Jul 7, 2022·edited Jul 7, 2022Liked by Hattie Crisell
I loved this one. As I’m a writer who really has a hard time writing anything lengthy. My current novel draft is 45 K words and at most it will go up to 50. Till today I have this ongoing dialogue in my head of: Will people take it seriously? Or will they disregard it if it doesn’t take months to read? - It’s so hard to break that but this helped.
I'm with you actually - time is of the essence and I like to carry books around so it takes a lot for me to commit to a chunky (500 pages+) read. And some short books/novellas pack more of a punch than longer novels anyway - a couple I've loved are Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin and The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante, and I'm soon to begin The End of the Affair by Graham Greene which is slim but (I hear) brilliant.
How is the C-bug going? Are you feeling any better or is the groggy throat, which you can hardly hear, btw, still part of it?
Hope you are on the mend. 🙂
I am currently ploughing through 1000 pages of Troubled Blood by Galbraith/Rowling. Before that I read a 138 page book by Ron Butlin: The Sound of my Voice. That book was so intensely in the mind of its alcoholic character that if it had been any longer it would have been unbearable to complete. Unbearable because the author writes the effect of alcohol, on a middle-class man’s mind, too well!
I like varying my reading. Books that are more challenging, I read first thing in the morning. Easier books, I read before sleeping.
On another note, the reason I like your podcast so much is because I like that you are interested in your interviewee’s answers. You sound like two people having a writing conversation over a cuppa. I love your easy familiarity. It makes me feel that writers are just people, like me, who also battle with their work and feel inadequate at times. It is very reassuring.
I, for one, am finding it a comfort, and an inspiration. 😁 Thank you for all your hard work, especially through covid. You’re a warrior!
Hi Ann, thanks so much for this sweet message! I am over the covid fatigue but it led to a sinus infection which is ongoing and also making me feel quite exhausted... I'm bored of listening to myself complain about not feeling well! I definitely do not feel like a warrior.
That's very interesting about the Ron Butlin – I do think that's something to be considered when we're deciding whether to write in first person, close third, a more distant third and whether to focus solely on one character's perspective or float between several. It can feel pretty claustrophobic to be stuck in the perspective of a troubled person. Sounds like 138 pages was enough!
And thank you so much for the kind words about the podcast. I'm so glad it comes across that way. I promise there will be more podcast, once I've got my MA out of the way.
Thinking about the physicality of books, this morning, I was thinking about the heaviness of the Galbraith book. It’s like reading a brick, you need both hands to hold it open, and it makes an interesting, squeaky noise when you turn the pages.
I loved this one. As I’m a writer who really has a hard time writing anything lengthy. My current novel draft is 45 K words and at most it will go up to 50. Till today I have this ongoing dialogue in my head of: Will people take it seriously? Or will they disregard it if it doesn’t take months to read? - It’s so hard to break that but this helped.
So glad it helped! And congratulations on your nearly completed draft.
I'm with you actually - time is of the essence and I like to carry books around so it takes a lot for me to commit to a chunky (500 pages+) read. And some short books/novellas pack more of a punch than longer novels anyway - a couple I've loved are Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin and The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante, and I'm soon to begin The End of the Affair by Graham Greene which is slim but (I hear) brilliant.
How is the C-bug going? Are you feeling any better or is the groggy throat, which you can hardly hear, btw, still part of it?
Hope you are on the mend. 🙂
I am currently ploughing through 1000 pages of Troubled Blood by Galbraith/Rowling. Before that I read a 138 page book by Ron Butlin: The Sound of my Voice. That book was so intensely in the mind of its alcoholic character that if it had been any longer it would have been unbearable to complete. Unbearable because the author writes the effect of alcohol, on a middle-class man’s mind, too well!
I like varying my reading. Books that are more challenging, I read first thing in the morning. Easier books, I read before sleeping.
On another note, the reason I like your podcast so much is because I like that you are interested in your interviewee’s answers. You sound like two people having a writing conversation over a cuppa. I love your easy familiarity. It makes me feel that writers are just people, like me, who also battle with their work and feel inadequate at times. It is very reassuring.
I, for one, am finding it a comfort, and an inspiration. 😁 Thank you for all your hard work, especially through covid. You’re a warrior!
Hi Ann, thanks so much for this sweet message! I am over the covid fatigue but it led to a sinus infection which is ongoing and also making me feel quite exhausted... I'm bored of listening to myself complain about not feeling well! I definitely do not feel like a warrior.
That's very interesting about the Ron Butlin – I do think that's something to be considered when we're deciding whether to write in first person, close third, a more distant third and whether to focus solely on one character's perspective or float between several. It can feel pretty claustrophobic to be stuck in the perspective of a troubled person. Sounds like 138 pages was enough!
And thank you so much for the kind words about the podcast. I'm so glad it comes across that way. I promise there will be more podcast, once I've got my MA out of the way.
Such a good point! And all those Victorian novels that have twists at the end of every chapter because they were originally published as serials.
Thinking about the physicality of books, this morning, I was thinking about the heaviness of the Galbraith book. It’s like reading a brick, you need both hands to hold it open, and it makes an interesting, squeaky noise when you turn the pages.
Short books can be held in one hand!
🙂