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lennox
morrison
>my
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ten all-time reads>top
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interviews>
The fantastic author of Re-Inventing Tara talks about balancing novel-writing with her career in journalism.
What
inspires you to write?
Ever since I was a little girl in my attic bedroom, listening to Mum reading
about Narnia, I’ve been readily spellbound by a good story. At nine
years old I launched a magazine called Family Fun which ran to several
dozen editions and always included at least one serial. As a journalist
I never tired of hearing people confide about their lives. Now, in my
novels, I love presenting the emotional insights I’ve gained through
fictional characters rather than through real people who might be hurt
by my observations.
How
long does it take you to write a novel?
My first novel, Re-inventing Tara, was written at weekends and holidays
from my full time job interviewing celebrities for the broadsheet newspaper
Scotland on Sunday. It took me about nineteen months.
With my next novel, Second Chance Tuesday, I’ve had the luxury of
working on it full time. I spent about two months doing research and then
began writing…I thought I’d be finished very quickly but got
caught up in doing publicity for the first book…then I got invited
to speak at the Edinburgh International Books Festival on How to Re-invent
Yourself as a Best selling Novelist … and was also asked to write
a couple of short stories. By the time I hand over the second manuscript
I reckon it will have taken me about 12 months.
Do
you have a writing routine? If so, what is it?
I like to start writing first thing in the morning when my dreams are
fresh. As soon as I wake I put on my lilac dressing gown, make a cafetiere
of coffee and sit down at my lap top. I work by the south facing bay window
in my living room so if there’s any sunshine it can illuminate my
ideas. I don’t get dressed and showered until it’s time to
buy a lunchtime sandwich and have a wander in the fresh air. In the afternoon
I drink more coffee and write for as long as I can before going to the
gym to leap about and get my circulation going again. I tell myself I’ll
work in the evenings but this rarely happens. I do, however, keep a notebook
by my bed and last thing at night I pull the telephone connection from
the wall so I won’t be disturbed when I start writing again in the
morning…
Is
it harder to start or finish a novel?
Deciding when to let go of a story and send it out into the world is almost
as hard as embarking on it in the first place.
How
did you go about finding an agent and do you think it's necessary to have
an agent?
Although I’ve heard of authors who’ve successfully approached
publishers themselves, you’re far more likely to have your work
accepted and to get a fair deal for it if you go through an agent. I was
very lucky. When I’d written the first six chapters of Re-inventing
Tara I showed them to Giles Gordon of Curtis Brown who took me out for
lunch, encouraged me to finish the manuscript, and then introduced me
to his colleague Ali Gunn who said that reading my book was as enjoyable
as ‘eating a box of chocolates’ and immediately signed me
up.
How
do you cure writer's block?
Having worked for years as a journalist I see writing as a craft and am
rather sceptical about writer’s block. If writing leads to a dead
end then maybe it’s because the story isn’t strong enough
or the characters aren’t sufficiently vivid? Or it could be you’re
using writing to exorcise personal demons and are unable to continue because
the process becomes too upsetting.
What
is your all-time desert island book?
A blank notebook so I can keep writing stories…and the book I was
reading before the ship
sank…I’ve just embarked on Michel Faber’s The Crimson
Petal and the White and would try to balance it on my head as I swam ashore…
What's
the biggest myth about being a writer?
When you’re a journalist people accuse you of making things up.
When you’re a novelist they accuse you of writing directly from
real life.
What
advice would you give budding authors?
Don’t talk your book, write it.
What
can readers expect from Lennox Morrison in the future?
My next novel, Second Chance Tuesday, is being published in early 2,004
by Time Warner Paperbacks. The heroine is newly divorced and ready to
start her life afresh but first she’s got to confront sibling rivalry
and come to terms with a family secret she could never have guessed…
In the meantime I’ve contributed a bitter-sweet short story about
friendship, Happy Hour, to the collection Scottish Girls About Town, published
in April 2003 from Simon
& Schuster. For further updates, take a look at www.lennoxmorrison.com
