Striking the perfect chord: the birth of Geraldine

When author Andrea Thompson accidentally discovered that every other gender-diverse person on the planet was also writing a memoir, she switched her focus. She began writing for a central character who taught her the value and peace of the ordinary, and to never give up the fight. In this interview, Andrea introduces us to that all-important character: Geraldine.

What have you learned about writing a novel that you will be taking into your next one?

This question assumes I will be writing another novel and I love the interviewer for that. Right now I’m suffering from a really bad case of second album syndrome, but I am writing at least.

If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that all those drafts that you write and then read back a day or two later and realise are the most turgid and wooden nonsense imaginable can still turn into something. You just have to persist and keep writing.

I’ve also learned about the tricky state of flow. It comes and goes as it pleases, so never resist the creative stream. You can practise for it, hone your skills and your perseverance, but it will come only when it is ready. So, for now I am drafting passages that are stilted and lacking heart, trusting that my creative sprite will bring them into existence in a way that I can’t on my own.

I also have learned that while I write fiction, it’s OK, if not mandatory, to lean heavily on your own experiences. I have a funny story about that, but I’m going to save it for another time.

Where did the character of Geraldine come from? Does she feel as real to you as she does to me – and did she borrow any life experiences from Andrea Thompson?

When I started writing what became Geraldine I was intending to write a memoir, because I’m very interesting, don’t you know! A couple of years ago, I attended a workshop on trans writing and I spent a few hours on a Saturday afternoon in a room full of people who were also writing memoirs. As I was driving to my next engagement, I decided to switch stream and write a novel instead, which I started the next day.

The character of Geraldine came initially from my own life and experiences, but I set out to write quite a different story to the one that’s been published. Very early on, Geraldine persistently nudged me away from some of the themes I had intended to explore and, the more I wrote for her, the more she took on a life of her own. It was the most extraordinary experience, sitting day after day at a keyboard being directed by a fictional character.

Geraldine borrows quite a bit from the timeline and geography of my life but she is entirely her own self and as real as I am. Which begs the question, what is reality? – but let’s talk about that another time.

Is it hard to use one creative medium (writing) to convey another (music)?

I can’t speak for others, but I found it difficult and I’ve read a lot of books over the years where writing is sued to convey music that I haven’t found entirely convincing.

I hope that I have captured the music in Geraldine authentically and been able to convey its energy, particularly when writing about the essence of live music. I may have been helped by my experiences as a music journalist and my work in other roles in the music industry, but I did find it challenging.

Music is a very personal thing and the music in Geraldine very much reflects my own journey. The readers’ experiences will inevitably be quite different.

If you could only have books or music on your desert island, which would you choose?

This a very difficult question for me to answer. I always carry music with me in my head, mostly other people’s but sometimes my own creations, so perhaps if I had to choose, I could do without it in favour of books, but I don’t think so. If I were really forced to choose, it’s possible that my life would be so lacking that I wouldn’t survive my time on the island. Music and books mean that much to me.

You identify as female, but are very clear that people shouldn’t label you transgender. Why is that?

As with all identities, mine has evolved over time, although I have always been female.

The more I’ve thought about it, the more I find the term ‘transgender’ troubling. It’s a label that marks genderdiverse people as different and has been used as a pretext for enduring prejudice, particularly on the part of governments and the medical profession – the very people who are here to help. How many cis people feel compelled to announce their gender status every time they enter a room? Yes, exactly – so why should I? My aversion for the term ‘transgender’ does cause controversy, particularly among other gender-diverse people. I’ve been accused of trying to hide my identity, being anti surgery and other medical treatments that are available to help people become who they are, and I’ve even been excluded from some gender-diverse meeting places.

The reality is very different. I am so comfortable in my skin these days, so happy with who I am, that I feel I have a duty to share my joy and contentment with the entire world. Being who I am, I do this by trying to break down the barriers and stereotypes that exclude gender-diverse people from society and from claiming their identities — legally and socially. I oppose, I fight, I turn up and I fearlessly void my bladder in public toilets knowing full well that this act could someday be my last.

I demand my place in the mainstream and, if that opens the door for other gender-diverse people, I will have achieved something of value by the time the lynch mob catches up with me. I am an ordinary woman and have all the complexity, individuality and richness that comes with being who I am. I feel like, mostly, I’m a kind and compassionate human being, but stereotype me at your peril.

What’s next for Andrea Thompson?

I don’t know.

I’m currently writing a novel with the working title Mama Anarchy. It’s a work of absurdist dystopian fiction inspired by having been contacted by a group of anarchists after occupying the Attorney-General’s electoral office one Tuesday afternoon when I was unsuccessful in my bid to have him arrested for a hate crime. Who would have known such people exist in sleepy old Perth?

I’m also working on writing and performing more comedy. I did my first stand up set at my 60th birthday celebration and, according to the actual comedian who performed on the night, it wasn’t terrible. I will pop up somewhere soon asking an audience why it is they’re so keen to know what’s in my pants and we’ll take it from there. Should be fun.

And then there’s music. It’s an industry I love and, who knows, sometime in the not-too-distant future I may be at a table at the ARIAs watching one of the people I work with accepting their best new talent award.

Whatever I do next, it will be creative, fun and in-your-face thought-provoking, that much I do know.