Nadia Attia: 'Infuse your story with subjects you love so that the research feels less like hard work and more like playtime'
BY Katie Smart
5th Oct 2022
Nadia Attia studied on our Writing Your Novel – Three Months course in London back in 2017. Now her debut novel Verge is a Serpent’s Tail lead title, to be published May 2023. The novel is set in a speculative Britain where prejudice, superstition and magic has taken hold of society.
We caught up with Nadia to find out more about her time studying with us and how Brexit inspired the speculative setting of her debut.
You took our three-month Writing Your Novel course in 2017. How did your time studying with us impact your writing journey?
It gave me a disciplined work ethic as I had to submit writing and feedback to weekly deadlines! It also taught me about how to give and receive constructive criticism, and know when to trust my instincts if something feels right. It also gave me the confidence to approach agents and believe in my work.
Many of our students find lifelong writing friends on our courses. Are you still in touch with anyone you met during the course?
Yes! We have a WhatsApp group that's still resplendent with banter, gossip, morale boosting and writing tips. I also organised an additional 'pitching session' for us all during the CBC course, and there have been a few in-person meet ups.
Your debut novel Verge is to be published by Serpent’s Tail in 2023, the novel is set in a near-future Britain where xenophobia, superstition and magical practices have taken hold. Can you tell us a bit more about the novel and the inspiration behind it?
It's a folk horror-tinged road trip where two people from different backgrounds are thrown together in order to deliver the young woman from a curse. Being set in a once-united Kingdom with hard county borders, the novel was partly inspired by Brexit and the societal tensions it brought. But it's also about letting go and finding your own path, and is packed with British folklore, superstitions and atmospheric landscapes.
Do you have any worldbuilding advice for writers hoping to create their own near-future reality?
I allowed myself artistic licence to set this in an 'alternative' Britain, but I made up place names based on etymology, and did a lot of digging into 'old ways', flora, fauna and rural life. The trick is to infuse your story with subjects that you love so that the research feels less like hard work and more like playtime. I even went as far as to create a Wiki for my world, with notes on politics, geography and more!
What books have you been enjoying recently?
I've been (slowly) working my way through A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, and dipping into a biography of Pamela Colman-Smith, co-creator of the world's most popular Tarot deck, and am looking forward to getting stuck into Wayward by Vashti Bunyan.
What does a typical day of writing look like for you?
I don't have the luxury of being able to write full time as I have a day job, so I fit it in when I can, at any time of the day, in any room. I have a 51hr 'writing playlist' of (mostly) wordless music – scores, classical, choral, folk, ambient – which sets me up nicely.
Do you have any top tips for the aspiring authors reading this?
You have to be in it for the long haul as this industry moves very slowly (unless you're a TikTok celeb), so try also writing short stories to stay motivated, test fresh ideas and keep you sharp and ready…
Finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
I'm working on a new speculative fiction book in a period setting that has Faustian vibes, and more rural shenanigans.
Photo of Nadia Attia by Louise Haywood-Schiefer.
Pre-order your copy of Verge here.
If you want to study with us in London, like Nadia did, applications are currently open for our next Writing Your Novel – Three Months course. Find out more and apply by 9 Oct here.