n quentin woolf

out on the weekend

Sarah Waters

A busy weekend at Eastside Books in Brick Lane, where amongst other happenings I had the chance of a sit-down with novelist Sarah Waters. A pleasant and unassuming sort, she told me she’s in a bit of a hiatus at the moment; various ideas for the next novel are bubbling away nicely in her unconscious but are yet to coalesce into something recogniseable. Having been nominated for the Man Booker probably goes some way towards assuaging the writerly self-doubts that often accompany such unanchored times between novels. I wonder how the attention over the nomination has worked for her – she seems rather a private person.

Keen as ever to hone my interview technique I asked her what her least favourite interview question has been. ‘Why the 19th Century?’, she decided. The question is lazy, of course, but it’s the frequency with which it is asked, requiring the same long-winded answer, that really gets her down.

I was keen to apply this new piece of intelligence. The very next day, an opportunity to put it into action came about as I interviewed, on The Arts Show, a clarinettist, a composer, an artist who works with pubic hair and a kids’ fantasy author, respectively. I carefully avoided making so much as a mention of the 19th Century. Lo and behold, the show went swimmingly. With this simple avoidance-of-19th-Century-related-questions ace up my sleeve, I feel equipped to take on the world.

Hm.

Alan Gilbey

On Monday evening the visually-oriented Alan Gilbey beat his migraine and put in a sterling 2-and-a-half-hour set on screenwriting. Highlights included a 100-year-old cartoon (the first ever to include a recogniseable character), a surreal, nightmarish example of production line animation, and a sweet stop motion short film, which he used to explain certain techniques of structure and pacing. Attendees were shown how to develop a pitch, too.

september

Nikita Lalwani

The summer lull is coming to an end and the cultural calendar is reviving. It starts on September 17th with my live interview with Man Booker contender Nikita Lalwani (Gifted was the book) who has also contributed to AIDS Sutra, a look at the Indian AIDS crisis. I think anyone who takes on so bold a topic will make for a fascinating guest. Besides which, how many Booker nominees have I

Snoo Wilson

run into recently? Following her in quick succession come writing masterclasses from playwright Snoo Wilson and screenwriter/script editor Alan Gilbey. Alan has a long history with the bookshop, having been the man behind the till some years ago. His screenwriting masterclass draws on the many years of TV experience since then and was a real hit when he gave the same talk way back at the start of the year. I was particularly struck by Alan’s high-octane warm-up excercises – almost worth the price of admission by themselves! That’s on September 28th and as with all of the events listed here lit@nquentinwoolf.co.uk will start the booking process. A week before Alan,

Alan Gilbey

Snoo Wilson, a newcomer to Eastside, will be talking playwriting in a masterclass which offers tips on structure, form, dialogue as well as other aspects of the playwright’s craft. Attendees will also be able to pick Snoo’s brain as required. That’s on September 21st. Both masterclasses are £12. The final dish for September is the start of the new season of creative writing classes for complete beginners, which starts at 7pm on September 17th (that’s a Thursday). This 8-week workshop, led by me, has proven very successful, with waves of positive feedback from each series so far. The course covers the fundamentals of creative prose writing: the best ways to use dialogue; using scenery to drive the plot forward; ways to structure a short story; how to use conflict; revealing character; and much more. Pre-booking is essential to attend this course, using the email above. I’m very much looking forward to it; there’s always a good buzz surrounding a meeting of creative energies – which is sort of what these events are all about. People finishing up the course recently said they found it very useful as a demystification of the writer’s craft. All of the events, classes and signing mentioned here will be taking place at Eastside Books in Brick Lane. For queries on any of them, or to receive information of future events, please mail me.