James Lovegrove Question & Answer (2 of 2)
Where and when do you do your writing?
I have a study at home, and I’m usually there by 8 o’clock each morning, slightly later if I’m taking my sons to school. I sit on a sofa and scribble, long-hand, onto a writing pad. I can’t write directly onto a computer. I belong to the generation that was probably the last to use pen and paper all the time at school. It’s what I’m used to, and I like seeing all my crossings-out and insertions on the page. It’s more tactile and “real” than text on a screen.
By about midday, I’ll take what I’ve written (usually about four or five pages) and tap it into the computer, then edit, re-edit, tweak, fix, tamper, until about 3pm. That’s my routine every weekday when I’m working on a novel or short story, and if I’m not doing that then I’ll most likely be reading a book for review purposes or writing the review itself.
What’s the best thing about your job?
In practical terms the best thing by far is working from home. No hideous commute to the office, no traffic jams, no annoying boss (unless you count my cat, with his constant demands to be let in or let out of the room).
I’m lucky in that I get to create for a living. I make stuff up, commit it to paper, and am limited only by my imagination and my skill with words. Once or twice a year an artefact made of paper comes out and it has my name on the front and everything inside it came from within my own head. It’s always a thrill to see a finished book of mine, hold it in my hands and know that readers exist who will enjoy it – just as I enjoy reading the books of others.
For more information check out The 5 Lords of Pain page.
