My first guest is Thorne Moore, who has written the best-selling book, 'A Time for Silence', which is highly recommended. I genuinely couldn't put it down when I read it. Not only a page-turner, this story has a lot of depth on many levels. Ms Moore has also written a moving book about motherhood, entitled 'Motherlove', which is also a great read.
So sit back, and let me introduce you to this talented writer, one well worth discovering.
Thank you for joining me in the Plotting Shed, Thorne. Pull up a chair and I'll
pour the tea.
Fancy a biscuit or some chocolate from my secret stash?
Well, if you really haven’t got a bottle or two mulling behind the wood-burning stove.
Oh, you want something from THAT secret stash? (Uncorks whisky bottle with teeth.)
I'm curious about your work and would love to hear your answers to my questions.
3. Do you
write every day?
Virtually every day. The
exception is the week, give or take, following the day I finish perfecting the
last revised sentence of a book, and go into mourning for the characters I’ve
got to leave behind. It’s a very exhausting experience. The urge to start rewriting
the whole thing, just to put off the moment of saying goodbye, is very strong,
so I try not to write at all. Dig the garden or something instead.7. How do you get your ideas?
I don’t go looking for them. I’ll hear something, or read something that gets me thinking, and then a story gradually evolves out of it. Or I’ll see a place that I really want to write about, and eventually a story will attach itself. In my first published novel, A Time For Silence, I found a ruined cottage about 100 yards beyond the end of my garden. Then I heard a rumour, probably untrue, about another cottage in the area and while researching that, I came across a brief account of a court case from the 1950s. Cottage, rumour and court case all fermented together and produced the story that resulted. In my second book, Motherlove, I heard a mention on the news of a girl in Argentina who was taking her presumed parents to court, when she discovered the unpleasant circumstances in which she had been adopted. It left me wondering what sort of feelings would be at work to undo so profound a relationship.
8. Do you have a particular audience/person in mind that you feel you are speaking to when you write?
I write for myself. I write what I want to read. That’s the way I write in the first place. If I tried to guess what other people would like, at this stage, I’d freeze. Once I reach the editing stage, that’s different. Then I have to start thinking about what publishers or specific readers might want. I think it would be very arrogant to start defining who my readers are. But then you have to be quietly arrogant to expect anyone at all to read your words.
9.
Do you
write your first draft in one go or take time and edit as you go along?
Definitely in one go. Or mostly.
I dive in, start writing, and keep going until I reach the end, by which time I
realise that the whole story has shifted from its original orientation, so I
have to go back to the start and rewrite the whole thing. Then, when it’s
perfect, I take an after-dinner walk that makes me realise a whole new theme or
twist or character should be added, and I’m off again. It does put off the
inevitable moment of coming to a halt.Thanks for your fascinating answers, Thorne. You've given me a real insight into the way you work. I particularly admire your disciplined routine. Sounds like you have a really good writing rhythm. I've really enjoyed our chat. Hic, want a top up?
Here are the links to Thorne's current books, available as paperbacks or ebooks from Amazon.
A Time For Silence,
published by Honno. http://amzn.to/1CXHg4x
Motherlove,
published by Honno http://amzn.to/1AqrfsC
Brilliant interview ladies. Thank you for sharing your writing life with us, Thorne.
ReplyDeleteThanks Judith. I really enjoyed these insights into Thorne's writing life. Love her books.
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