Literary Surrey - So you want to become a novelist

Above: .

The chick-lit writer

Adele Parks

All of Adele Parks’ seven contemporary women’s fiction novels have been Top 10 bestsellers. Her storytelling skills are such that her first book was accepted by seven publishers, who started a bidding war! Her latest novel, Young Wives Tales, in which she scrutinizes our concepts of love, mother-hood and infidelity with sincerity and humour, will be published in paperback in February. Adele lives in Guildford and says she is definitely inspired by her hometown.

I can see the Surrey Downs from my home-office window and I absolutely love that. I can get inspiration simply by walking through Guildford High Street and stopping in The Green Room for a cup of tea and observing people. I’ve been writing since I was a little girl but I’m a harsh self critic, so never sent anything for consideration until I began Playing Away, my first success. I know the beginning and end of my novels, plus all my characters in detail, but on my creative journey the plot sometimes convolutes in ways that surprise even me! My advice? Get writing, don’t just talk about it, and write something every day. Shrug off the knock-backs and never ever give up. If you have a talent and you are persistent it will eventually pay off.

www.adeleparks.com

The crime writer

Meg Gardiner

Crime writer Meg Gardiner was originally a lawyer in Los Angeles and became a successful novelist when she moved to Surrey. She now lives in Cobham and has written five California-based thrillers with an edge of humour, featuring feisty-but-vulnerable legal journalist Even Delaney. Her latest, Kill Chain, has recently been released in paperback. Meg has just finished a brand-new book, The Dirty Secrets Club, which is a thriller set in San Francisco. It’s the start of a new series, and will be published in 2008.

I get a lot of inspiration from my Surrey friends, who thought my hometown of Santa Barbara, California, sounded exotic and exciting, so I set my books there. I love to go walking at Newlands Corner – the view always refreshes me. At 16, I wrote awful schoolgirl romances, so I’m relieved those early efforts never got published! My books are fast-paced with plenty of action and have an underlying love story. They explore the territory where morality diverges from the law. I’d say a writer needs to be patient, and ruthless enough to mercilessly edit their work. Learn to be resilient enough to face perpetual rejection and keep going. Make it up but tell the truth: your story can break the laws of physics but must be emotionally and morally honest.

www.MegGardiner.com

Alison Weir, who lives in Carshalton, is one of Britain’s foremost popular historical writers, author of 11 best-selling non-fiction historical books and one historical novel to date. Alison has a unique talent for creating easy, accessible, entertaining reads, packed with personalities, set against a vast bedrock of faultlessly researched facts. In September, her latest biography, Katherine Swynford: The Story of John of Gaunt and his Scandalous Duchess, came out, and her second novel, The Lady Elizabeth, will be published in the spring.

I’ve definitely been inspired by historic palaces in Surrey, an area Henry VIII knew very well, and Hampton Court springs to mind. I wrote my first book – a biography of Anne Boleyn – when I was 15, but it wasn’t until more than 20 years later that I got my first publishing deal with Britain’s Royal Families, a genealogical guide to the British monarchy, which I’d taken 22 years to research! I really live with my characters: when I described Elizabeth I’s death in Elizabeth the Queen, I actually cried because I knew I was going to miss her so much. My advice to any aspiring writer is never to give up. Writing has to be something that comes from within you. You’ve got to have flair and determination.

www.alisonweir.org.uk

Julia Williams

Romantic novelist Julia Williams, who lives in Epsom, had her first novel, Pastures New, published at the beginning of December. Interestingly, she based her book in her hometown and drew inspiration from the allotments at the bottom of her garden! So, who knows, you might even recognize a few of the characters! Julia has just finished her next book, about a dentist being sued by a patient, which is set on the Surrey/Sussex borders.

Pastures New is based in Epsom, where I live. The original inspiration for the story was the allotments at the bottom of my garden, where there’s a really interesting community of people. I love being close to the Downs and Epsom Racecourse. The best advice I was ever given was to join the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA). They run a new writers’ critique service, who gave me excellent advice for my first novel. After re-writes, it finally attracted the attention of an agent, but not that of any publishers.

My second novel hooked a publisher, but someone else had a similar idea, and they’d done their book first, so mine got nowhere! The third one finally made it, but only thanks to all the critical help and support I’ve had. I really like romantic fiction – love the escapist and the hope quality. If you’re writing romance, do join the RNA, who’ve been wonderfully helpful to me.

A successful writer initially gets many rejections,
but when someone tells you, ‘you must keep going, you mustn’t stop,’ that means the earth.

The local historian

Mark Davison

Journalist Mark Davison, who lives in Reigate, has worked on the Surrey Mirror for more than 20 years. His twin passions – the weather and its effects, and local history – have inspired him to write, or co-write 20 books. Surrey in the Hurricane was followed by London’s Hurricane and the Surrey Weather Book. With fellow author Ian Currie, he brought out county bestsellers Surrey in the Sixties and Surrey in the Seventies, before compiling a ‘Remembered’ series of books on Hook, Chessington, Tolworth and Surbiton.

My first book, Surrey in the Hurricane, contained many amazing true-life stories and stunning pictures of the great storm of 1987, which felled 1.5 million trees in Surrey and damaged one in three homes. I have always been intrigued and awe-struck by the weather, ever since the big freeze of 1962-3. After writing Hook Remembered, I stumbled upon a mystery about Thomas Hardy’s first marital home, eventually proving that he lived in Hook Road. When writing non-fiction, I’d say only write about subjects that you’re passionately interested in, and your enthusiasm will inspire your readers.

Be wary when writing about history or factual events: you will immediately be branded an ‘expert’, which can cause problems if your knowledge is not comprehensive!

The contemporary novelist

Adrienne Dines

Adrienne Dines, who lives in Weybridge, writes general contemporary fiction, setting her stories in the Ireland of her youth. She’s published three books (Toppling Miss April, The Jigsaw Maker and Soft Voices Whispering. Her fourth, Polishing off the Cherries, is due out soon and she’s now working on her fifth, The Candle Box, set between contemporary Surrey and Ireland.

A creative writing course in Weybridge set me on my way as a writer, and I believe it’s really helpful if you can find a group of like-minded writers, so you can get together and critique each other’s work. As a child, I wanted to be a storyteller, and the very best compliment I can receive is when a stranger comes up to me in the supermarket and says they loved or hated one of my characters, because that means they were believable.

My stories have a psychological twist and there’s a point where the reader has to work out what the answer is. I start with the germ of an idea and just begin rather than doing detailed plotting, even though my characters try to take the story up blind alleys. My advice to new writers is, don’t be afraid of rejection: it’s a feature of the profession, not a reflection of your ability. Attend workshops and go to writers’ conferences. Write for the sheer love of it, and don’t let anyone put you down.”

www.transita.co.uk (and follow the links)

Feeling inspired?

There are a number of excellent writers’ groups across Surrey. Here are just a few of them…

Guildford Writers: Discuss manuscripts brought to the meeting in a supportive environment. Fortnightly on Tuesdays at the Guildford Institute from 7.30pm. Tel: 01483 562722. Web: www.guildfordwriters.net

Hogs Back Writers: Improve your writing (novels, short stories, essays, poetry etc). Every second and fourth Monday at Wanborough Village Hall. Email: secretary@hbw.org.uk.
Web: www.hogsbackwriters.org.uk

Mole Valley Poets: 15 poets meet for a talk
on poetry related topics and workshops. Last Monday of the month at 7.30pm in the Staff Restaurant of Mole Valley District Council Offices. Tel: 01932 860240. Web: www.molevalleypoets.co.uk

Phoenix Writers’ Circle and Mole Valley Scriptwriting Group: A mutually supportive writing group for all genres with a tutor. Last Wednesday of the month from 7.30pm at The Theatre in Leatherhead (not Dec). Tel: 01372 277593. E-mail: tim@phoenixwriterscircle.org. Web: www.phoenixwriterscircle.org

Poetry University: Develop your poetry skills. First Thursday of the month from 8pm at The Theatre in Leatherhead. Tel: 01372 277593. E-mail: tim@phoenixwriterscircle.org

Poets Anonymous: Share poetry and learn from each other. Upstairs at the Dog & Bull, Croydon, on first Friday of the month from 8pm, and at the United Reformed Church, Croydon, on second Saturday of the month from 2.30pm. Tel: 020 8645 9956. Web: www.poetsanon.org.uk
E-mail: poets@poetsanon.org.uk.

Richmond Writers’ Circle: Meet to discuss and progress your work. Every Wednesday from 7.40pm in The Parish Rooms, Church Walk, Richmond. Tel: 0208 878 2086. E-mail: info@richmondwriterscircle.org.uk. Web: www.richmondwriterscircle.org.uk

Sutton Writers: Membership includes a monthly meeting with a speaker, various workshops and a newsletter. Second Friday of the month from 8pm at The Civic Offices, Sutton. Tel: 020 8680 5152. E-mail: teresa.tipping@tesco.net. Web: www.suttonwriters.info

University Writers’ Group: Discuss manuscripts and enjoy a writing game. Once a month at Surrey University in Guildford over a Tuesday lunchtime from 12.30pm. Tel: 01483 418705. Email: albrooke@btinternet.com. Web: www.annebrooke.com

Walton Wordsmiths Prose Writers Group: Mutual support for writers of all capabilities. Every other Friday from 10.30am at St John’s Church Hall in Walton on Thames. Tel: 01932 702874. Email: wendy@ stickler.org.uk. Web: www.waltonwordsmiths.co.uk

What do you want to do next?

Have your say on the Surrey Life Forums
Find out what is going on behind the scenes on the Editor's blog
Read the latest Surrey Life articles
Find your dream property with homes24
Look for your next career with jobs24
Read the FREE Surrey Life digital archives
Find and list Surrey businesses in our Life Directory
Subscribe to the magazine
Check out the latest reader offers and competitions