#ReadySteadyBook!-Tunde Farrand

And here it is, the last Monday of #EyeOnAugust, and today is a variation on the British Cookery Show,Ready Steady Cook!

On this programme ,the chefs are given 5 unseen, unknown, ingredients by a member of the public and have to turn them into a tasty meal.

For this, I asked Tunde what her 5 key ingredients would be which go into making a book.

What a month!
Discovering new authors and spreading the word about independent publishers,Eye Books, has been an absolute blast, and as a finale, here is Tunde Farrand, answering the burning issues of the day-what 5 ingredients go into writing a book.Thanks Tunde!

 

Deadline – Setting a deadline is crucial otherwise there is no external pressure for us to complete our work. The deadline forces us to focus, to manage our time well. It doesn’t have to be set by a professional person or tutor, it can come from another writer or student or even from ourselves. The key is to take it seriously.

 

Someone to show the work-in-progress to – Until I have shown the work-in-progress to at least one person, it often feels like it’s not ‘real’ and I have written it only for myself. I have no idea whether it’s any good and it’s important to have feedback not just about the technical bits but even more importantly about the creative part. The technical can be improved later, any time but it’s important to know from the beginning that the story makes sense for someone outside of me.

 

Write from the gut – Focusing on the technical bits and overthinking will kill creativity and passion, sometimes it will even kill the desire to write. I wholeheartedly agree with the best advice I was given at uni: write from the gut. Don’t care about the techniques until a later stage, jut follow your passion, let it shine through and guide you to new, unexplored territories.

 

Balance between loneliness and company– Writing is often solitary work during which loneliness and isolation can be experienced.  On the other hand, being surrounded by people will take our attention away and will distract us, so there has to be a fine balance between company and solitude. I have found that a short interaction with people at midday or in the evening is enough to keep me sane. I do voluntary work for 2-3 hours on many days or meet with someone at lunchtime, then I return to writing.

 

Physical motion – Sitting for long hours you’ll find your energies stuck and you might experience a lack of enthusiasm, ideas and clarity. My best ideas and realisations always come when in motion, so I regularly take short walks even when I’m very busy.

About Tunde…

TÜNDE FARRAND was born in Hungary and lived, studied and worked in several countries
before settling in the UK, where she teaches languages. She has an MA in Creative Writing from
Sheffield Hallam University and lives with her husband in Sheffield. Wolf Country is her first
novel.

“A chilling and politically astute dystopia which grips the reader from start to finish. Sci-fi in the
tradition of Wyndham, with characters I really cared about, in a terrifyingly altered world”

Jane Rogers, winner of The Arthur C Clarke Award

Links-http://eye-books.com/

http://www.rachelreadit.co.uk/book-review-wolf-country-by-tunde-farrand/

Twitter @EyeAndLightning

@TundeFarrand