The first draft didn’t work. Australian mezzo-soprano and novelist Indyana Schneider says that plainly, without flinching. By the time Schneider’s debut novel, “28 Questions,” hit shelves in January 2022, she’d already completed a full draft of her follow-up, “Since the World is Ending,” and it wasn’t good. But what followed was, in her words, “a really fun journey.” That journey included rewrites, structure experiments, character rearrangements (on scraps of paper, no less), and a constant negotiation between life as a singer and life as a writer.

OperaWire takes a moment to visit with Schneider to learn more about how she is balancing everything.

OperaWire: What was happening with your first and second books at the same time?

Indyana Schneider: I was still working on the first book—revisions and drafts—and that came out in January 2022. But by then, I already had a first draft of the second book. It wasn’t good. It’s been a long, but really enjoyable journey since then.

OW: How did “Since the World is Ending” begin?

IS: When my agent was selling my first book, I was living in Vienna. She asked if I had any ideas for a second novel, and I didn’t, but obviously, you can’t say that to a publisher. I told her, “Give me a weekend,” and I came up with four one-liners. She picked one, and that became the seed. That was August 2020, and it led to a four-year journey writing the novel.

OW: What inspired the plot of the book?

IS: It was a mix of things. The initial spark came from the pop song “If the World Was Ending” by JP Saxe. It’s a duet where the singers know they’re not good together but would still spend their last night on earth with each other. That hit me hard. At the time, I was obsessed with how, in your late 20s and early 30s, compatibility often trumps passion.

OW: What is the story about?

IS: It’s about a violinist named Maya whose ex shows up during a very intense, very high-stakes weekend. She’s juggling a performance, personal pressures, and this unexpected reentry of someone who knows her too well. It’s a love triangle, but it’s also about timing, memory, ambition, and what happens when life and art clash in real time.

OW: How did that evolve into the book’s structure?

IS: The first draft leaned into the song. The second draft took on this nihilistic poem about letting kids touch the paintings if the world is ending. The final version incorporates my own experience as a classical singer, including the pressure, sacrifices, and mindset. The novel is a blend of those three threads.

OW: What are the central tensions in the novel?

IS: One is how to be a musician and a person. How do you practice for hours, live with perfectionism, make a living, and still be a sister, daughter, lover, or friend? The other major one is freedom versus discipline. Musicians often party hard after being extremely disciplined. And then there’s art versus life; how much of yourself do you put into your art?

OW: Would you call it character-driven or plot-driven?

IS: The first book was very character-driven. This one is more plot-driven, though it’s still in the first-person present tense. You’re very much in the mind of Maya, the violinist. She’s doing her best, but there’s tension throughout.

OW: Why first person present?

IS: I went back and forth on it, but the story involves flashbacks and the arrival of an ex, so it became a neat way to separate timelines. It keeps the reader grounded in the now.

OW: Was it tempting to write from other characters’ perspectives?

IS: Yes! I really wanted a chapter from Josh’s POV—he’s the ex. In one draft, I had a whole chapter, but my agent wasn’t convinced. So I rewrote it as Maya reading his diary. That let readers into his head, but stayed within the rules of the narrative voice.

OW: How did structure shape “Since the World is Ending?”

IS: This second book is set over three days—a long weekend—which made things more bite-sized and manageable. The first novel covered four years and was a very different writing style, very minute-by-minute and tense. For this one, I wrote out character journeys and daily schedules to create a macro structure, then riffed from there.

OW: Do you try unconventional methods when writing?

IS: Definitely. There’s one party scene with so many characters that I cut up pieces of paper with their names and moved them between couches and outside smoking areas just to see if the scene made sense. I like trying things like that.

OW: How do you manage your writing process?

IS: I try to write every day when I’m drafting. I aim for 500 to 1,000 words a day—no more. I have a friend who says you should leave the desk wanting more. She writes 500 words a day, stops even if she wants to continue, and that gives her momentum. For this current book, I also sit down and jot ideas for half an hour before writing anything.

OW: How does being a singer affect your writing, and vice versa?

IS: They complement each other well. You can’t sing for more than a few hours a day, so I write when I’m tired of singing and sing when I’m tired of writing. That said, there’s always a nagging anxiety: when I’m not singing, someone else is. When I’m not writing, someone else is. But I’ve never felt underprepared for either.

OW: Have you faced skepticism about balancing both careers?

IS: Once, someone questioned it and I said, “If I’m ever not at the level you expect, let me know. Otherwise, let me manage my time.” My agent is thrilled about the book. My singing agent is, too. Unless you’re independently wealthy, most singers at this stage have other jobs. And both my careers feed each other.

OW: How did music shape the novel’s themes?

IS: Music is in the foreground but it’s accessible. My editor at Scribner isn’t a music expert, so we had lots of conversations about assumed knowledge. But the novel stands on its own. If you’re a musician or close to one, you’ll get extra layers. If not, it’s still a tense love triangle set over a weekend in a European city.

OW: Is Vienna more than just a backdrop?

IS: Definitely. Vienna is basically a character in this novel. I lived there, and did one major rewrite during a summer stay in a friend’s flat while she was moving. It was chaotic, but great. The whole book has a strong weekend-away energy.

OW: How much of the book came from personal experience?

IS: The first book felt very personal. For the second, I wanted to tell a story and build fictional characters. That said, I did interviews with musicians in Hanover—asked about their lives, their relationships with parents, and even their views on other instruments. Some of those opinions made it in. There are jokes about harpists and trombonists, and a love triangle involving a Black cellist living in Vienna. I wanted to explore how race and gender intersect in classical music.

OW: Do you see yourself continuing to write about music?

IS: Absolutely. I’m working on a third novel and a TV script, both are rooted in classical music. It’s a world I know, and it’s exciting and sexy.

OW: What draws you to fiction in general?

IS: I think every novel is a window into a life unlike your own. That’s why I read. I just finished a book about a rehabilitation program for ISIS brides in Iraq—dark, funny, and brilliant. The author had actually worked in that world. Any opaque world is fascinating.

OW: Do you separate your audiences between music and writing?

IS: People who loved the first book now see opera content on my Instagram. And music fans see writing content. I haven’t split them. My friends joke I turn hobbies into careers. I don’t knit, but if I did, they’d expect me to open a scarf shop.

“Since the World is Ending” hits bookstores on July 17, 2025.