Excuses not to write
This time of year makes it particularly hard to concentrate on creative projects. It always feels as if there is something else to be done: Christmas shopping, preparing to travel, cleaning, finding a rabbit-sitter (okay, that last one might be particular to me). With my "official" work finished - the university semester over and done with - I should have oodles of time to finally focus on my own writing. And, yet, it often feels as if my own creativity gets pushed to the bot
Reading the familiar
I had a book by Rachel Cusk on my bookshelf for a long time and, when one of my students mentioned her as a favourite author, I finally got around to reading it. Arlington Park (2006) is a searing portrait of middle-class mothers in suburban England making their way through one day, from dropping the children to school, to the forced socialising of a parental dinner party. Cusk moves from one character to the next without bothering too much with convoluted backstory and her w
The necessity of reading out loud
One of the most satisfying phases of writing a novel is when you have a "complete" manuscript and you get to read through and find all the bits that are missing / need work / have to be re-structured. I relish having the words on the page already and then going back to discover where the holes are - so much easier than the blank page ... I love spending time creating spreadsheets mapping out each chapter and focusing in on the transition from one narrative to the next (partic
