Ask the Author: T. Thurai
Answered Questions (6)
T. Thurai
The word 'inspiration' should be scrubbed out of the authors' dictionary! It's all about training yourself to gather ideas. Keep your eyes and ears open, listen to other people, what they have to say, how they speak. Read. look. Listen. Learn. Explore the essence of things, not just their outward appearance.
T. Thurai
Exploring ideas and themes, digging deep into your imagination. It's a journey of discovery.
T. Thurai
To be a good writer, you must also learn to be a good editor.
First drafts are usually imperfect. Editing is what transforms them. Don't edit until you have reached the end of a piece. Let it go cold, then go back and edit.
First drafts are usually imperfect. Editing is what transforms them. Don't edit until you have reached the end of a piece. Let it go cold, then go back and edit.
T. Thurai
A passing remark by Andrew Marr in a series on British history.
T. Thurai
I'm writing a novel with an unusual World War II setting. (No more on that for the present except that it's largely based in Britain!)
My books all tend to have a historical background. The Devil Dancers was set in 1950s Ceylon - quite a task as I had to research the cultural background as well as the historical one. My book of short stories, Barley Bread and Cheese, took aspects of Rochester Cathedral in Kent as its inspiration.
I don't know if having been a history student makes it easier or more difficult but sometimes I have to draw back and keep the historical detail to a minimum. You've always got to remember that the story comes first. Otherwise, you'd be writing a history textbook!
My books all tend to have a historical background. The Devil Dancers was set in 1950s Ceylon - quite a task as I had to research the cultural background as well as the historical one. My book of short stories, Barley Bread and Cheese, took aspects of Rochester Cathedral in Kent as its inspiration.
I don't know if having been a history student makes it easier or more difficult but sometimes I have to draw back and keep the historical detail to a minimum. You've always got to remember that the story comes first. Otherwise, you'd be writing a history textbook!
T. Thurai
Having worked as a journalist was a great help. You have to work to deadlines and no editor is going to accept 'writer's block' as an excuse! I suspect 'writer's block' describes one of those many days when you just don't feel like writing. I have lots of those - in fact most days start that way. However, I never wait to feel inspired. I just start writing. It's actually when you are writing that the thoughts begin to flow. To get over the fear of the blank page, I write in another typeface e.g. italics. By doing so, I'm telling myself that this does not have to be a finished page, it does not have to be perfect, it's just for ideas. Start writing - anything - that's the answer! You can always go back and edit or improve later.
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