Robert Corbet writes books for teenagers. His work has been published in Australia, Europe and the US. He lives between factories in Melbourne's inner-city with three teenage children who continue to crack him up. He teaches writing and poetry in the outer-west. He plays a noisy guitar, paddles a leaky canoe and wishes Kurt Cobain was still alive.
Who or what inspires you?
‘Music inspires me. I might sit down and listen intensely, I might leap about and play air guitar or just have it on while I hang out the washing. Music sets your soul free. It picks you up out of the traffic jam and takes you where you want to go.’
How do you write?
‘Most days I walk the kids to school, then I come home, drink a cup of coffee, put on some loud music and try to forget who I am for the next three or four hours. Some days I end up with a headache - feeling that it’s all just a house of cards about to collapse. Other days I get excited and end up laughing at my own jokes. Good days and bad days – they are part of the same process.’
Where do you get your best ideas?
‘You might waste an hour going around in circles, or a great idea might just pop into your head. It’s hard to predict. The good thing about writing a novel, compared to an essay or a short story, is that you start to gather momentum. You start to live inside the book, so the ideas you have can seem natural and effortless. Your characters start talking to you. They have ideas of their own.’
What’s on your desk or worktable at the moment?
‘My desk is a complete catastrophe, with leaning towers of books and unmarked manila folders. Under the desk is a junkyard of old LPs, extension leads and electronic gizmos. I like to feel them with my feet as I write.’
What do you like to read?
‘I am currently reading fourteen novels. I don’t want to sound smug about this. In fact, I am quite ashamed. When I go to bed I like to take two or three books with me, just in case. When I read fiction I often think about changing my novel, so usually I am happier reading essays and biographies.’
Do you have any early memories of reading or writing or responding to illustration?
‘When I was young I started my own magazine with a boy who lived down the street. He was a year older than me and far more talented. He wrote all the articles and drew all the pictures. It was my job to read the magazine and make the milkshakes.’
Are there any particular themes that interest you, or recur in your work?
‘Underneath all my stories is a comic element. I think a big part of understanding yourself comes from being able to laugh at yourself.’
Where did you grow up? Does this have any effect on your writing?
‘I grew up in hardcore suburbia. I peered over the front gate and watched the big machines come and make the road. Sometimes I feel like I am watching the whole world being made from nothing, right in front of me. One day I want to make my own road - the asphalt, the footpaths, driveways and gutters.’
School visits by Robert (to all Australian states) can be organised through Booked Out. Visit http://www.bookedout.com.au/ or email bookings@bookedout.com.au