Ask the Author: Sophie Cook
Answered Questions (6)
Sophie Cook
"Anna & Elizabeth" is the outgrowth of my curiosity when I was growing up about the vanished world of my late grandmother. It took a long time, however, for me to be able to start the formulation and research for the novel. I studied law, married, had children, but the idea of trying to imaginative reconstruct that world did not leave me. Fortunately, there came a time when I worked part time, was able to take writing courses, and enjoyed my mother's help in answering many questions on this story.
Sophie Cook
When I am working on a long story, it often stays in my mind. When I get an idea of how it should continue, I can hardly wait to sit down and try it down in writing.
Sophie Cook
I have been writing a fictional auto-biography of the Swedish writer Selma Lagerlof (1858-1941), one of my favorites when I was growing up. She was very well known in her time, with many American and German readers, but is now forgotten outside of her native Sweden. She was the first woman to get the Nobel prize in literature and she had in interesting life.
Sophie Cook
My first writing teacher has said: Write about where you have been or where your mind has been. His advice has always determined my choice of topics. Another useful piece of advice I got was to leave something open or unresolved every time you stop writing. In that way, next time you sit down, you have a way to continue that is compelling, instead of a blank page.
Sophie Cook
Unlike most aspects of life, writing puts you in the driver's seat! You decide what your characters do or say, until they become real enough to dictate to you, which is fun. I once had an argument with a character and she won. The best thing is to reread your own stuff and see a character jump off the page or even make you weep. It takes a lot of rewriting to get to that point.
Sophie Cook
Since most of my writing is historical fiction, doing research on topics that seem resistant to my progress is very helpful -- even if the research is on peripheral matters. It puts me back in the period and suggests ways of continuing the story.
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