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What is your earliest childhood memory?
Whingeing about vanilla ice cream in a caff in Preston Park, pulling on a woman’s leg who I thought was my mam.
What makes you happy?
A night down the Linthorpe pub in Middlesbrough when the Alpine lager’s flowing, or a night on my own in the flat when the words are flowing.
When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
Thumbing through ‘Trainspotting’ when I was eleven years old really knocked me for six. It made me realise you don’t have to write a novel according to any strict formula or pattern. As a writer, you can be as free with language and structure as you want, and ‘Trainspotting’ exemplifies that, to me.
What are you reading at the moment?
I’m reading Thomas Pynchon’s ‘The Crying of Lot 149’ – it’s my first Pynchon, after years and years of wanting to take the plunge. I’m really enjoying it – it’s really off the wall and intense, full of mad characters and hilarious descriptions and awe-inspiring cleverness. I reckon I’ll work up a Pynchon addiction before too long…
What advice will give to a first time writer?
I love Kerouac’s advice, to ‘stick to it with the energy of a benny [speed] addict’ – you just have to write and write and write. I got published after sending novels to publishers non-stop since I was twelve… I’ve had tons of rejection letters over the years, but now and then someone comes along with faith, and it’s worth all the rejections.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Ecstasy, pork pies, and ‘Eggheads’ on BBC2
How do you relax?
A cup of tea, a pork pie, and ‘Eggheads’ on BBC2
What is your favourite Book?
I keep changing my mind. One I really love is ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ – it’s not only this manic, truly surreal story, but Lewis Carroll’s wordplay blows my mind. He was a true genius, and hilarious as well.
What is the most important thing life has taught you?
It might sound slushy, but taking Ecstasy in my teens taught me to try and be as happy as possible all the time I’m got life in me (despite making me feel like shit the morning after). And if you can’t be happy, just try to be nice to people.
Richard Milward’s novel ‘Ten Story Love Song’ is out now.
