Here at Blazing Minds we have the honour of knowing some amazing authors and over the years we have brought you reviews of their books and done some author interviews as well, we are bringing back our series of interviews and we are kicking of with my good friend Kenton Hall.
If the name sounds familiar that’s because we have brought you news about Kenton’s book Bisection before and also reviewed Kenton’s film A Dozen Summers here on the website.
I caught up with Kenton recently to have a chat about the book and some other things, so please sit back and enjoy our chat here on Blazing Minds.
Can you tell our readers a little about yourself and your book?
I warn you, this is going to read like the weirdest dating profile ever. My name is Kenton Hall, I’m a Canadian author, director, musician and actor living and working in the UK. I have bipolar disorder, a deep and abiding love for Elvis Costello, Margaret Atwood and cheese, and argue almost constantly about my height.
My most recent work is Bisection, which is a comic memoir about living and parenting with bipolar disorder.
I know that sounds like a self-help book, but it’s not. I do hope it helps people to think differently about mental illness, but I’m equally concerned that it stands on its own as piece of writing. Or, at very least, holds up a wobbly table leg somewhere.
It tells the story of me, my twin daughters and bipolar disorder. With jokes. Which is as it should be.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
That’s a tough one. Bisection took about six months to write, but I’ve had projects – I write for film and music as well – take days, weeks, even years. I like deadlines though, they are a handy combination of focus and nausea.
I can usually pull a project together fairly quickly, once I know where I’m going. A lot of the writing takes place in my head before I start typing though. It makes me appear faster than I am.
There’s an awful lot of staring at the ceiling involved (and we’re back to the dating profile).
Does Writing Energise or Exhaust You?
Yes.
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
I never have. I lucked out with one of the perfect syllable ratios for a writer. Nice short last name, two syllable first name. Perfect for gold embossed letters.
But, seriously, writing is a huge part of my identity. I like to claim it. But I am envious of those who can make that separation between work and self; I suspect they have a greater degree of emotional health.
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
I’m lucky to have some great artists of all stripes at my disposal, either close friends or in my extended circle. Film and music wise, my good friend and erstwhile bandmates John McCourt is an excellent screenwriter to watch out for. I’m producing a feature of his with him called Emphasis Mine, which is shaping up marvelously. I’ve recently had a chance to work with a fabulous poet called Lydia Towsey who runs a programme called Word, here in Leicester. Alexzandra Jackson, who produced my first feature film, is now a Talent Executive for the BFI and she’s the single best story person I know. So, yes, there are many. I also teach a fair bit, which allows me to discover new writers, which is always exciting.
All the above people make me strive to be a better writer because a) they’re so much more accomplished than me, which is annoying and can’t be tolerated, b) they give great feedback and c) they encourage me to listen to diverse voices and not get stuck in old patterns.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
“Calm down. You’re not trying to win at Scrabble.”
As a writer, what would you choose as your avatar?
A flagon of coffee.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
I do. I shouldn’t. I have a long-standing argument with myself about the art of criticism. The older I get, the less I understand the drive to say negative things in a public forum. Life is short, talk about what you love and ignore the rest.
I definitely think that there are some “critics” who think a cutting line is the height of the profession. I respectfully disagree. And they do cause real hurt, which again, I’m trying to distance myself from as much as humanly possible. Writing about film, music, books, origami, whatever – if the writer is passionate about it, it can be just illuminating and thrilling as any other art form. But I bristle at subjective opinion being brandished as objective.
That said, I like a good review. I didn’t get into the Arts because I felt secure about myself. And they can help pay the bills, although I didn’t get into the Arts because I anticipated my living to be secure either. And, yes, bad reviews sting. They always arrive when you’re tired and doubting yourself and they always feel personal.
But you can’t believe good OR bad reviews. They’re all just one seven billionth of the world’s opinion – and if your work pleases everyone, you’re not trying hard enough. Eventually, you develop a compass of your own: How close is the work to what I intended? What have I learned that I can take forward to the next project, as growth? I think that’s the only truly healthy competition, your next piece against your last.
Don’t get me wrong – money buys books, music and cheese. And I want to be read, watched and listened to, hopefully with pleasure. But I learned long ago that my mental health can only obsess over those things for so long before I start arguing with inanimate objects. And losing.
Does your family support your career as a writer?
I live with two teenaged daughters. They are incredibly supportive, provided they don’t have to hear about it, listen to it or make the tea.
Do you Google yourself?
And again with the dating profile. Yes, I do. Less often than when I was younger. There is a necessity to keep track of what’s being said and talked about, from a business point-of-view, to remain in the conversation. But I limit it these days.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Too long a deadline. I end up cleaning the house to avoid the hideously blank page. Or telling myself that learning Mandarin would be useful. Or trying to work out why my daughters are angry. None of which will lead to any good.
Tell me it’s due on Friday, however, and it gets done. Chaos needs order to survive. And I am chaos.
Massive thanks to Kenton for chatting with me, you can get Kenton’s Bisection on Amazon and watch A Dozen Summers on Prime Video.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
