle. We have been commissioned to do a pilot and then eight episodes for the series. I have very little to do with that side of things. At the minute, someone else is writing the script. I will never say never though. I just want to see it on TV and see it done well, so who knows.

back to top