At the Université de Caen Normandie, students sometimes combine their academic careers with off-campus activities. In the field, on stage, in self-entrepreneurship… So many talents that the university is happy to showcase!
Meet Isis, a student in the Master 1 Arts, Lettres et Civilisations, Lettres course, who has given life to her first novel “Shameless : séquelles” published by Éditions de l’Opportun.
Isis is 21 years old, and this year she begins a Master 1 Arts, Lettres et Civilisations, Lettres course, after obtaining her Licence de Lettres from the University of Caen Normandie.
Isis has been passionate about literature since childhood, a passion passed on by her parents. “I grew up with my nose in all kinds of stories, which made me want to tell them too,” Isis explains. When she was in junior high and then high school, she regularly self-published fan fiction, short stories and poetry on social networks.
Among her favorite literary genres are – fantasy, “for its imaginary worlds, magical creatures and adventures“, 19th-century poetry “Baudelaire’s collection of Les Fleurs du Mal particularly appeals to me” and contemporary romance “especially when it tackles current issues in our society“.
Writing and imagining a story
Writing and imagining a story is no easy task. For Isis, the story of “Shameless: séquelles” had been in the back of her mind for a long time – “The character of Lizzie came to me, and little by little, the other characters appeared alongside her, and their adventures took shape. The hardest part wasn’t imagining the scenes, but organizing them chronologically and making my heroine’s reconstruction credible. Once I had all the elements of my story, I had to draw up an overview, chapter by chapter. The evolution of my story had to be as coherent as possible. Then I started writing – my favorite part! I modified my plan during the writing period, as some last-minute ideas were added,” she confides.
A novel about rebuilding after trauma
“Shameless: séquelles” is a novel about rebuilding after trauma and the stages of resilience. The writing is deliberately fast-paced, so that readers are immersed in the story from the very first pages. “I give priority to human relationships and the expression of the characters’ feelings in my stories. I don’t just tell you that Lizzie is scarred by her trauma; we experience her anxieties through her appointments with her therapist, for example. When Lizzie has an anxiety attack, the scene is mostly made up of very short sentences to accompany her jerky breathing. I also focus on the role of her loved ones in her recovery. “
The novel adopts a multiplication of points of view, with each chapter taking us into the head of a different character, which enriches their personality, complexifies their reactions and makes them “more human”.
The novel’s theme is a committed and delicate choice that Isis wanted to address: “Victims of assault are still not taken seriously enough. Some of my readers write to tell me that they recognize themselves in the character of Lizzie. I hope that the reconstruction of my character will give them hope for their own recovery,” confides Isis.
A second novel in progress
Isis aspires to become a full-time author – “I still have so many stories to tell. I hope this is just the beginning of my publishing career. ” The summer vacations enabled her to write a second novel. However, before submitting it to her publisher, she is concentrating on her Master’s degree.
Getting published
There are many different ways of getting published. Isis first took part in a competition, which resulted in the publication of her own novel.
“The principle was simple: the more our story was liked and shared by readers, the further we advanced in the competition ! I stopped in the semi-finals. However, this participation enabled me to attract a large readership and interest from other publishing houses. I sent my manuscript to several of them, and was lucky enough to receive several publishing proposals and choose the house I wanted to work with“, she explains.
It’s also possible to send your manuscript by post or via the publishing house websites. “Waiting times are longer than for competitions, since publishing houses sometimes receive dozens of manuscripts a day. Depending on the publisher, this can take between 3 and 6 months“.
