Ask the Author: Phil Gilvin
Answered Questions (4)
Phil Gilvin
Of course it's great to do the creative thing, to have complete control of those people called your characters. But even better is the opportunity to say something about the world, about the human condition. Every story has done this, since the first tales around the first camp fire.
Phil Gilvin
The sequel to Truth Sister. It's a year later, and Clara and jack got separated.
Phil Gilvin
My advice is this, and it's not original: write. You can only improve through practice. Yes, go on courses, yes, read some "how-to-write" books and articles; yes, join a writing group. But then, put everything you've learned into practice. Write, and keep writing, and you'll get better and better. Oh, and when you're taking a break from writing: read.
Phil Gilvin
I often get the "seed" of a story from images, sometimes real, sometimes imaginary. For Truth Sister, an image popped into my head of rows of girls dressed in white, in a formal assembly. (I hate to think what a psychoanalyst would make of this.) But the background themes of climate change, dwindling resources and the threat of epidemic disease are there for anyone to see - for may part, I worry we aren't doing enough, and it's good try to raise awareness.
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