Marta Navarro found out she was a 2020 Planeta Prize finalist on the same day of the gala. She was watching the news on TV and she realized that her pseudonym was among the 10 selected authors. At 20 years of age, she has become one of the youngest finalists in the history of the awards.

She is a third-year student on the bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual Communication at UPF, and her work Desde Dentro has led her to achieve a milestone she could never have dreamed of. Now, the challenge is to get her thriller, the result of three years of dedication, published. The effort was worth it and it seems that soon we will see the work in bookstores.

- For those who do not know your personal story, could you give us a brief outline?

I was born in a town in Almeria, though I have always considered myself as being from Murcia because my family is from there. In addition, when I was 15 I went to a student flat with my sister in Murcia and spent two fantastic years in the city.

I am currently studying Audiovisual Communication at the Pompeu and Philosophy at the University of Barcelona.

- You were one of the youngest finalists in the Planeta Prize. How did your passion for writing start?

I started writing at a very young age. Back in school I used to make up stories and wrote tales, but the passion came a little later. At high school I started to try all sorts of genres and that’s how I discovered my own style.

“For me writing has always been a way of expressing everything I have in my head, through fiction I reflect on the things I care about, what I value, and what I don’t, what I am, what I want to be, and how to change” 

For me writing has always been a way of expressing everything I have in my head, through fiction I reflect on the things I care about, what I value, and what I don’t, what I am, what I want to be, and how to change. Also, in my worst times, it has always been an escape valve, a way to relax and unwind.

- How did the idea for your novel Desde Dentro arise?

The idea for Desde Dentro didn’t come to me at first. I wrote a short novel in 2015 and decided then to prepare a bigger project. So, in 2017, I started looking for stories in my head. After a long process and lots of trials, the characters were what were clearest in my mind. I realized, later, that the equestrian setting was perfect, because I have a lot of experience in the world of horses (I have ridden all my life). I began to create the story with US characters, in California, but then I realized that I couldn’t write about something I knew little about, and I transferred it to Spain.

What was pretty clear from the outset was the genre, I wanted to write a thriller, a hard-boiled detective fiction, because they are my favourites

- Could you tell us about your process of creating a novel?

Every writer has their own process, and I'm a very novelistic writer, really. The small hours, in a room full of smoke, the cigarette dangling from my lips and my glasses perched on the end of my nose... But I also know how to plan things.

I always start with diagrams, I need it all to be very visual. I prepare character fact cards, maps of places, drawings of crime scenes, pictures with the victims, the suspects, etc. And I stick them all on my wall. Once it’s all clear, and not before, I sit down and start to write.

Also, I usually go in order, except for the odd excerpt. If I feel inspired, I won’t reject writing from the end to the beginning, for example, but I try to go step by step.

“The last part of the process is when I have most problems because it is difficult to let a novel go, you never think it’s perfect, you always want to improve it”

Desde Dentro involves three years’ work, two writing and one rewriting. And it is in this last part of the process that I have most problems because it is difficult to let a novel go, you never think it’s perfect, you always want to improve it.

So I set myself deadlines. With this work, I decided that on 28 February 2020 I would not look at it anymore, and that’s what I did.

- What made you go in for the Planeta Prize?

I do not know if it was the pandemic, boredom, if my wires got crossed wires or what exactly. But I was in Almeria, in April, and I saw an announcement for the Planeta Prize on the writers page I follow to find out about competitions and publishers seeking new books. I did not give it a lot of thought, I printed off three copies and sent them off. Good job.

The world of literature is far more closed than it seems. Nobody wants to see new faces; the ones that already exist barely make a living from it. And if novelties are of little interest, like a long novel by a twenty-year-old girl... It’s unlikely they’ll pay much attention to it.

- Did you expect such a result as you’ve achieved?

The truth is not at all. In fact, I always tell the story that I found out I was a finalist on the same afternoon of the event, because I saw it on TV. As I submitted the work under a pseudonym, I should have looked at the list of finalists in early October, but I didn’t because I never expected to find my novel on it.

It was crazy, I’m still trying to take it in, really. But, I also think I deserve it. Because, no matter how objectively I can appraise my own work and I see mistakes in it, I think that Desde Dentro is a book that people might like and, with a bit of luck, a lot of people might.

- At what stage is the novel? Do you have plans to publish it soon?

After two months of waiting, Planeta publishing house refused to publish my work. So I looked for alternatives. Its direct competitor, Penguin Random House, read it and said that due to the economic situation they couldn’t publish it, but they asked me to send my next one, which is already incredible because such big publishers are not interested in novice writers like me.

“I'm waiting for confirmation, but it looks like I’ll be signing a contract with them (Distrito93) at the end of the month. If all goes well, Desde Dentro will be in bookstores soon”

I decided in early January to get in touch with an independent publisher that had contacted me concerning the Planeta Prize, to see if they were still willing to publish me. And, apparently, they are. I’m waiting for confirmation, but it looks like I’ll be signing a contract with them (Distrito93) at the end of the month. If all goes well, Desde Dentro will be in bookstores soon.

- What are your expectations for the future? Are you preparing a new project?

The Planeta Prize nomination hasn’t changed my life, but it has changed my plans. I came to Barcelona wanting to devote myself to music, audiovisuals. But in all honesty, I’ve always been more attracted by literature. Now that I have received great recognition for my work, I hope to continue writing and go far. For now, I plan to look for artist residencies where I can work, but first I must finish my studies.

I’ve embarked on a new project, yes, starting to write the first pages. In addition, I am really motivated because the Magic Kings brought me a 1950s style typewriter and I spend all day sitting, typing away like mad.

This new novel, in all honesty, looks like it’s going to be more turbid and more shocking than the previous one, perhaps, well, it remains to be seen. It is set in Barcelona and plays with various timelines from the 1990s until 2018.

- How do you see the outlook for young writers? Do you think you can make a living by being a writer?

As I said before, the literary world is very closed. Young authors have a hard time, really. I started with high hopes of sending my manuscript everywhere. And in six months, I received almost 30 rejections. The industry is not committed to new authors, I guess, for fear of losing money, but I think that, if there’s no new blood, literature will die. They don’t write what 20-year-olds want to read any more. Everyone prefers to spend Sunday afternoons watching Netflix. And that’s very sad.

“They don’t write what 20-year-olds want to read any more. Everyone prefers to spend Sunday afternoons watching Netflix. And that’s very sad”

Only four or five people can make a living from writing in Spain, so I would say no, you can’t. But living from writing is not the same as living from literature, and that is possible. Taking classes, giving lectures, writing articles for newspapers, essays... It’s still writing, it’s still the trade. And the source of income you need not to live under a bridge as an artist. It’s the same everywhere, in music, film... Art’s like that. I, as a writer, I obviously think it’s undervalued. The same goes for a musician, as a musician, thinks is the case in their industry. Or a filmmaker in theirs. The profit for me through sales of my book is 10% at best, which means terrible income for a project to which not only have you devoted loads of hours, but it’s a part of you, it’s a piece of your head available to everyone. So, that’s also very sad. But artists know what they are getting themselves into and I prefer to live in a small apartment all my life and dedicate myself to what I really enjoy than earning loads and doing what I don’t like. The archetypal phrase comes to mind: “Money cannot buy happiness”.

- What advice would you give to someone thinking about writing  narrative?

To get down to it. And discover themselves. Go a bit mad if necessary. The creative process is one of the most precious things in life. They must enjoy it, not think about the end. And try to give life to all, the places, events, characters.

It sounds crazy, but when I got into a rut because I didn’t know the next step I could give to one of my characters, I asked him. “Come on, Marc, now what?”. These novelesque nights writing until sunrise are priceless, the intensity of these moments is reflected in every word you write.

And the adrenaline it gives you, when you get to the key part that allows the whole plot to start making sense... Nothing else can give you that.

- Are you considering any projects related to the cinema?

The truth is that I would love to make a series out of my novels. I guess it’s the dream of many writers. But, I also know I’d get rather angry. The problem with film that literature doesn’t have is that you lose part of the imagination. What you see is what you get. With novels, you imagine it. I’m sure it would be hard for me to see my novel depicted through someone else’s eyes than mine.

Although I also think it would be a brilliant experience, to work on such a project. And at the end I would be very proud, because a series would allow my work to reach more people.

- How do your studies on Audiovisual Communication help with creating stories?

As you will have noticed, I do not mince words, so I will tell the truth: Not too much. I write because I want to do something different, something that changes literature, a new style novel, with a new structure, new ideas... Audiovisual Communication has taught me the theory of a practice that interests me little, in truth. I'm tired of the three events and the hero’s journey. I use what I learn almost as a counter-reference. Of course I’ve had good teachers who have allowed me to have fun, look for ideas, twist plots. But I get the feeling that what others require is frustrated Hollywood: a story that sells, with slight twist, but the same old story.

“Everything I do, everything I write, must change something, must move things. Why else would I be doing it?”

There’s a need for change. I remember one of the first classes I took in television production with Aurora Corominas. At that time, I was finishing writing Desde Dentro. She came and said something like: “You are the ones who must change television, so it doesn’t die”. And a similar message was given to me by Jaume Piqué, about radio. I apply that to literature. Everything I do, everything I write, must change something, must move things. Why else would I be doing it?

- Can you recommend your three favourite books?

The first is without a doubt The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair, because it’s a masterpiece. Plus, it’s a book that doesn’t seem to be talking about anything. It has a very simple synopsis, a textbook story. But Joel Dicker is a master of literature, and from something simple he makes one of the best stories that can be read.

Another great book is The Girl in the Woods, by Camilla Läckberg. She’s another wonderful writer, I really like her style, simple but powerful. In her Fjällbacka saga some of her books are better than others. But The Girl in the Woods is a masterpiece.

Finally, I don’t know what to say, I have lots on my list of favourites. One that has entered the list lately is The city of marvels by Eduardo Mendoza.

My favourite genre is hard-boiled, but I also like to read classics from time to time. Not forgetting the historical literary greats. So, here I am, little by little.