And so, in the days between Christmas and the dawn of 2012, I reread my second novel and revised it (yes, again, it is truly necessary and all part of the work of a writer) and then, on Sunday, 8 January, 2012, I submitted it to my agent. At lunchtime, by email, if you want … Read More
Author: Angela
I don’t teach creative writing …
… I teach patience and stubbornness. So said Richard Bausch, who writes as well as teaching writing. Without patience and stubbornness a writer of fiction would die (fictionally speaking). We need patience while we dream up our characters and discover who they are. We need, as I heard Jeanette Winterson say at the London Book … Read More
Rewriting WRITTEN in WATER, Part 2
I thought perhaps my wonderful editor might have sent me her report on the final draft of WRITTEN in WATER by the beginning of this week, but because she is a careful thoughtful editor it won’t be with me until the end of this week now, to give her the time she needs. But she … Read More
Rewriting
It’s a hundred years, well, seven months, since last I wrote here and now my blog has become a column on my shiny new website. Welcome if it’s the first time you’ve been here, and welcome back if you’ve been to my old blog, writinglifeandtheuniverse, which has now migrated here. Since April I’ve been rewriting … Read More
Rewrites and primroses
I’ve just delivered the rewritten manuscript of my second novel, WRITTEN in WATER (as it is now called) to my agent. Wish it luck, please. I’ve written about the novel before, here, but it was a while ago (writing a novel is like climbing a mountain, you keep reaching a summit which, you discover, has … Read More
Just When … will we do something?
Just published by the wonderful Beautiful Books, is this volume of short stories: Inspired by Kipling’s Just-So Stories, the Just When Stories focus on the animals we need to protect today. There are stories about turtles and cranes, seahorses and chimpanzees, ducks and elephants and dolphins, tortoises and tigers and more. The stories are published … Read More
Nine months later …
… and exactly the right amount of time since my last post, because I have just delivered the manuscript of my second novel to my agent. The process hasn’t been painless, but what birth is? But the most important thing I’ve discovered is that a story can be told in many different ways without its … Read More
And now for a complete rewrite
When George Plimpton of The Paris Review [pages 6-7] asked Hemingway why he rewrote so many times, he said: I do it to get the words right He was right. Of course he was right. He always is. (He also wrote standing up. Perhaps I should try that.) Since 16 June, when I delivered what … Read More
Thursday last …
… on Thursday last I gave my second novel, whose working title is Hope Remains, to my agent. And now I feel oddly bereft. I have become so used to spending my days immersed in the sadnesses and joys of the characters, in watching them move about in my head, in omitting long passages that … Read More
Not posting, but writing
I’m working on my second novel so I won’t be posting for a while (not even to MAT). I don’t know how long a while is, and I won’t know until I get there, but the SOED says: A period of time, considered with respect to its duration. and, a little less obliquely: The time … Read More
The White Tiger wins the Man Booker
Congratulations to Aravind Adiga whose first novel, The White Tiger, won the Man Booker prize last night. Michael Portillo – chair of the 2008 judges – said it ‘knocked his socks off’. I haven’t read it yet, so I’ve still got my socks on … but I heard Adiga interviewed this morning on the Today … Read More
The Troubadour Cafe
The Troubadour is, as they say on their website, a proper cafe. It’s been around for years but it just gets better and better. It’s in London, find out where here, and it’s in Speaking of Love because, in the Sixties in London, it was the place for poets to read and perform their poetry. … Read More
The Man Booker Shortlist
So here they are: Aravind Adiga The White TigerSebastian Barry The Secret ScriptureAmitav Ghosh Sea of PoppiesLinda Grant The Clothes on Their BacksPhilip Hensher The Northern ClemencySteve Toltz A Fraction of the Whole Two first novels have made the shortlist, Adiga’s and Toltz’s, which is wondeful. But I’m very sad that John Berger’s book didn’t … Read More
SW11 Literary Festival
I know I said I wasn’t going to post for a while because I’m writing … but I thought you might like to know that the SW11 (London) Literary Festival begins on Monday 8 September and ends on Monday 29 September. Here’s what Wandsworth Council – the organisers – say about it: The SW11 Literary … Read More
Writing, not Posting
I am writing or, more to the point, doing this before I write. I have laid the foundations and now I’m building the trellises and the supports around which the plants of my story will grow. (image found here) I still agree with John Fowles when he says that writing is an organic process. He … Read More
The Booker Longlist
I’m a bit late … it was announced on 29 July, here, but here they are: Aravind Adiga The White TigerGaynor Arnold Girl in a Blue DressSebastian Barry The Secret ScriptureJohn Berger From A to XMichelle de Kretser The Lost DogAmitav Ghosh Sea of PoppiesLinda Grant The Clothes on Their BacksMohammed Hanif A Case of … Read More
Boldness
Sheri at One of the Best Things posted this (two quotes about writing and ideas). Which inspired me to post, in a comment, Goethe’s wonderful words: Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. And then I thought I’d post them here too, for double … Read More
Six Random Things …
… I was tagged by A Work in Progress at the beginning of May (yes, that’s the beginning of May) to do this meme which I’ve only just seen. My excuse is (and it’s a good one) that I’ve been head-down in planning (yes, that is planning) my second novel so I haven’t been reading … Read More
BBC National Short Story Award: the winner
Congratulations to Clare Wigfall who’s just won the BBC National Short Story Award 2008 for her story The Numbers from her collection The Loudest Sound and Nothing. The shortlist is here; a couple of blogs about Clare Wigfall are here (and see the Faber website link from her name, above) and you can listen again … Read More
The BBC National Short Story Award
The shortlist is: Richard Beard Guidelines for Measures to Cope with Disgraceful and Other EventsJane Gardam The People on Privilege HillErin Soros SurgeAdam Thorpe The NamesClare Wigfall The Numbers The stories are being read on Radio Four all this week, you can listen, or listen again, here, and the winning story and the story that … Read More