Bloomsbury author Rupert Kingfisher explains how to avoid the nebulous dangers that could befall you as a writer...
I‘m a writer and I have a son who’s 11 months old, so inevitably the question arose whether he might follow in my footsteps. This was after we found him one day, very skilfully dismantling a radiator tap, leading to speculation that he might become a plumber.
However, it may well turn out that my son has ink in his veins, since writing does seem to run in the family. My mother is the novelist Salley Vickers, and her grandmother, before her, was a successful playwright. Since my mother was so well established before I got published, people often assume that some kind of nepotism was involved. In fact, this is not the case, and nor would I have wanted her help.
But now it’s great to have a colleague who’s also part of the family and together we try to give each other collegiate support. By that I don’t mean that we read each other’s manuscripts, although we certainly do discuss ideas relating to things that we’re writing. I mean that during difficult times we try to boost each other’s morale. Writing isn’t the kind of thing you do in an office. That’s all part of its appeal but you can sometimes feel the dearth of a few colleagues. It can also be very hard work, however rewarding, and everyone has those moments (especially during a novel) when they feel like giving up and throwing their computer out the window. At times like these, we need fellow writers to help keep us going and generally to steer us away from the Vortex.
The Vortex is the name I give to a set of nebulous dangers that can befall anyone as a writer. Its true purpose is to stop us writing but it can take the form of doubt, fear, envy, pride, and also those pointless activities such as schmoozing at parties, which we do in the belief that they’ll somehow further our career. But a sympathetic colleague can help us to avoid these pitfalls, by reminding us what’s really important, which is simply to write the next thousand words. Best wishes,
Have you got a writing support system? Tell us about it in the comments below...
About Rupert Kingfisher: Rupert studied Philosophy at Bristol University and Playwriting at the Central School of Speech and Drama. His plays have been performed across the UK and on BBC Radio 4. Rupert grew up in Oxfordshire and now lives in Brentford, Middlesex with his partner and their son.
I think we all have highs and lows. One moment we're sure that our manuscript (whatever its form) is the best thing we've ever written, and the next we just want to crawl into a black hole and die. I have a friend who has a BA in Creative Writing. I trust his judgement. He knows how to be constructive, which I think is the most important thing.
A very interesting post. I have a very supportive family who keep me going. I can talk through ideas with them and they help me patch holes in my plots. They are also my readers and editors, I know some people say 'never use your family' and that really annoys me, because I trust my family. They tell me the truth, though, perhaps a bit softer than someone else might.
I'm also studying; I find deadlines are a good way to keep going. I can change my own deadlines but not those ones, which makes for a good challenge.
Oh, and I went to one of your mother's talks at Adelaide Writers' Week, it was fascinating and she was lovely.