. . . the characters were simply people I imagined that were interesting to me. |
I always start with a synopsis, but I have a horrible tendency to stray wildly from that blueprint. With ADORED I had to go back and edit quite heavily, tying up loose ends, which took a long time, |
I tried to write a more modern, edgier version of the big blockbuster novels I enjoyed reading as a teenager, and a lot of those were family epics with broad, sweeping themes, |
It takes me an hour or so to knock up an article, so if I can't sell it it's no big deal. But with a novel, you're invested, emotionally, materially and in every way, so the stakes are a lot higher. But novels are a lot more fun to write, no doubt about it, |
The appeal was that they were big, sweeping escapist stories full of glamour and excitement. Most teenagers are dissatisfied with their lives and dream of bigger and better things out there. These books were pure indulgence then, and I still enjoy them now, |