I’d like to be able to control and influence the minds of other people, and thereby influencing their actions. You WILL buy my books. Yes you will. Multiple ...
Apart from the Blue Pirate, I’ve had literary crushes on Mr. Rochester and also Steerpike from Gormenghast (which is pretty wrong, as he’s a psychopathic murderer, but he’s also the ...
Enid Blyton’s Shadow the Sheepdog was quite a special one because it’s the first “big” book I read all by myself. It was a bright yellow hardback and I remember ...
I wasn’t keen on screenwriting—it’s a kind of institutionalised emotional abuse. I didn’t much enjoy doing brochure copy either, although sometimes it was fun—lingerie copy was a ...
Keep going. The only way to get better is to keep writing. And if you submit a story and it gets rejected, try again. If you submit a story and ...
: Being terrified of a pantomime pirate and shouting at him to leave the good guys alone. An early precursor for not being able to distinguish between fiction and ...
Before I could use a pen to form words, I “wrote” in pictures; and once I could write, I did. I think I consciously knew writing was the thing when ...
It would be something faded by the Californian sun of the early-eighties, most probably. Continue Reading Clare Wigfall: Winner of the BBC National Short Story Award ...
[When did you want to be writer?] When I found out about Roald Dahl’s hut. Continue Reading Louise Phillips: Short Story Writer & Litro ALumna
I can think of two, for different reasons. Elise Valmorbida for linguistic virtuosity and Tom Vowler for compelling storytelling. Continue Reading Annemarie Neary: Lawyer turned ...
Thinking the worst of people is too easy and leads nowhere nice or even interesting. Being generous in spirit, without too much naivety, is usually fruitful. Continue Reading ...
I’ve been lucky to do brilliant jobs – hospital doctor, RAF officer and writing. The only bad one I’ve ever had was a summer job in a factory ...
One summer I worked for a catering agency as a washer up, they sent me to kitchens all up and down Essex and although it wasn’t particularly fun ...
For me, this work feels vital, fascinating and enriching. It is interesting to be close to another writer’s writing process and to forge collaborations of different kinds, ...
Make up quotes from newspapers or an author you love for a boost in morale; insert your name here—”X’s writing is a tour-de-force” or “X is the most important ...
Nothing, or my own latest novel, however you want to look at it. I don’t read fiction when I’m writing and anyway only have time for New Scientist, ...
When I look at the childhood photographs my parents took, my earliest memories start when I was about four years old. These pictures give me back the sensual feelings I ...
Write the way you speak. So many people are great storytellers but then freeze when they try to put pen to paper. Try dictating it, then transcribing. Continue ...
Georgo Bassani, The Garden of Finzi Continis. Today. I’ll have another favourite book tomorrow, but this is the book I would like to share. Continue Reading ...
