Last night I spoke at the Hampstead & Highgate Literary Festival, and was greeted by a large and friendly crowd. I opened my speech with the questions: How many of you have thought about writing? How many of you have written a book? How may of you have been published? Over half the room put their hands up to question number one, 17 to number two, and sadly none to question three. Once again showing how very difficult it is for new authors to get published. Many of the questions after my talk centred on the challenge of writing five books in a row (The Clifton Chronicles), and did I already know how each one would pan out. I told them I'd finished book one, Only Time Will Tell (to be published in May next year); I was beginning to think about book two - on which I am currently working on a rough outline; but I have no idea what would happen in books three, four or five. I've always enjoyed the challenge of not being sure from day to day where the next chapter will go, on the grounds that if I don't know, then the reader won't know. A bit of a risk, but it does make writing - for me - so much more exciting. One questioner even asked me if Boris decided not to run for Mayor again, would I be willing to stand? Although I confessed I would have loved to be Mayor of London, my monosyllabic "No", ended the evening.
I returned home just in time for the ten o'clock news, to hear about a footbridge collapsing at the Commonwealth Games site in Delhi, which among other problems had caused several countries to consider withdrawing from the competition. This image of India is both sad and unfair, and although they do have a tendency to pray that it will all turn out alright on the night, they have many qualities when it comes to hard work, leadership and enterprise, that we in Britain have been made very aware of in the past few decades. Like an Indian wedding, I hope it will all come together at the last moment.
I returned home just in time for the ten o'clock news, to hear about a footbridge collapsing at the Commonwealth Games site in Delhi, which among other problems had caused several countries to consider withdrawing from the competition. This image of India is both sad and unfair, and although they do have a tendency to pray that it will all turn out alright on the night, they have many qualities when it comes to hard work, leadership and enterprise, that we in Britain have been made very aware of in the past few decades. Like an Indian wedding, I hope it will all come together at the last moment.
9 Comments:
"Like an Indian wedding, I hope it will all come together at the last moment." - that's a nice way to put it :) (We will have our fingers crossed till that!)
Dear Mr Archer
God helps those who help themselves.
These unprincipled rougues only helped themselves to pocket a little more from the money available.
That is the reason for this pathetic stage even after a cost overrun by 20 times.
Your wishes are in good spirit but it is only doomsday ahead.
hmmm...
yes we can hope that everything will turn out to be good at the last minute....
Hi Jeffrey
It is a good job you continue to write. I don't know what I would do without your books. They're that gripping, that I can't find any author who has the same effect on me as you do. So please, write, write, write and write so more!
I would love to know what authors inspire you and who you would rate as a better story teller than yourself.
Keep up the good work!
Alex
what a great win for England in what was a pulsating series ,
Morgan's run out was sheer brilliance , eye of a needle comes to mind ,
looking forward to this winter , anticipation is an underrated emotion and i've actually got a bit of optimism this time , you never know ....
Mr Archer
This may seem random and you probably won't read this, but I would just like to say what an inspiration you are. I'm in the royal navy and spend alot of the time in the middle of the ocean, when off watch I spend countless hours getting blissfully lost in your books. It takes my mind off missing my loved ones. Authors amaze me how you can capture the reader even when they are stressed! You are my favourite writer, I have read a matter of honour, shall we tell the president and am currently on Kane and Abel. So I just want you to know that your books lighten up both my good and bad days. Thankyou sir.
Naomi
At my house the pace of December runs too fast to read full novels so I always select a book of short stories. The shorts allow me to get my fiction fix and still have time to do all that holiday decorating, cooking, and merry-making. Thanks for And Thereby Hangs a Tale. It is going to be my December indulgence.
I am sorry I missed your event. I only found out about it today - after some research.
Had I been there, I would have put my hand up to Question #3. However, just to confirm how difficult it is to get published, I could have only raised my hand having self-published.
Nevertheless, I have had some favourable comparison to your Not a Penny Less, Not a Penny More!
Long may your stories continue to flow!
DS
Dear Sir,
"Like an Indian wedding, I hope it will all come together at the last moment." - very optimistic line.
Today India has the potential to host any colossal international event. But unlike Indian wedding, such events are often spoiled by debauch motives and dirty politics at the management level. Commonwealth games incident is only a smaller version of the big game of corruption. The world is aware of more shameful versions in the Indian National Games, BCCI, IPL, Indian hockey team management and the list is endless. This explains why India with a 2 billion population ends up with minimum participation and win very less number of medals in the Olympics and other Sporting events.
Luminary writers like you can play an important role to curb corruption through bold exposition of the spite of corruption in your novels. I would like you to adopt the Princeton University motto - "In service of the nation and in service of all nations."
-Bitupon.
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