The Word

William Lane Satirises the Ways in Which we Use Language to Define Our Lives

William 's Lane's disarming new novel, The Word, brilliantly satirises the ways in which we use language to define our lives. Kenric is an oddball advertising eccentric who possesses an unusual gift for language. The brands he names, sell. Yet he comes to believe advertising uses language too cynically. He is inspired by Maria to abandon the corporate world and establish a small residential community called The Word. The idealistic community relocates from Pittwater to a warehouse in industrial Mount Druitt, gathering about it others concerned with the misuse of language.

The Word is both a charming ensemble piece of unforgettable characters, and an astute and humorous exploration of the ways in language beguiles, creates connections, but also misleads. Lane understands the human tendency to seek answers and directions in the unlikeliest of individuals but is happy to show us the folly of doing so. As such the novel parallels current world trends, while evoking with candour Sydney's watery beauty and suburban harshness.

William Lane lives in the Hunter Valley, NSW, where he is raising three children. After completing an Honours degree in Australian literature, he travelled and worked in a number of different jobs. In addition to reading and writing, his interests include music and education. He has completed a doctorate on the Australian writer Christina Stead, and has had several critical articles on Stead published in literary journals. He is the author of three other novels: Over the Water (2014), The Horses (2015) and The Salamanders (2016).

The Word
Transit Lounge Publishing
Author: William Lane

Interview with William Lane

Question: What inspired you to write The Word?

William Lane: I wanted to find a way to respond to the deluge of words we are flooded with every day of our lives. Most of those words we don't particularly want to hear – those in advertisements, for example. So the novel starts with the character Kenric growing disenchanted with his work in advertising.


Question: Can you talk us through the writing process for The Word?

William Lane: Writing The Word was a direct response to an old knitting pattern magazine from the 1960s that I found. The knitting patterns were for men's clothing, and each pattern had a name deemed appropriate for the type of man who might wear the pattern – so names like 'Adventurer', 'Sportsman', 'Topknotcher', 'Vagabond' and so on. The language seemed so ridiculous and so gendered, and yet it was suggestive and creative in its own way. I wanted to write something in response to that.


Question: What was the best part about creating the character of Kenric?

William Lane: I enjoyed creating the arc of Kenric's character development. Kenric goes on a long personal journey, from advertising man, which he excels at, to rebellion against the advertising world. Then he starts a community dedicated to using language in ethical and mindful ways, but he loses faith in that too when he despairs of language altogether. Poor Kenric ends up a kind of mute.


Question: How much of your inspiration comes from real life and real people?

William Lane: Most of it – as mentioned, the novel is a direct response to suffering a lifetime's bombardment from the advertising world. The community that Kenric forms is partly based on the experience of a close family member joining a strict religious community, which fiercely rejects our consumer society.


Question: What's next for you?

William Lane: I have a collection of short stories that I think will see the light of day soon. I'm also working on a few plays. I love creating voices.

Interview by Brooke Hunter

The Word
Transit Lounge Publishing
Author: William Lane