There have been outrageous scenes at the British Library. Arriving at the start of a working day, authors have been shocked to find that on some days one of the world’s greatest research libraries is full of students, reading, relaxing, socialising, texting one another. Lady Antonia Fraser queued for 20 minutes to leave her coat… Continue reading On the democratisation of writing
Read moreThe day that I received my first invitation to attend the Hatchards bookshop’s annual Author of the Year party, I felt as if I had arrived. Then, and in subsequent years, being included in that exclusive gathering (the vulgar herd of agents, publishers and book trade journalists was largely excluded) provided a small moment of… Continue reading On the importance of parties
Read moreMy friend is in a bad relationship. She has been with her other half for more years than she cares to remember but she has been unhappy for some time. Once each of them had hopes for the other but somewhere along the line those hopes have turned to ashes, leaving disappointment and sourness in… Continue reading On good and bad literary agents
Read moreIt is time to become more accessible. The days have gone when an author’s self-presentation could be little more than a carefully enigmatic biographical paragraph on the back flap of a book, accompanied by a photograph taken ten years ago. That woefully 20th century approach sends out a chilly, off-putting message. “Not too close, please.… Continue reading On setting up a website
Read moreTowards the end of his life, VS Pritchett was asked what lesson he had learned from his long and distinguished career. “Just this,” he said. “Sooner or later, everyone wants to be respectable.” For authors, respectability can be a difficult matter. When they first start writing, they tend to see themselves as wild outriders, set… Continue reading On becoming a respectable author
Read moreThere is something not quite right about those who write for children. Most of them, surely we can agree, have a small but significant psychological flaw which draws them back to childhood. As a result, creating fiction for young readers is more instinctive, more personality-based, than writing for adults and, in my personal belief, cannot… Continue reading On writing the same character for 21 years
Read moreThere are now two types of writing life. In one, authors write, get published, reviewed and generally struggle along as they have always done. In the other, writing is taught, learnt, discussed and practised, but in a more collegiate and communal way. This second, alternative literary world – that of workshops and creative courses –… Continue reading On things going wrong for a writer
Read moreIs it just me, or has everything suddenly gone rather quiet? Authors are used to hearing that the trade is dead, that bookshops are spookily deserted (it usually happens the week one has a new book being published) but the situation right now seems to be different. It is not so much the readers who… Continue reading On the need for a writers’ revolution
Read moreIt was while singing a little-known number called “My Wife Left Town with a Banana” at this year’s Hay Literary Festival that I discovered a small and simple truth. Festival-goers want to have fun. They may be carrying a collection of hardback collection of essays by Zadie Smith and bear the look of serious Radio… Continue reading On surviving literary festivals
Read moreThe BBC bigwig was shouting at me. Every time I started to speak in the debate, he came barrelling in, objecting and refuting. The audience of writers gathered in the lecture hall seemed, rather to my surprise, to be on his side. After repeated interruptions, I said with mild exasperation that I was very glad… Continue reading An ill-fated journey into the world of TV writers (contains sex and violence)
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