One of my favourite things in the world is writing. That may seem to be a pre-requisite to being a writer, however, I have heard of novelists who have a difficult relationship with their craft. The late Douglas Adams, apparently found putting down his ideas and stories difficult and trying - a shame because I love his books. Two of my favourites are Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (yup, I'm a big sci-fi geek).
Another author I know through a friend always goes into a mini crisis when she's writing a book because she doubts her storytelling skills, which I find exemplary.
Other writers treat their craft like a nine-to-five job and can switch off from it at the end of their working day because they have no deep emotional investment in it. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you view it) that's not something I am able to do.
Writing has been a part of my life since I was a teenager and I love to immerse myself in a story. I spend hours with a pen in hand, scrawling in notebooks writing scenes - many of which won't make it into the final story but are essential for making the characters more realistic for me - and then typing them up. I can often be found staring into space, mentally living out the scenes I've just written.
When I've finished a book, I'm always physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted but I adore the effort it has taken me to reach the final word. I'm not sure my friends and family share my enthusiasm for my brand of hard work - sometimes they can hardly recognise the person who crawls away from the computer and it takes me a while to remember how to communicate without drifting off into a part of the book.
I've recently completed my fifth novel, Goodnight, Beautiful, and I'm still in the process of recovering my ability to write - even typing text messages seems a bit of a Herculean task at the moment. So, I'm not going to say very much this month. I thought I'd treat you instead to some edited highlights of an interview that I gave for my American publishers.
See you next time, when hopefully, I'll have a lot more to say for myself.
You are having tea or coffee with one of your favourite authors. Who is it, and what would you ask that author if you only got to ask him/her one question?
I'd love to say I was sipping champagne and my favourite author and I were sitting in a beach restaurant that has been hired out exclusively for us, but as is most likely, we'd be in a small, greasy-spoon cafe and I'd order a cup of peppermint tea (I don't drink tea or coffee) and then not drink it because that's a bad habit of mine. I would be with J G Ballard (Empire of the Sun, Crash) and I'd ask him how it feels to have been so prolific that he has been published in five different decades.
What's the most surprising thing you've discovered about having a book published?
That you don't become a millionaire and you still have to have a day job! Oh, and that you can touch so many people and inspire them with the words you've put together.
What's your typical writing day like? And what environment is most conducive to your process?
My writing day varies so much because I've had two jobs - journalist and novelist - for so long I've usually had to fit writing books around the one that pays the bills.
That has also meant I can write pretty much anywhere because I write long-hand in notebooks first then type it all up. I used to write on the train to work, or during my lunch breaks. I think it's a little self-indulgent to need lots of space and time to 'create'. I find that if a story wants to be told, it will find ways of coming out. Also, if you passionately want to be a writer, you'll find the time to write. (Please remind me of this when I say I can't write another book until I've moved home so I can have an office.)
Can you name the first book you read that inspired you in some special way? Why?
My mum taught me to read and write before I started school so I've always been someone who reads a lot, meaning I can't think of the first book that inspired me.
I can remember books that meant a lot when I was younger, though. I remember being blown away by Jackie Collins's Hollywood Wives- it was access to a life I would never have known about (although I was far too young to have read it!). It inspired me to want to tell stories. I loved Judy Blume's Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret because it was a tale about being a teenager, which told me that teenagers like myself had stories to tell. And I remember reading a set of books about some talking vegetables called the Garden Patch or something. The books were written by a girl who was about ten years old and that made me believe that if she could be a writer so young then maybe I could, too.
Many writing experts advise 'write about what you know' Do you agree with this? And what practical advice would you give an aspiring author?
I would suggest that aspiring authors 'write what you love' rather than write what you know. That means writing a story because you believe in it and that you want to tell.
I think many, many people make the mistake of trying to write for money or because they think they can do better than another author, or because they think it's the type of book that will sell. They're all valid motives for putting pen to paper, and they do work for some people, however, I've found that none of them will comfort you when you start receiving rejection slips as much as knowing you've got a story you love. Also, the sense of satisfaction of seeing a story you're truly passionate about on the shelves is second to none.
Which came first: the characters, or the storyline?
I don't know, to be honest. The people and the story seem to appear in my mind. If you spot me staring off into space when I should be listening to someone or watching something, it's generally because a scene has just played itself out in my head and I know a story is developing.
If we asked your best friend to describe you in 3 words what would they be? What if we asked you? Best friend: Warm, determined, ever-so-slightly crazy. Me: Stubborn, funny, ever-so-slightly crazy.
One of my favourite things in the world is writing. That may seem to be a pre-requisite to being a writer, however, I have heard of novelists who have a difficult relationship with their craft. The late Douglas Adams, apparently found putting down his ideas and stories difficult and trying - a shame because I love his books. Two of my favourites are Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (yup, I'm a big sci-fi geek).