What is a typical day for me? I asked my nine year old granddaughter that question and her response. 'Wearing your dressing gown, drinking a cup of tea and writing your books.' She has it spot on.
Lynda Page by Michael Lloyd
I get up when I wake up and that depends on how late I worked the night before. No matter how late I do go to bed though, I cannot sleep until I have read for at least an hour, a good crime thriller is my preference, so usually it is the early hours before I snuggle down. I don't have an office, I work on a small table in the corner of my kitchen, book case at the side of it crammed with all sorts of reference books, i.e. life in the 50's and 60's, books on fashion, hairstyles, inside homes over the decades, products available, etc. I have collected over the years, although most of the things I need to research can be found on the internet these days. Mug of tea in hand, I check the news on the internet to see what has happened in the world whilst I've been sleeping. If I am in the midst of writing a book, with BBC radio 2 playing in the background, I will then get down to work.
When I start a novel, I have a rough idea of the background and in what direction I'd like the story to take, a vision of a couple of the main characters in my mind, then after coming up with a beginning I feel will pull readers in to want to continue on reading, I just let the story and characters take over and see where they take me. I don't write notes on my plots as I have a tendency to lose them so it's all kept in my head. I always read over my work I did the day before and make any necessary changes, rewrite if necessary. I always leave my work in the middle of a chapter so it's easier for me to pick up where I left off the next time I sit down to write. I don't set out to write a certain amount of words a day. Sometimes I can write as little as one sentence, or as much as six or seven thousand words, depending on how my creativeness has decided to perform that day. When I'm 'on a roll' and especially when a deadline is rapidly looming, it is not unusual for me to write continuously for a 16 or 18 hour stretch and for days on end. I have lost count of the times I have looked at the clock and realised the evening news is due on, I haven't yet had breakfast and still in my dressing gown!
Writing is a very solitary occupation, not a good choice for me as I am very much a people's person. Although I do need long periods of peace and quiet, my door is never closed, even the postman is welcomed in for a cup of tea and regardless how immersed I am, I willingly drop everything to help my granddaughter with her homework every night when she pops in to see me after school... although when it comes to maths or science, unhelpful might be a better term.
I love my job, am eternally grateful for being bestowed with the gift for storytelling. Nothing is more rewarding for a writer than to hear the words 'I was so engrossed I couldn't put the book down' and I sincerely hope I continue to hear those words for many years yet to come.
All the Fun of the Fair by Lynda page is published on 19th February by Canelo (available in ebook £1.99).