Liam and Lizzy went along to an evening with Alice Oseman of Heartstopper! Here are some of the things they learned from the artist and writer who gave us Nick and Charlie and so much more.
There was so much excitement when Auckland Writer's Festival and Hachette announced that Alice Oseman was coming to Aotearoa to meet readers for the first time! We were lucky enough to have Alice pop by the day before to check out Hero HQ (read all about that here), but we still learned so much more from listening to her chat in depth about her process, her future, and her experiences so far. We learned about the significance of the leaves, the story she hopes gets an adaptation one, and we saw how quickly she can make Nick and Charlie come to life. Read on to find out more about what Liam and I learned from a night listening to Alice Oseman!
1. The leaves are the perfect Heartstopper motif
Alice was asked by a member in the crowd about what she thinks the best Heartstopper tattoo is, and she confirmed that the leaves are such an ideal little tattoo to signify Heartstopper without being super overt (she even has some herself!). She talked about why the leaves became such a big motif for Heartstopper, because she was looking for something that she could use to signify the passing of time and leaves were perfect for that with their connection to seasons changing.
2. There's one more Heartstopper book coming!
Yes, technically the story of Nick and Charlie is finished and Alice does feel like she reached the perfect end point for them HOWEVER she is releasing next year one last Heartstopper book which is a compilation of mini comics about our fave group of queer friends. It includes ones published online as well as never before seen drawings and I got very excited when Alice mentioned that a) one was narrated by Nelly the dog, and b) there are comic strips of Nick and Charlie set in alternate universes including one set in regency era (and now all I can think about is Bridgerton but with Heartstopper characters and how wonderful it would be).
3. There's a reason why the Netflix adaptation for Heartstopper was SO good...
...and it's because Alice had such a key role in every part. She was the only writer for the show, was involved in the casting of the characters (all done over zoom thanks to Covid), got involved with the costume and set design departments, and was on set every single day of filming. It makes absolute sense that the TV show captured the magic of Heartstopper so well, because Alice made sure it did!
4. The name 'Heartstopper' comes from a classic book
Alice explained that after having written her first novel, Solitaire, she was looking for a name for her web comic project. Whilst reading Jean Rhys' 1966 novel, Wide Sargasso Sea, she came across this quote: "Oh, a heartstopper is the solitaire's one note - high, sweet, lonely, magic". Seeing solitaire mentioned and then this term "heartstopper", Alice felt like she'd found her title - punchy and memorable. We totally agree.
5. A character can come to life in a few pen strokes
I think my favourite part of the night was seeing Alice draw Charlie and Nick, and seeing how something as small as the difference in jawline or the way she jots down their nose makes the character appear suddenly. It was magic seeing how quickly she can draw these two beloved humans..
6. She likes a plain salted chip as her writing snack and she's got great writing advice
As a big fan of crunchy, salty things - I approve of the simple joy of a ready salted chip. Alice also shared that the best writing advice she ever received was to not read the reviews, and to take time away when you encounter writing block. Not just a short walk, but like put the project down and take two weeks to have some distance. Her last bit of advice she shared was to not worry about writing trends but to write what you want to write, and what you would want to read.
7. Whatever Alice does next, we are so excited for it.
Of course everyone just wants to know what Alice might be doing next. She shared her desire to return to writing a prose novel, to see what its like to try writing adult fiction instead of YA, and to potentially continue with adapting things for TV. Alice mentioned that she would love to return to the story of I was born for this as she now has so much more to say about the themes of parasocial relationships and fame then she did back in 2018 when that novel was first published. First things first though, time for Alice to take a much deserved break!
A huge thanks to Hachette, Auckland Writers Festival, and Alice Oseman for bringing a heartwarming and inspiring vibe to our Tuesday evening! If you haven't read Heartstopper yet - give Volume 1 a try!
