A Writer's Moment: 'Looking straight at the world'

A Writer's Moment: 'Looking straight at the world':   “Fiction should be about moral dilemmas that are so bloody difficult that the author doesn't know the answer.” – Patricia Barker   ...

'Looking straight at the world'

 

“Fiction should be about moral dilemmas that are so bloody difficult that the author doesn't know the answer.” – Patricia Barker

 

Born on this date in 1943, Barker is an English writer whose Regeneration Trilogy collectively has been cited among the 10 Best Historical Fiction works in all of English literature.  The Trilogy – Regeneration, The Eye in the Door, and The Ghost Road – explores the history of the First World War by focusing on the aftermath of trauma.   Ghost Road also was cited for the prestigious Booker Prize, awarded annually for the best single work of English language fiction.

 

A native of Yorkshire, Barker was focused on a career in international history before turning to writing in her mid-30s.  After early failures (her first 3 novels were rejected), she broke onto the scene in 1982 with Union Street, winner of the Fawcett Society Award for Fiction   She then won the Guardian Fiction Prize for Eye in the Door before setting out to write the “Regeneration” books.   

 

She’s now authored 16 books, the most recent being 2024’s The Voyage Home, in her “Trojan War Series.”

   

“When writing about historical characters I try to be as accurate as possible and, in particular, not misrepresent the view they held.   With a real historical figure you (must) be fair,” she noted. 

 

“Looking straight at the world is part of your duty as a writer.”   

A Writer's Moment: 'Just the page . . .and the right words'

A Writer's Moment: 'Just the page . . .and 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...

'Just the page . . .and 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  May 8, 1958, Doyle is an award-winning novelist, dramatist, and screenwriter.  The author of 14 novels for adults, 10 books for children, and numerous plays, screenplays and short stories, he has had several of his works adapted into films.  His newest novel, in the “Paula Spencer” series, is 2024’s The Women Behind The Door.

 

A one-time secondary school teacher, 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 1993 book – Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha – won the prestigious 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,” he said. “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.”

A Writer's Moment: "A craftsman's command of the language'

A Writer's Moment: "A craftsman's command of the language':   “If you have a craftsman's command of the language and basic writing techniques you'll be able to write - as long as you know what...

"A craftsman's command of the language'

 

“If you have a craftsman's command of the language and basic writing techniques you'll be able to write - as long as you know what you want to say” – Jeffery Deaver

 

Deaver, born on this date in 1950, is one of America’s premiere mystery/crime writers having earned most of the top awards in the genre and making almost every major bestseller list around the globe.  A native of Illinois and graduate (in journalism) from the University of Missouri, and in Law from Fordham University, he started in a law career before realizing that what he really wanted to do was write. 

 

Among his awards are a Nero Wolfe and three Ellery Queen Reader's Awards for Best Short Story and Best Novel of the Year.  Deaver's most popular series (16 titles) features detective Lincoln Rhyme – the most recent being The Watchmaker’s Hand (in 2023).  His books The Devil’s Teardrop, which first introduced Rhyme, and The Bone Collector, the first in the Rhyme series, both were made into popular television movies.  And, his 9-book series featuring character Colter Shaw has been the inspiration for CBS television’s hit series Tracker. 

 

“I think my responsibility as a thriller writer,” Deaver said, “(is to) give my readers the most exciting roller coaster ride of a suspense story I can possibly think of.”

A Writer's Moment: 'The power and danger of words'

A Writer's Moment: 'The power and danger of words':   “The more articulate one is, the more dangerous words become.”  – May Sarton   Born in Belgium on this date in 1912, Sarton has been c...