Roisín O’Donnell: 'I wanted to break down unhelpful messages, to present a story that feels honest, raw and true'
RELATED COURSES
BY Maya Fernandes
30th Jan 2025
Roisín O’Donnell was a student on our three-month online Writing Your Novel course in 2021. We caught up to discuss the release of her debut novel, Nesting – out now from Scribner.
Read on to learn more about the inspiration behind Nesting, Roisín’s approach to creating complex characters and her advice for staying motivated when writing a novel.
Roisín, you took our three-month online Writing Your Novel course in 2021. How did your time studying with us impact your writing approach?
The CBC course came at a really crucial time. I had written a short story and was tentatively playing with the idea of turning it into a novel, but there was a lot of fear there, a great reluctance and hesitation over whether or not this was the right thing. It was five years since I had published my short story collection, and part of me wondered if I would ever publish a book again. I was working full time, raising two children as a single parent. Finding writing time was really hard, but an even bigger obstacle was my complete lack of confidence. Then by some miracle, I was awarded a small grant from the local arts council, and I decided that rather than inevitably spending it on groceries, I would put it towards my writing. That’s when I enrolled on the CBC course. The online structure was a real godsend because I could access materials and forums 24/7, after my children had gone to bed and whenever I found a few minutes here and there. Workshopping various scenes, and getting feedback from other writers, gave me the conviction I needed to forge ahead with Nesting. It gave me the confidence I so desperately needed. My CBC tutor Charlotte Mendelson was encouraging but also quite firm – in a good way! She said she understood how difficult it was to write in these circumstances, but she insisted that Nesting was very important. She said I needed to sit down and write this book!
Many of our students find their writing community on our courses – are you still in touch with any of your fellow writers from the course?
I definitely found my tribe on the CBC course, and I am happy to say we are still in touch. Several of us in the group have now found homes for our books, which is really exciting. Emily Howes published The Painter’s Daughters last year to great acclaim, and her new novel Mrs Dickens publishes in April 2026 – I have read an early draft, and it is sensational. Becky Alexander has published Someone Like You and The Other Mrs Eden – both brilliant twisty crime novels. Ally Zetterberg published her gorgeous rom-com The Happiness Blueprint last spring, and her new novel The Second Chance Bus Stop publishes in August 2025, while The Dating Game is forthcoming with Berkley in spring 2026. Madelon Fleminger’s Fraud and Rapture is a beautifully written story of art and obsession, which is on submission with agents at the moment. Another writer from the group Fabian Foley self-published her novel The Outing. So, we have all taken very different paths, and it has been wonderful to follow these writers’ journeys. We have a Slack group where we share updates of the highs and lows, chat about books and life in general, and cheer each other on.
Nesting is set against the backdrop of Ireland’s housing crisis. How does this setting contribute to the novel’s themes and why did you choose to weave such a pressing issue into the story?
Home has always been central to my work as a short story writer. I began writing Nesting at the height of the pandemic, when everyone was being told ‘stay safe, stay home.’ But what if home was the least safe space that you could be? As all writers do, I put myself in the shoes of a character and imagined another life. When I started thinking about Ciara’s story, it became clear that housing would be a major factor in her narrative. If you have to leave your home, and if you don’t have family or friends nearby, where do you go? For me, it would not be possible to write about contemporary Ireland without referencing the housing crisis. To do so would be to create an unrealistic story. I wanted Nesting to feel completely authentic. I think (I hope) there is something exhilarating about that.
Ciara, the protagonist of Nesting, faces some heartbreaking challenges that feel relatable to many readers. How did you approach creating her character, and what are the key messages you hope readers will take away from her journey?
Ciara first stormed into my mind in 2020, when I was asked to write a story for radio on the theme of ‘independence.’ I first saw her kneeling on a grubby hotel carpet, trying to get her children into their tangled coats and scarves before catapulting out of the room, running late for the bus. She ran down O’Connell Street, hair flying, feet hurting in the daft leopard print heels she had grabbed from the clutter of the hotel room. She was fiercely independent, but also frightened and lost. I knew I wanted to follow her and uncover her story. Ciara is an interesting character, because there are many different sides to her. As a survivor of emotional abuse, her mind is riddled with doubt, guilt and confusion. And yet she has this real defiance, ready to find triumph in the smallest of moments. A seat on the bus. A miraculous box of raisins to pacify the kids. Her voice flowed very easily and she was a very enjoyable character to spend time with. There are so many unhelpful stereotypes of domestic abuse, and so many stories in which a woman escapes and drives off happily into the sunset. I wanted to challenge these tropes, and to create a protagonist who feels very real. If anything, I suppose I wanted to break down unhelpful messages, to present a story that feels honest, raw and true.
The story of Nesting is told from a third-person POV. What inspired you to use this narrative style, and how do you feel that it impacts the reader's connection to the story?
Initially Nesting was written in first person POV, with small parts in second. But it felt very jumpy, and I wanted to create a more seamless flow to the story, rather than being jolted between perspectives. So, Nesting is third person POV, but (and here is a crucial detail!) it is a very close third person. We are with Ciara the whole way through, and the POV stays faithful to her perspective. Compared to first person, close third allows us to see the protagonist from the outside, and this was very helpful because initially Ciara is very confused and is quite unsure what’s happening. For the first part of the novel, the reader definitely has a clearer sense of her relationship with Ryan and the danger she is in, so close third person can be very useful in generating that type of tension.
What books have you enjoyed reading recently?
The Women Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle was a thrilling third instalment of the Paula Spencer trilogy. Paula is a larger-than-life character who leaps off the page, and it is always such a joy to listen to her voice. I also enjoyed Briefly, Very Beautiful by Roz Dineen; a timely novel of motherhood and escape, set against the backdrop of climate catastrophe. With a six-year-old and an eight-year-old at home, a good chunk of what I read is children’s books. I think it is very difficult to write well for children, and I have become deeply appreciative of well-crafted children’s stories. We have recently discovered the genius of Philip Reeve. Pugs of the Frozen North is a current favourite.
For anyone currently working on their first novel, what advice would you give to help them stay motivated throughout the process?
Initially, it is largely about confidence and believing that you have a worthwhile story to tell. Getting to the end of the first full draft is crucial. At that point, you have a clearer idea of the shape of the story you are telling, and that’s when much of the real work begins. When I was writing Nesting, I had very little time, but I used to write on my phone or in small notebooks that I carried around with me. I also used to set my alarm and get up at 5am to write, catching myself in that half-dream state, before my critical faculties had fully kicked in. Starting each day with writing helps keep the momentum going, before real life has a chance to interrupt. Find what works for you. I am a great believer in the value of writing at the coalface of life. All those things which seem like impediments to writing? That might just be where your best material lies.
And finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
At the moment, I have been kept busy by the pre-publication whirlwind. Right now, I am looking forward to getting Nesting out into the world over the next month or so, and meeting other writers and readers. Once that all dies down, I will be happy to get back to the page and lose myself in the world of another story. It’s early days and I am too superstitious to share details of what I am writing next, but all I can say definitively is that we don’t get to choose what we write. The stories choose you.
Get your hands on a copy of Nesting.
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