In writing: with the writer Sophie Astrabie

It all started with a bet (and a good dose of audacity). After several years of activity in a job that does not transcend it, Sofia Astrabia he decides to give up everything to write his first book. Self-published for the first time on Amazon, The April Pact it’s a hit and quickly finds itself on top of the platform’s sales. So much so that the author, who initially did not dare to send her manuscript, was spotted by a publishing house.

Since then his writing, contemporary, accessible and fun, has not stopped: the publication of The sum of our lives in 2020, then from his latest novel, The sounds of memory, released this year. Books that can be devoured in a few hours.

In the process of writing two children’s albums that will see the light next year, she also recounts her daily life as an author and mother of two girls on her Instagram account, mixing everything that makes her books successful: well- written stories. and fun that everyone can relate to. Encounter.

To miss. What is your relationship with writing?

Sophie Astrabie. It is an ambivalent relationship. I’m afraid to write as much as I need. Writing makes me suffer because it is difficult for me and sometimes I find myself useless. But when I get to what I wanted to do, it gives me a lot of pleasure. I often say that I prefer to write than to write. And it is very true. Until I’m done, I doubt.

“There will be a moment after a few pages of writing when you will find the most difficult task and you will want to give up. Carry on. It is this very moment that separates those who try to write and those who succeed. Nothing else.”

Sofia Astrabia

To miss. When did you start writing?

Sofia Astrabia. I really started writing when I left my first job with the goal of proving to myself that I could do something on my own. I only had one thing in mind: to write a novel. Since I had left everything and was against the wall, I had no choice left. So I did.

To miss. What time of day do you prefer to write?

Sofia Astrabia. Morning. When I know I have a lot of time ahead of me. I cannot write in a short time, with constraints. Urgency is not for me. She scatters me.

To miss. Do you have a favorite place?

Sofia Astrabia. I find it difficult to work in my office, in a closed and isolated room. It tends to depress me. I prefer to be in an open space in the middle of the house. Otherwise, I sometimes go to cafes. The noise and the others don’t bother me, quite the contrary. On the other hand, music, yes.

To miss. How do you handle the blank page when this happens?

Sofia Astrabia. I turn to what I know will inspire me. For example, I have books, newspaper articles, pictures, texts, even Instagram accounts, all sorts of different and varied things that ignite some kind of flame in me. I think it’s important to have this knowledge of what touches us and makes us want to create. As soon as I discover a new source of inspiration, I hasten to write it to take refuge there on days when I have a nervous breakdown.

“There is writing that discourages us and writing that draws us along, giving us the impression that we too can do just as well”

Sofia Astrabia

To miss. What is the book that changed the way you write?

Sofia Astrabia. It is very personal because there is writing that discourages us and one that transports us, giving us the impression that we can do the same too. It doesn’t take long and it’s not a science at all. But for me, the writing that gave me the impression that a place existed for me was that of David Foenkinos or Grégoire Delacourt.

To miss. What does it give you to write?

Sofia Astrabia. I feel like I belong. Even if I continually doubt, I also know that it is something I know how to do and, above all, that it is constantly improving. When I compare my first texts to those of today… it is so obvious that writing is not innate. It’s work and it’s reassuring.

To miss. How do you write? Are you more of a typewriter, notebook or computer?

Sofia Astrabia. At the PC. I find handwriting takes too long to capture the ideas and words that keep slipping away. I also have a notebook, but it’s just to slow down, review a plan that escapes us, write a chronology so as not to make mistakes, write a sentence that comes to mind or details about a character.

To miss. What advice would you give to Madmoizelle readers who would like to take advantage of the summer to start writing?

Sofia Astrabia. There will be a moment after a few pages of writing where you will find the task harder and feel like giving up. Continue. It is this precise moment that separates those who try to write and those who succeed. Nothing else.

Portrait photo: Astrid di Crollalanza © Flammarion