As the creator of Gavin and Stacey, along with James Cordon, it’s no surprise that Ruth Jones has a way with words. But writing page-turning novels requires a different skill set to penning a screenplay with a funny man, off whom you can bounce ideas. Ruth Jones, however, has achieved this... and then some.
Her first book Never Greener was published in 2018, a second, Us Three, in 2020, and her third, Love Untold – about four generations of one family and the secrets they keep – was published just last month to great acclaim. “Ruth Jones writes with such warmth you can't help but fall in love with the characters,” James Corden has said about Love Untold.
There’s no chance, however, of success going to Ruth’s head. Anything but. “I look at the three books and think, ‘Who wrote these? Did somebody else do it?’”, she says.
“When I was first taken on by Transworld publishers, we talked about how people would perceive me as a novelist and whether they would expect everything I wrote to be about the life and loves of Nessa," says Ruth (56). "Or whether they'd think, 'Hang on, she can write something else'. I mean, I had written my comedy drama Stella for Sky. I think I thought people would have a particular expectation about me but then the first book went down well and then the second...
“One of the benefits of being an actress is that I can read the dialogue out loud and hear how it sounds; that helps a lot."
Does she find it more difficult writing a novel than a screenplay?
"There are pros and cons to both so that's a hard question," she muses. "With a novel, you do feel like you have total control over it - give or take - and I talk to my editor about it or my agent. But apart from them, I get on with it myself.
"Writing a screenplay with someone else, you get to see what makes each other laugh - like with James and also my husband David who I wrote a couple episodes of Stella with. You get to try things out more. I'm more nervous with a novel."
David, it seems, is a great help with writing her novel, though.
"He's the one who has to read everything. I feel sorry for him as he has to hear me moaning on or I'll try an idea out on him. He's great in that regard. It's better for me to say it out loud to him rather than mull it over in my head.
"I don't think we'd write a novel together. I wouldn't impose my sketchy and disorganised writing schedule on him. I have no writing rituals. I wish I was one of those people who has a routine and start and finishes at a certain time. I will say in my defence, though, that once I start, I don't stop.
Unless she gets the dreaded writers’ block, that is. “Yes, I get writers’ block massively,” she says. "I write anywhere but there is one place that I write which has a magnifying mirror and tweezers and I sometimes think I'll just check my eyebrows when I should be writing. I do get easily distracted and it's a good idea to leave the phone somewhere else in the house."
One of the great things about Ruth's novels is that her characters are just so human and relatable.
"I'm very fond of saying, there's a little good in the worst of us and a little bit of bad in the best of us,” she reveals. “Redemption is a really good quality and a good way forward. I like writing about the horror of betrayal but also the joy of forgiveness and getting back to a level playing field again.”
It’s said that everyone has a novel in them, but how on earth to get started and get published? “I do think the saying about ‘writing about what you know’ is really helpful,” she explains. “Writing a diary is a good way of starting prose fiction. Even if you write it as someone else. And there are so many good writing workshops and things online.”
We'd love to see Ruth alongside her co-stars like Alison Steadman in Gavin and Stacey so the next question is inevitable – any more ‘Gavin and Staceys’ in the pipeline? A Christmas special, perhaps? “No there aren’t plans for it,” she confirms. “Any cast members who are interviewed are always asked that question and it’s the only thing that gets reported rather than their new projects.
“Don’t get me wrong, I am so thrilled that people love it and that it’s multi-generational. But everyone is doing great things with their careers and trying to get everyone together was difficult when we did the last Christmas special.”
It's only October – maybe there’s still time to change her mind!
