People often ask at book signings how I choose what to write about. Well, the truth is that I don't choose. I get chosen by a subject or a character or a story with such emotional force, that I'm not able to write anything else. The last two novels I've written, The Presence of Absence and Sipsworth, were both inspired by my relationship with animals, and it's certainly true that while I was working on them, there was no other story I was remotely interested in, or perhaps even capable of, telling.
It all started after I read an essay by John Berger about mice. It was very short, just a few pages, but it made me think about these tiny animals in a completely new way. The next week, on my way home from work, I popped into a pet store to look at some. I couldn't get them out of my mind!
When I asked my wife how she felt about getting a pet mouse, she laughed, then her expression changed to one of horror. "You're not serious?"
Of course, there was no rational explanation. I was feeling love for a pet I didn't even have yet. When the pandemic started a few months later, we talked it over again and my wife agreed. It would be nice to have some nonhuman company in the house during lockdown.
Denne historien er fra July - August 2024-utgaven av Writer’s Digest.
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Denne historien er fra July - August 2024-utgaven av Writer’s Digest.
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Writing for a Warming World - Imagining the overwhelming, the ubiquitous, the world-shattering.
Climate change is one of those topics that can throw novelists—and everyone else—into a fearful and cowering silence. When the earth is losing its familiar shapes and consolations, changing drastically and in unpredictable ways beneath our feet, how can we summon our creative resources to engage in the imaginative world-building required to write a novel that takes on these threats in compelling ways? And how to avoid writing fiction that addresses irreversible climate change without letting our prose get too preachy, overly prescriptive, saturated with despair?
Kids' Author Meg Medina Inspires Readers
WD chats with the National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature.
The Horrors of Grief
Whether hot off the presses or on the shelves for years, a good book is worth talking about.
The Mystery of Growing Up
New York Times-bestselling author Jasmine Warga tackles a new genre with her signature blend of empathy for her readers, agency for her characters, and the belief that art is the great connector.
Education
Even if it's not your thing, you're probably familiar with the term dark academia.
A Do-Over Romance
Karin Patton, the first-place winner of the 24th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Awards, shares a funny story about secondchance love and a brief Q&A.
Everyday Wonder
How to mine awe from the mundane
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
Unveil the hidden beauty in the facts and transform your nonfiction with the power of wonder.
Childhood: Our Touchstone for Wonder
How to get in touch with Little You and create big new work for today.
Agent Roundup
22 agents share details, about what kind of writing will pique their interest and offer tips for querying writers...
