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  • Ian Ferguson

The Writer's Life

I am one of millions of people who have wanted to write a book and like most people I was always too busy or scared to begin. The main reason people never start to write is because they fear failure. They, like me, thought what they wrote would never be good enough and people would never be interested in whatever you spent months or even years creating.

I decided, in the end, that this fear was not going to stop me. I knew I had good stories in me which I wanted to tell, so about 18 months ago I just sat down and started to write my first novel 'Two into One' and 12 months later I had finished. It was an unbelievably good feeling that I had written something that was completely mine. Nobody else could have written that same book. Many could write similar and even better books, no doubt, but this was mine.

One of my favourite authors, although I don't like everything he's written (and he wouldn't care about that), is John Irvine whose breakout novel, I believe it was his fourth book, was called 'The World According to Garp'. I always admired the courageous way he wrote and the way his characters could end up doing the most outrageous things which stretch credulity and I tried to bring a bit of this magic into my stories.

In an amendum to his book 'Last Night in Twisted River' he gave an insight into his writing process I found fascinating. Explaining that he didn't start writing a novel until he had come up with the very last sentence and proceeded to, effectively, write the book backwards.

I gave this approach a lot of thought because I can't do that. I just don't have the discipline. I have a vision of where my story is going when I start to write, but the twists and turns that happen on the way surprise even me. I figure that if I'm not exactly sure how certain events will pan out and I'm interested my readers will be too.

That certainly was the case when I wrote 'Two into One' which I thought was finished at the end of what became 'Part One'. Feedback from my good friend and confident Anna Ninikowski pursuaded me that the story was only half finished so I perservered and came up with 'Part Two'. I am so glad I did, thank you Anna.

She made me realize I was creating something of worth when she told me she started reading 'Two int One' early in the evening and had to force herself to turn out her bedroom ligh at 4 in the morning. To quote her "I just wanted to go on and on".

That's the thrill of writing, giving that thrill to somebody else.

Until next time, happy reading.

Ian Ferguson

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