So in August I decided to write a Christmas novella. I know - talk about a tight deadline. But somehow I did it. This blog is going to tell you how. So pop the kettle on, put on some Christmas music and enjoy.
I already had the title, A Notting Hill Christmas. I'd written it down ages ago in my folder of ideas. All I needed was a story, characters, a plot, a beginning, a middle and that all important end. 30,000 words in two months - no worries!
I knew exactly what I wanted the book to be like. I had an idea in my head and it was based on a few things. I was lucky to grow up in the 80's. The 80's produced so many amazing Christmas songs - Band Aid, Last Christmas by Wham, Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade - to name just a few. That's not even mentioning Cliff Richards! The 80's was a great time for festive music. It was also a great time for classic British sitcoms and Christmas specials. I clearly remember watching the Only Fools and Horses specials as a child. It stuck in my mind and so when I came to write this, I sort of knew what I wanted. It had to festive, funny, and romantic, of course.
I knew my story would have the music, the traditional food, presents, decorations and once I knew it was going to be about a family in a tiny flat, the drama and arguments that come when a family get together. So I started, as always, with the characters. The main character is Ben and I decided early on that he was going to be a bit of a loser. Once I had him, the older more successful brother, Jamie, came pretty quickly. I really wanted the family dynamic to remind readers of their own family. I know we're all different, but I knew if I wrote a really honest, down to earth family, people would be able to relate in some way. Maybe you relate to Ben or his brother, or the parents, the sister-in-law or the granddad. What I hope I've created is a really interesting, funny family that fight and argue, but love and care for each other dearly. I really love the Canterbury family and I think they could easily have their own novel!
The next thing I tackled was the love story. This was always going to be a romantic comedy first and foremost. Having Ben as a bit of a loser, I had to make sure the love story worked. It took a bit of work, and I don't want to give too much away, but hopefully I've written a real, gritty, honest, and romantic love story between two people with more in common than they realise. The girl in question is called Mhairi, and from the start she was Scottish. I wanted someone new to Notting Hill with their own interesting back story and also a girl that was feisty, strong, and would stand up for herself. For some reason when I put all of that together, she was Scottish.
The main thing I wanted to achieve with this little story was to recreate the sort of Christmases I had growing up. When I think about Christmas there's a warmth of emotion. It conjures up so many feelings and I wanted to somehow capture that in the book. I hope I've managed to do that with the characters I've created. I also made a real effort to include lots of little details in the story that hopefully add to it's authenticity.
The other little sub-plots just came along as I wrote the book. The angry dog, Mr Waggles, who actually plays a huge part in the book. The horny Welsh flatmate, Rufus, who can't get home for Christmas because there's too much snow on the tracks and ends up staying. The giant turkey, Grandad, and Ben's mum - all became integral to the whole story. It's only a short novella, but I managed to squeeze a lot in!
I think something that happened sort of organically was setting the whole story in the poky, little flat. There's something really engaging to me about stories set somewhere specific. Maybe it's the sitcom idea like, The Office, which is set primarily in the office. Only Fools and Horses had different sets, but the flat is what you remember the most. Even shows like Gavin & Stacey, they have lots of settings, but the two houses really make the show what it is. I like having this set only in the flat. It's like the whole thing is condensed and I think it adds to the Christmas spirit!
A Notting Hill Christmas is my first and hopefully not my last Christmas novella - who knows, maybe there will be 'Another Notting Hill Christmas' next year! I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it. A very merry Christmas from me to you!
Until next time.
Hugs,
Jon x
