Do quote me!
On characters …
“For an author, you have to love your characters. If you are bored with them or feel reluctant to renew your acquaintance with them each and every day, you should hardly be surprised if your readers decide to do likewise and avoid them too.”
On historical fiction …
“I believe it is every bit as interesting for writers and readers of historical fiction to speculate on what their characters might have been thinking about, dreaming about and imagining for themselves, as it is to describe what they actually did.”
On readers …
“A reader is your guest if you are a writer. You invite them in and welcome them to your world. You are honoured by their visit.”
On properly researched historical fiction …
“There is no symbiotic relationship between facts and literature (believing otherwise can lead to unfortunate outbursts of finger-wagging and smugness)”
On Books …
“Why live just one life when you can experience hundreds through the stories told in books?”
On Writing a Novel …
“Writing a novel is a bit like making a sword. First, you take all the raw material and melt it down in a crucible, then you take it to the anvil and hammer out as many of the impurities as possible before folding and turning the whole thing over on itself and hammering it out again. The more often you can fold it over and incorporate another layer the stronger it will be. Finally, put an edge on it, give it a handle to show to the world, and the job’s done. The result should be something flexible and elegant; perfectly balanced, of suitable length and, above all with a point to it.”
On the past …
“There is always unpleasantness to be found when we look into the past. There is poverty and cruelty; slavery and social deprivation; disease and ignorance. These are the horrors that cast their shadows over almost every period of history, and should not be a cause for despair or cynicism when writing about the past. We should try to judge a period and its people by their achievements, which are unique to them, rather than by their vices, which are common to all.”
On the virtues of printed books versus e-books …
“Literature is dependent on neither ink nor batteries, and has no preference for either.”
On the present tense …
“The urge to listen to a story (that is, something in the past tense) is very powerful. It is comforting, like a bed-time story, and as old as the hills. Present tense is more challenging, however, it is a description of something – demanding our attention. LOOK! And then, of course, when we do look, we usually find ourselves asking questions.”
On brevity…
Always take a care for your reader’s eyesight.
Don’t use an extra paragraph when one will do.
Don’t use an extra sentence when one will do.
Don’t use an extra word when one will do.
Don’t even use a word … when none will do.
