Elizabeth Tyrrell talks to Open Book about her writing mantras, her debut novel, The Strangling Angel, and the characters she created that took on lives of their own.
Join Elizabeth Tyrell and the Markham Village Writers at the Cubbii Market in Unionville on Thursday, March 24th to hear a reading from The Strangling Angel and to participate in the group's first Open Mic night. Visit our Events page for details.
Open Book:
Tell us about your novel, The Strangling Angel.
Elizabeth Tyrrell:
My story begins in Ireland in 1846, during the time of the Great Famine. Delia, the main character, is a last surviving sibling who is struggling desperately to survive when she witnesses her mother’s brutal murder. She flees in terror, only to be plunged into another nightmare as she fights to stay alive among the starving Irish.
It’s a story about immense courage and the power of the human spirit to overcome when all seems hopeless.
OB:
What was your inspiration for this story?
ET:
I was compelled to write Delia’s story after years of research into my Irish ancestors, who were among the hundreds of thousands of emigrants who fled to North America but were forced to settle in the dockland area of Liverpool, England, which is where I was born.
During the two year writing period the characters became so much a part of me that I literally cried when I typed "The End" on the last page of the manuscript! For two long years, I had laughed with them, loved with them and cried with them, and we had been through so much together that my sense of loss was real and I felt bereft, as sad as if I were saying goodbye to one of my own family.
OB:
Did you know very much about this historical period in Ireland before you began writing The Strangling Angel?
ET:
Growing up in England, I was always aware of the Irish Famine, although I never learned anything about it at school. My great grandparents on both sides of the family were among those who fled, but I never heard mention of the tragedy from my grandparents or my mother (my father and grandparents died when I was only four). It was during my genealogical research that I came to realize the magnitude of the loss and the extent of suffering the Irish people endured during the shameful period in Britain’s history. Long before Hitler’s persecution of the Jewish people the Great Famine was referred to as a holocaust, a deliberate purging of the rural working class.
I think I gained some insight into the strength of will it took them just to stay alive, and I hope I developed some understanding of how old hurts can linger for generations, and of how difficult it is to forgive sometimes, because it’s not so easy to forget. I spoke about feeling sad when I reached the end of the manuscript, but I think ‘bereft’ would be a more accurate description. Authors and actors frequently say they become immersed in their characters, but I didn’t really understand how, until I "killed off" one of my creations and found I was crying as I typed the death scene!
OB:
What is your writing process like?
ET:
The writing process is a joy to me, and I'm so lucky that I love it, but the constant editing and the long hours spent agonizing over a single sentence or even a word — these are the parts I loathe, because the mechanics keep me away from my fictional family. I find it interesting that during my research I discovered how the rural dwellers lived in communities so closely knit that it grieved them to be separated from each other, even by a few miles. I think this same dread of being apart must be programmed in my DNA and part of the reason I couldn’t — cannot, let them go. It is also the reason I felt compelled to begin a sequel right away.
I’m not a disciplined writer but I do become completely immersed and it’s not uncommon for me to spend twelve hours at a stretch at the computer, sustained by gallons of tea from my husband. I’m only now becoming comfortable with the editing process. The manuscript for The Strangling Angel was reduced from 487 pages to 357 before it was published.
OB:
What advice do you have for a writer working on their own first novel?
ET:
I’ve always been in awe of the complexities of the human body and the way people interact fascinates me. I could spend hours just watching them. Curiosity is an invaluable tool for any writer and if I was even remotely qualified to pass on advice to aspiring writers, I would offer three of the commandments I keep posted above my keyboard:
Always seek to know what’s round the corner.
Get in — get out — don’t linger!
"I write a little every day, without hope and without despair." (Isak Dinesen)
There’s no mystery to it. Put the pen in your hand. Place the nib on the line — and just begin! It doesn’t matter what goes on the page, and it doesn’t matter how — just make a start. The important thing is to get it out of your system while there’s still life in it. It’s the initial bubble of creativity that holds the magic. If you leave it inside you it will turn flat and sour and lose its freshness, so let it out.
OB:
What writers would you say have had the greatest influence on your work?
ET:
My inspiration, apart from my Irish ancestors, is the work of Diana Gabaldon. I am very fortunate to have had the chance to record her books for the CNIB here in Toronto, and I strive to capture the depth of emotion she portrays in her characters. Her descriptive style is incredible. I always feel a pang of loss when I finish one of Diana’s books and I live in hope that my readers will feel the same way about my work!
OB:
Is there a classic novel that you can't imagine having lived your life without reading?
ET:
My recommendation for a timeless classic? Well, it’s not an easy book to find but A Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain would be my all time favourite. It’s an evocative, sensitive and eloquently written book that should be compulsory reading for high school students and lovers.
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Elizabeth (Betty) Tyrrell has lived in Markham for over thirty years and retired in 1999 to devote time to painting, writing and travelling, as well as to her five grandchildren. She has had several articles printed in the Markham Economist over the years, as well as an article published in Our Canada magazine. She dabbles in painting, mostly acrylics, and donates most of her work to charities supporting breast cancer research and the CPFF (Canadian Pulminary Fibrosis Foundation). She also volunteers with the CNIB to record audio books for the sight impaired. In her spare time (what's THAT?) she loves to travel, taking along her camera and sketch pad, as well as her writer’s notebook! Betty is currently working on the second draft of the sequel to The Strangling Angel
For an excerpt from The Strangling Angel please visit the Markham Village Writers Members page.
Buy this book at your local independent bookstore or online at Chapters/Indigo or Amazon.
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