MY PATH TO PUBLICATION
HANNAH BRENNAN
The debut crime writer describes how she found her writing voice by drawing on her own experience of living with OCD
Growing up, I always wanted to be a writer of something. I just wasn’t sure what! If it wasn’t for theatre, I might never have decided to try writing a novel.
I studied English Literature at Durham University, and during my first term I landed the role of director for a production of Animal Farm.
To cut through the noise of Durham’s theatre scene, we needed a guerrilla marketing campaign. That’s when I started photoshopping pig snouts onto famous politicians. We got several complaints, and record ticket sales.
I caught the directing bug. As writers, we’re always told show, don’t tell. When directing a play, that’s exactly what you’re doing. How can subtle gestures, movement across the stage, the set itself – convey the real meaning behind the script?
Meanwhile, I was facing a new challenge: severe and rapidly worsening Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It was alienating and confusing, fighting for a diagnosis and waiting for the right support. I turned to writing, and wrote Soap and Water, a play about my experience of OCD.