'Choosing The Right Words'

“No matter how close to personal experience a story might be, inevitably you are going to get to a part that isn't yours and, actually, whether it happened or not becomes irrelevant. It is all about choosing the right words.“ – Roddy Doyle

Born in Dublin, Ireland on this date in 1958, Doyle is an award-winning novelist, dramatist, and screenwriter.  The author of 11 novels for adults, 8 books for children, 7 plays and screenplays, and dozens of short stories, he has had several of his books and short stories adapted into films.  

A one-time secondary school teacher of both English and Geography, Doyle switched to full-time writing after his first three novels – collectively known as The Barrytown Trilogy – not only sold well but also were made into successful films.   His first book “as an independent writer” – Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha – not only was a huge marketing success but also won the prestigious Man Booker Prize, awarded annually to the best original English language novel published in the United Kingdom.

Doyle’s stories, built around heavy use of dialogue, primarily focus on the lives of working-class Dubliners with themes ranging from domestic and personal concerns to larger questions of Irish history.   “I tend to plan as I write. And I want to leave myself open and the character open to keep on going until it seems to be the time to stop."  

“When I'm writing I just think there's only the page and me and nobody else.”

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