Pete Carvill: a writing life

Student life

What are your fondest memories of York St John?

Man, I miss being that young!

The thing I remember most fondly about York and York St. John is that is here most of my ‘firsts’ came about: first girlfriend, first time away from home, first time eating cold pizza for breakfast. Unfortunately, these are things I couldn’t take with me, but what I have retained over the years has been my love for certain writers – Christopher Isherwood, Raymond Carver, Tim O’Brien, who books I still have.

What’s your favourite course related memory from when you studied with us?

This came up recently when I was writing a piece following the unfortunate and unfair passings of two of my YSJ friends. One of them, on the day we handed in our dissertations, copied and pasted the same paragraph twice on the first page, then printed the whole thing off. When he realised his mistake, he picked up the 100+ pages of his dissertation and threw it overhand into a bin. Unfortunately, the front page was the only one that didn’t go in and it stuck to the damp ground. We left him there, kicking at it in frustration.

Where did you spend the most time as a student?

Usually around someone’s kitchen, drinking tea, not realising that those days would end soon, and thinking it would all last forever.

How did your degree prepare you for the world of work?

A 2.2 in English Literature does not exactly set the world alight when it comes to getting hired. But we did a lot of seminars on that course where we sat around and everyone debated an author’s exact motive in how they wrote something. All this interpretation was hard on the brain, so I started reading works that spoke simply and with great clarity. This led me to reading reportage, which set the path I’m still on.

Have you stayed in touch with people you met whilst studying with us?

Yes, whether they have wanted to or not. In fact, a few weeks ago, my friend Max came to Berlin for a few nights. I’ve known him now for twenty years.

What did you expect to do after completing your course and how much does that differ from the journey you’ve taken?

I didn’t really know what to do when I left, although I figured it would involve writing at some point. I did go to the University of Sheffield to do a PG Diploma in English Literature in 2004. I figured I might be some kind of academic, but it didn’t stick. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have had as much fun as I’ve had. No good story begins with a good decision.

From Japan to journalism

After completing your course with us, you ended up in Japan teaching! What was that like and what’s your favourite memory from that time in your life?

It was great. The landscape has changed a bit now, but in the early 2000s, you could get hired just for having a degree, no matter what it was in, and given a job and an apartment in Japan. The money wasn’t great, but if you’re in your early twenties, Japan is… fun. My most-fun memory is being at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo to watch sumo wrestling. We were invited ringside in the early part of the day because the arena was so empty and we stayed there, moving from seat to seat, until we left. As the sumo wrestlers got thrown off the platform, we caught them on the way down as they rolled into us. They’re very big. When you have that much flesh coming at you at such a speed, your life flashes in front of your eyes.

How did you get into journalism?

A series of errors, a misguided sense of my own abilities, and a lucky break. I’m not a journalist, though—I’m a reporter. The difference is that journalists study the profession at degree level. I still see myself as a barman who got lucky. Journalists are reporters who take themselves too seriously.

There are a number of ways to get into this profession—you study it at degree level, you do an NCTJ certification, you get taken on as an apprentice, or you get lucky. I came in on the latter two. I interviewed for an apprenticeship and figuring I wouldn’t get it because of all the polished and lovely people there, started being honest. They asked me why they should hire me, and I replied, “Every office should have a Northerner that tells everyone how much better the north is than London, but never actually goes home.” Later on, the editor recruiting that day said it was that answer that got me the job. I still work for him today. That was my lucky break.

Where has your writing taken you? You’re currently living in Berlin, where else have you lived and worked?

I’ve lived in Tokyo, London, and Berlin. I’ve also spent a month in Budapest when I did my CELTA there in 2012. On top of that, I’ve worked and done stories around Germany, in Poland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, France, Spain, and Monte Carlo. I came close about ten years ago on moving to the US or Australia. I also travel to a lot of conferences, meaning that I’m in Italy next month for the International Journalism Festival. In May, I’m in Austria for the International Press Institute’s event on data journalism, and I’m travelling to the States in June as part of the research for my book.

What article are you most proud of?

I wrote one on boxer Erik Skoglund last year that came to about 7,000 words. Erik was injured severely in 2017 and wants to come back and fight again. I went to Nykoping, Sweden, to spend time with him and his family for the piece. It was December and -15, so I suffered for that. I’m also proud of a piece I wrote behind the scenes at Brian Rose’s fight against Sergio Martinez in a bullring in Madrid in 2021.

Looking back at your journalism over the years, what’s your favourite news story?

In terms of news, it was when Canadian murderer Luka Magnotta was arrested in Berlin. I was working with an agency covering that story. I spent the afternoon trying to find out where he’d spent the previous night. Not successful. Not bylined on that one, but it’s an interesting one to break out at parties.

When did you decide to go freelance?

The decision was made for me. I worked between 2007 and 2009 on a financial magazine. It laid me off and London being so expensive, I had to go back to work immediately. I started doing shifts for Financial Adviser, which is part of the FT Group, and other people started offering me work. I then ended up in Germany and it just worked out that I stayed freelance.

What’s your favourite thing about working as a freelancer?

Not having to wear shoes or shave every day is quite nice. I’m also my own boss, and this boss lets me get away with murder. If I went back to an office job now, I swear any new boss would pull me into their office on the second day and say, “Pete, you’ve got to ditch the sweatpants and the flip flops.”

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced working as a freelancer?

Realising that your career has gone off in a different direction than you thought it would. If I had stayed in London and gone back into a staff job, I’m pretty sure that I’d have become the editor of a B2B magazine by now. But I probably would have chafed at becoming editor of Dog Biscuit Taster Monthly and being forced to pretend I care about the taste of dog biscuits.

Longform projects

You also write books, can you tell us a bit more about what form and genres you work in?

I’ve written a handful of fiction books over the years: The Sixth Man, sunlight falling and dancing through leaves, and Torch Songs. I wrote them largely as projects when I was doing news shifts in order to keep the pencil sharp. I was always afraid that I’d end up losing my writing skills. I don’t have many, so I’d like to keep them.

Of the three books, the second is the one that took the longest. It’s a collection of stories, all centred around one main character over the course of ten years in Europe. A lot of it is based on fact. The most outlandish of all the stories is the one in which the main character becomes the model for the impotence health warning on cigarettes—that really happened to someone I knew!

You’ve just been signed to write a non-fiction sports book. How did you go about this? Did you present a proposal, or did they approach you?

I was seeing an old friend for a drink last year and we were catching up. He asked me what I was doing, and I said I was trying to break into book writing. He then revealed that he worked with a non-fiction book publisher. It went from there. I wrote a proposal and then we buttressed and finessed it together. And now I have a book to deliver by 1 October…

Can you reveal what the book is about?

It’s about boxing and men and masculinity. But, really, it’s a love story. The only things I choose to write are love stories.

How do you go about researching and writing? Do you have specific writing routines or research practises?

Start with the paperwork first and get an idea about what the story is. Then do interviews. Then write. Then rewrite and edit. The editing is the most-important part. That’s what separates the wheat from the chaff. The thing I say most often to myself is, “Sod it. I’ll fix it on the edit.”

How do you balance your longform writing such as books and shorter journalistic pieces?

You just do. The trick is being productive. If I stop moving, I’ll die—like a shark or Bob Dylan. It’s very easy to be lazy, especially when you’re as naturally lazy as I am. Orson Welles once said, “The thing with naturally lazy people is that we have to work too hard or nothing will get done at all. Put us in a hammock and you’ve lost us.” That’s so true.

Reflections

If you could go back to your newly graduated self, what advice would you share?

I’d explain everything I’ve done and how and why I did it. And then I’d advise them to do the complete opposite. There are also a few relationships I’d advise me to avoid.

Do you have any advice for those looking to begin a freelance writing career?

It’s a business. Treat it like one. A lot of people say they want to be professional writers, but they forget that the key word is ‘professional’. Be good, be on time, and be easy to deal with. Someone once told me that magazine work is different from book work in that you are, many times, filling the spaces between adverts. That’s the need you’re meeting for someone’s business. Marketing yourself is important, too. That’s why I have my website and why I’m on Twitter and Instagram.

Do you have any general career advice for recent graduates?

Whatever you do, no matter if you don’t want to do it in the long term, do it to the best of your abilities. Bring something extra to the role. I taught English in Berlin for about a year-and-a-half at one point. I worked with a lot of people that were unemployed and were sent to our school by the job centre for training. There were a lot who told me that they were holding out for their dream job and wouldn’t take anything else. There were others that I knew went on to work in McDonald’s and tried to be the best burger flipper they could. I remember saying to my boss, “You know. If I was interviewing for the dream job and had to choose, I’m giving it to the dedicated burger flipper because I know they’re giving it 100%, regardless.”

The writer Ralph Wiley once wrote, “Progress is to be desired merely because it is progress. Men who stand still are lost.” I can think of no better advice after that.

---

If you would like to tell us about your time studying at York St John and share what you’ve been up to since leaving us, please complete our alumni snapshot form.