Why I Write - Author Maggie O'Farrell

Source: The Guardian

What advice would you give to new writers?
Get a job. I don't mean that in the sense of "give up writing", more that it's dangerous for a writer to cut themselves off from the world. You have to be out experiencing things, meeting people and living life, and not locked away in your garret staring at the wall. So, find a job that allows you a certain amount of time, and headspace, to write.



What was your favourite book as a child and why?
The Moomin books by Tove Jansson are fantastic. They are pure escapism. They offer a world totally different from our own, but with obvious parallels, too. Their lifestyle is wonderful - and they're such nice creatures!

When you were growing up were there books in your home?
Yes, always. My mum is a very keen reader. She liked biographies and autobiographies rather than fiction, but she taught me to read when I was quite young and kept me supplied for years.

Was there someone who got your interested in reading or writing?
There was a really amazing English teacher at school called Mr Henderson when I was about 15 or 16 and he stimulated a very strong interest in literature, but I think I've wanted to be a writer since I was younger than that.

What made you want to write when you were starting out?
It's one of those things that's really hard to explain - I have an urge to do it and you just have that or you don't. It's graphomania - an urge to record. I've actually no idea what drives it but I can't remember life without it.

What makes you to write now?
The same urge, a kind of obsession. I don't know - I have no idea what it is! I think maybe it's because when it does go well, the feeling is very addictive. It's fantastic.

Do you find writing easy? Does it get any easier?
When it's going well it's incredibly easy - almost like someone else is doing it through you. Other times it's like wading through treacle. I only have one child but I imagine that books are like different children - you love them in different ways and find them challenging in different ways.

Do you have a daily routine when it comes to writing?
I didn't used to, but I have done since I had my son. I work when he's in nursery in the mornings and I stop when it's time to go and pick him up. My husband looks after my son one afternoon a week, and I write then and I also write in the evening sometimes.

How do you survive being alone in your work so much of the time?
The only thing I miss about being a journalist is the other people in the office. I miss the social aspect of working. There are some days when I think, "Good God, it would be nice to see some real people". But having a child does force you to do that.

What was the best advice you received when you were starting out?
To keep going.

What advice would you give to new writers?
Get a job. I don't mean that in the sense of "give up writing", more that it's dangerous for a writer to cut themselves off from the world. You have to be out experiencing things, meeting people and living life, and not locked away in your garret staring at the wall. So, find a job that allows you a certain amount of time, and headspace, to write.

Is there a secret to writing?
If there is, I don't know it yet. I think writers are made, not born, but it is one of those mysterious things. I have no idea what pressures apply on somebody that forces them to stay up all night writing about imaginary people. God knows!

What are you working on at the moment?
A book set in London in the 1950s.