Writing Life

Yesterday, I surprised myself. Between the buzz of Thursday night’s book talk, the hot weather and our resident demented pigeon, whose calls are amplified tenfold by the chimney, I hadn’t slept. Just to explain, I do not cope well without sleep. I get out of bed feeling like death warmed up and rapidly go downhill. Rather than…
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I have to admit that public speaking is not my favourite thing, but given that it is a necessary evil, last night’s talk at my local branch of Waterstone’s in Sutton was one of the more enjoyable events I have taken part in (and not only because we were able to extend the evening with a…
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I read yesterday of the sad loss of Hilary (Hilly) Kilmarnock, mother of Martin Amis and wife of the late Kingsley Amis. I knew nothing of Hilly’s story, but was moved to learn how, years after she Kingsley and divorced, Kingsley, unsuited to life on his own, was welcomed into the home of Hilly and her husband, Lord Kilmarnock. The…
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From a writer’s perspective, this is one scary book, so intricately plotted, making use of historical references and yet remaining intensely personal. It took me a long time to get round to reading Burnt Shadows, mainly because I had been told that I could expect a  very ‘heavy read’. I saw Kamila speak at last year’s Wimbledon…
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Yesterday, Dame Beryl Bainbridge died at the age of 75. I am looking at a photograph of her that must have been taken several years ago, but it is an ageless face. She is resting the side of her face against a hand, which holds a cigarette. (For her, smoking was part of the writing process.) Her…
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So, you’re all going away on your Summer breaks. Does this mean that you skip a book club meeting? Try this for an alternative idea: rather than to discuss a book that you have all read, each person brings along an old (or current) favourite read. The group then dissects the opening paragraph, asking these questions: 1) Does it…
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My favourite television programme of the moment (shunting Luther and The Good Wife from joint top position) is the BBC1 series, Imagine presented by Alan Yentob. Where it wins is that, without interrupting the flow, Yentob allows his interviewees to speak for themselves. He has brought us many wonderful stories of artists, photographers and sculptors, but this week’s…
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For aspiring writers in need of inspiration, look no further. I was thrilled to read about the story of grandmother, Myrrha Stanford-Smith, who has just signed a deal with publishers, Honno, at the age of 82. Scanning down the page, it was not surprising to learn that Myrrha’s credentials are not limited to matriarch: she is an actress…
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Yesterday, I made my first return to the Winchester Writers Conference since winning the Daily Mail First Novel Award. The conference provides a fantastic opportunity for networking with fellow authors, and those in search of agents, editors and publishers have the opportunity to make their pitches. A full day of lectures had been carefully prepared and rehearsed. And then…
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This week, attending a book club meeting, I was asked the question, ‘Where are tomorrow’s writers going to come from?’ It was spoken with frustration by a primary school teacher who told me that parents don’t read to their children any more, that children don’t grow up seeing their parents reading at home, that living rooms are no longer lined…
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