“Most of it is about not being embarrassed.” Our September talk from Sylvie Boulay on producing her graphic novel Beyond Beige
“Old.” We knew we were in for an interesting evening when Sylvie Boulaye started her talk by explaining that she wanted to write about getting older without using euphemisms.
Sylvie took us backstage into the production of the book: finding a publisher, doing the illustrations and what it’s like after a book has launched.
When Sylvie reached 70, she didn’t feel different but she noticed that the world had started treating her differently. She had become invisible. But one thing she could do was have a voice. She had the urge to sketch how it felt, drawing initially to amuse herself and her friends. A concertina file was filled, in compartments by topic and that was the start of the book.
At 60, Sylvie had given up work to look after her granddaughter. She had worked at at a clinic for people with addictions and she thought of her first book, Take Charge of your Diet, as a graphic novel. Her straight-talking publisher would tell her what did and didn't work. When it came to making a book on old age, Sylvie expected friends to talk. But they wouldn’t say much. Imaginary people? Her publisher said that it wouldn’t work. A conversation with her body? Awful!
A stroke of luck came from appearing in The Guardian’s column A new start after 60.
Sylvie took a hand-made mockup of the book to a meeting with her publisher – who it turned out had always wanted to publish something like that. Sylvie panicked and said she couldn’t actually draw but was advised just to get on with it. Offered six months or a year to produce the book, Sylvie chose a year and didn’t want to be paid until the drawings were done.
Sylvie took us through some of the topics:
Tiredness – “I can’t bear the thought that I can’t do anything about it.”
Technology – the learning curve in taking on drawing on iPad with Procreate software.
The joys – grandmothering and being with friends. “We sat like lizards in the sun.”
The fears – lying in bed wondering if you can get away without going to the loo…
Cancer, which Sylvie has had twice, and how she wanted to be talked to.
Mental health, which was even harder to talk about with friends.
And the conclusion that Sylvie is glad to be old; delighted to be alive.
Sylvie talked us through how her ideas come, in a jumble that won’t go away until she writes or draws. Sylvie needs to draw from something in front of her so she bought an artist's mannequin – which wasn’t natural enough so she made her own wire figure. Then she found a student from Slovakia who trained her in drawing.
Sylvie took us through the fear of not being able to finish on time because of injury, wondering if being French, ideas would be lost in translation (friends not only understood but were more willing to talk), showing the book to her family – her son-in-law said to her daughter, “I now understand what it’s like to be old” – and the challenges of designing the cover. There was the excitement of getting the first printed copies, the knowledge that she could no longer change things and then, the feeling of “What am I going to do with my life?”
10 years ago, Sylvie said, she couldn’t have produced the book because she would have worried too much.
As ever, there was a lively Q&A, with questions about how Sylvie selects her drawings, the tech, making changes, marketing – and getting the book into the Cartoon Museum shop. Sylvie had walked in with a copy, been told to email, said she would prefer to talk to someone and stayed politely until somebody emerged… who turned out to be the curator.
At the start of the talk, Sylvie had said how good it was to speak at a WI because of its tradition of lobbying about women. We were delighted to have her – a massive East End WI thank you to Sylvie for her fascinating, witty and relatable talk.
Beyond Beige is published by Ortus Press and available on Amazon, Bookshop (where you can also nominate a local bookshop) or to order from your favourite bookshop.
Illustrations © Sylvie Boulay.
Our monthly coffee and meet-up: Friday 27th September РMary Ward Centre Caf̩, 275-285 High Street, Stratford E15 2TF. Meet between 10.30 and 11.00 am
We are reassured that the café will be open for this visit! And if you haven't explored the Mary Ward Centre's courses yet, you'll be able to see what’s going on for yourself.
