Q&A: Ten for The TEN with Edward Chisholm
From a waiter in Paris to best-selling author
Looking for a way to offload a Waterstones gift card that had been burning a hole in my purse, I spent an afternoon at my local branch meticulously perusing new releases, classics and everything else in between.
After picking up a couple of Pulitzers and a recommendation from another friend, I found myself drifting back to a memoir called A Waiter in Paris, by Edward Chisholm, about a British (then aspiring) writer, who moved to Paris to be with his girlfriend, stayed when she left and then - knowing barely any French - wangled his way into a job as a waiter at a chic bistro, rather than head back to the UK.
Initially, it was the cover that drew in me in but the blurb intrigued me too. Having spent a little time working in Paris, and enjoying their bistros as a patron, I was curious to find out what went on behind those swinging doors that separates the kitchen from the dining room. Quite poetically, ‘the glorious underbelly’ is how the bowels of a restaurant are described on the book’s jacket.
So I ditched a Pulitzer and at the till, the assistant said, “Those two are good but this is great.” She held up A Waiter in Paris. And she was right. I ripped through it in no time at all, stalked Edward (in a minor, non-offensive, way on Instagram) and thankfully he said yes to this interview.
Inspired to become a writer because he failed to become a musician - his words! - Edward, who originally hails from Poole, Dorset, and now lives in Switzerland after seven years in Paris, is clearly onto something.
Fortune magazine called his book ‘Kitchen Confidential for Generation Z’, and he has since written for The New York Times, the Guardian, Telegraph Weekend Magazine, Wall Street Journal and Financial Times.
His French is now ‘parfait’ and, naturally, there are more projects in the works.
Your memoir, A Waiter in Paris, is an intimate and detailed story of your desire to survive in another city. At what point did you start to jot down details of your life in the restaurant, and can you describe the process of turning those experiences into a book?
It is a cliché but I had gone to Paris to right a wrong and give myself an education; I was going to read everything I hadn't read, learn a second language, and master the art of writing. Of course, the reality is slightly less romantic as you're soon broke and starving. As such I fell into waiting tables and all other low paid jobs. I never had the intention of writing a book about it, so never explicitly took notes. However, I was always noting down things on scraps of paper or old notebooks - snatches of conversation, things I'd see or overhear or feel. The experience was so vivid too; I was so out of my comfort zone that the memories were incredibly potent. Between my notes and memories it was fairly easy to piece it all back together once I had the story structure of becoming a waiter in my head.
If there is one, can you describe your typical writing routine or schedule?
Usually, when I have to write prose, I wake early, around 5am, before my head has become cluttered with the day's thoughts and the mind is in that liminal space between dreams and reality. There's also something quite peaceful about writing as the sun begins to rise. You emerge from the darkness with it. Later in the day I will reread, maybe edit slightly, but it is in the early hours when all the heavy lifting is done.
Do you have any specific rituals or habits that help you get into a creative mindset before writing?
Not really. You have to be ruthless to write a book. You sacrifice most of your social life as you need to be in bed early enough to not start missing days. Once you start skipping days you lose steam, you're also racked by this incredible guilt I find. Reading or films in the evening, and then some nice Japanese green tea as you write seem to help. A bit of stretching or yoga afterwards, maybe a dip in the lake.
If it applies to you, how do you handle moments of creative stagnation?
I am an inveterate procrastinator so my main problem is just getting myself to focus on the task at hand and write, instead of adjusting where a plant pot is or changing a light bulb or whatever. Reading other writers can help, but often it is just a case of pushing through. You might write something you don't use but it usually illuminates the way to a better idea.
What is your revision and editing process like, and how many drafts do you typically go through?
I am a little OCD in that I like to have things finished in a master document so that I can read through it up until the point I am at. I find it impossible to jump around between various iterations of chapters. More often than not I will re-write a chapter a number of times, but the changes are quite small and come down to the musicality or rhythm of the writing. Of course, there's always the task of stripping everything out so that the writing is down to its bare essentials. That's the main difference between the first and second draft I'd say.
How do you stay motivated and inspired throughout the process?
It is incredibly tough. The writing process can be brutal. When you're not writing you're wrestling with the problems you encountered the rest of the day. And then you're back into the breach the next morning. I find it helps to reread the passages that really work for you, they remind you that you can do it, and then as much as you can, try and remind yourself why you are doing it. Fortunately, when you're actually writing you're lost in it – so that part is oddly relaxing, it's outside of the writing when all the doubts and questions arise.
If we were to suddenly switch to a POV shot of you looking at your keyboard, what would we see on your desk?
I try to keep it as clear as possible (to prevent procrastination). There's the laptop, a Leuchtturm notebook with notes, my fountain pen, possibly a printed draft with yesterday's corrections on. There's a Scicilian ceramic pine cone, a small statue of Rodger the Dodger, from The Beano, my anglepoise lamp and then usually a couple of books that might relate to what I am writing, to help me keep on going, or to dip into when I'm struggling.
Do you have a preferred place to write, or specific tools that enhance your productivity?
I like the quiet morning, but I am also a fan of cafés, especially for screenwriting. You need to avoid phones, that's why the morning is good, as you haven't even turned the thing on yet.
What piece of writing has informed your life, or stuck in your mind - and why?
George Orwell's essay Politics and the English Language – I carried around a battered copy of his collected essays when I arrived in Paris, and in this particular essay he lays out some key essentials for writing.
What is like to finally finish a book, publish a book, and then take it out to the public?
There's a sense of relief, accomplishment, and then dread when it is about to be published. You feel quite exposed. Oddly, the book goes on to have its own life and you look on from a distance wondering how on earth you did it.
Are you a big reader, and what are you reading now?
I am indeed a big reader. It feels like a prerequisite to writing to be honest. I have just finished The Fall, by Simon Mawer, which was incredible. In a Lonely Place, by Dorothy B. Hughes, and a reader kindly sent me a copy of Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris, which was very funny. I read a lot of screenplays too; I’m currently reading Michael Clayton, by Tony Gilroy.
Can you tell us what you're writing now, and when will see it?
There are a few projects, some film and television stuff, but also another book which is about an unsolved murder that happened in Paris, in 1968. Lots of political intrigue, spies, sex and celebrities. I guess it will be published in 2026. Follow my Instagram for more details!
Buy A Waiter in Paris on Amazon
Buy A Waiter in Paris from Waterstones
Looking for more?
Ten for The TEN with Vicky Hamilton
Great post Lisa. I loved Kitchen Confidential and really looking forward to A Waiter in Paris. Thanks for the reference.