Dr Midge Gillies: “I want to help people find their own voice”

Widely published author and Academic Director at the University of Cambridge Centre for Creative Writing, Dr Midge Gillies, tells us about her next book, what makes her proud of her students, and the relationship between writing and cross-Channel swimming.

You studied History at Girton College as an undergraduate. Is that where you developed a love of writing?

I always liked listening to people and reading and writing stories. My dad was a good storyteller, so that’s probably where I got it from. Studying History and reading more biographies made me realise non-fiction could be creative. I find the power of truthful stories amazing.

You’ve written eight books. Did it feel daunting to be commissioned for your first?

It’s funny because if you want to write and be published, someone gives you permission and you think, “Oh, I’ve got to do it now.” Most books I’ve written are daunting because it feels like swimming across the Channel: there comes a point where you can’t see England and you can’t see where you’re headed. It involves a lot of faith and persistence to keep going. So I think it’s important that those teaching creative writing at an advanced level should have gone through that process themselves.

What draws you to the subjects you write about?

It’s often conflict and people being thrown into situations they have to struggle against. That would certainly be the case with the biographies I’ve written about [famed Music Hall star] Marie Lloyd and [pioneering pilot] Amy Johnson. I like the idea of how people react to a hostile environment – whether that’s a heckling music hall crowd or the loneliness of a long-distance solo flight. 

And now you’re writing a biography of Piccadilly Circus.

Yes. That’s quite different, but I think it shows how my teaching feeds into my writing. Looking at how you structure someone’s life in a way that’s as exciting as fiction is often the most challenging element of writing non-fiction. I hope it will be a sort of people’s history, bringing lots of stories together.

You’re married to prize-winning crime writer, Jim Kelly. Do you give feedback on each other’s work?

He’ll sometimes say, “I’ve got this really big problem with the plot,” and tell me all about it. I’ll say nothing, and he’ll say, “That was very helpful, thank you.” Sometimes, good teaching is giving people space to work things out for themselves! I ask him to read bits that I write because you get so close to your own writing that often you can’t tell whether it’s interesting or not.

When did you join ICE?

I did my first teaching as a panel tutor, about 20 years ago. I remember being absolutely terrified, thinking, “These strangers will realise what a fraud I am.” But then I loved it. I’ve met all sorts of people. I remember teaching a woman who’d escaped Nazi Austria on the Kindertransport and wrote about seeing Himmler marching down the street. It’s such a privilege to meet someone like that and hear their stories. I did more and more teaching, and then in 2016, there were so many courses that I got the new job of Academic Director of Creative Writing.

You’ve developed a very successful portfolio of creative writing courses. What’s your vision? 

One of the first things we did – working closely with Dr Jenny Bavidge, ICE’s Academic Director of English Literature – was get permission to establish the University of Cambridge Centre for Creative Writing. We want to be a hub where anyone who likes reading or writing feels they have a home. Not just in Cambridge, but thanks to technology, across the world too. I want us to teach as many genres as we can and offer courses that allow people to find their own voice. My ideal classroom is a diverse one with someone who has just left school or university alongside someone who’s retired. I love that because I think we all learn from people who have different experiences.

Many of the Centre’s students have gone on to win awards or have writing success. What makes you proud of the people you’ve taught?

I get a thrill from Sara Collins [author of Costa First Novel Award-winning bestseller, The Confessions of Frannie Langton] because I remember discussing the germ of an idea that became part of her novel. I also get a thrill from Annabel Steadman [who recently signed major book and film deals for her debut children’s fantasy series] because she was a very modest, hardworking person. But equally, I get a thrill if someone emails me and says, “My grandchildren loved the story that I wrote in your class,” or “I feel very happy now that I’ve got my story down.” It really moves me to hear about that.

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Learn more

We offer Creative Writing courses from online through to award-bearing qualifications. To find out more and to join our community of writers, please visit the Centre for Creative Writing page.