Meet the (married!) authors of 12 Hours to Say I Love You
12 Hours to Say I Love You is a love story about Steve and Pippa, a couple whose lives and changed forever when Pippa is in a car accident. Unusually, it was written by a married couple, so we thought we’d ask them a few questions about what it’s like to write a book as a team, with the person you’ve chosen to spend your life with…
Why did you decide to write a book together?
Laurence – We’d been writing and developing scripts together for a few years, and the process was starting to click. A novel felt like a different beast, though. It was daunting at first.
Olivia – We had worked together several times as a writing duo before the idea for a novel came up. It came in handy that we had previously navigated a comedy pilot about pushy parents, a children’s play about a futuristic family holidaying in space and a radio 4 drama about IVF (hmmm, we clearly don’t have a ‘type’) before embarking on a novel.
Tell us about the planning process? How did you decide on the overall plot? Also how did you divide up who would write which bits?
L – With our wonderful editor, we made sure the overall plot was solid enough before we got going in earnest.
O – I would take a first pass on Pippa’s chapters and Larry would edit them and he would do first Steve pass and I would edit. I then took a sweep over the central chapters – some building blocks of where we needed the story to go – and then we fleshed these ones together – face to face over two computers. This meant that we were entirely on the same page (…) for the supporting skeleton of our novel.
What were the biggest challenges during the writing process?
L – We faced many life obstacles over the course of writing this book. It’s a labour of love, and finding the time and head space to do it right was a regular challenge.
O – The fundamental challenge was finding the time to write. It sounds easy – it should be easy – but in reality, real life can often get in the way. Carving out precious hours dedicated to focused writing was vital and often very difficult.
What’s the biggest benefit of writing as a duo?
L – Having someone to encourage you to keep going when you have a block, or to find a fresh approach to an idea or chapter that you’re about to give up on.
O – Having someone who gives you the confidence and encouragement to keep going when you want to quit or offers up a new slant of perspective when you are stuck in a rut. Also sharing the highs and lows of creation with someone is a wonderful thing.
What was the most positive thing for your relationship that came from this process/how was your relationship strengthened?
L – To know that we have completed something which we can be proud of, which we’ve created as a duo, is hugely strengthening. We’re less fearful about other things now.
O – Knowing that we were able to complete a full-length novel that we are truly proud of whilst simultaneously fending off some rough life blows and earning a living during lockdown has made me so proud of us as a couple. I knew we were strong before but now I feel we are pretty bloody invincible.
What is your top piece of advice for couples wanting to write a book together?
L – Don’t! We’d rather corner the market, thank you.
O – Well, Larry and I first bonded over a shared love of a sketch by Doctor Brown about a sickly sweet loved up couple. The girl keeps nuzzling her boyfriend and saying, ‘we finish each other’s -’. He just stares blankly. She tries again ‘We finish each other’s – ‘. Still nothing. And finally, she sheepishly prompts him: ‘sentences.’ My advice would be that you definitely don’t need to finish each other’s sentences but if you are able to ‘improve, polish and celebrate each other’s sentences’ then you could be on to a winner.
