Like to travel, why not be a writer?

22/4/2013

Good news! One of the shorts I wrote when I emerged from fiction hibernation has been accepted by a new literary magazine called Far-Off Places and an email comes asking for a bio. My attitude to author bios is pretty well summed up in this line from the one I've been using lately:

She loves fiction for the freedom to contradict herself and is scared of bios for fear of getting it wrong.

but the far-off editors were, quite reasonably, hoping for something in keeping with their house style. So I came up with this:

Anne Goodwin used to love to travel to far-off places to meet far-off people living far-off lives. Now that the world’s got smaller she prefers staying near her home in the middle of England and doing most of her exploring in her head. Some of this leaks out into her fiction and blog.

(although it was slightly different at the end as I obviously provided a link to the website and blog).

It's perfectly true. I've travelled quite widely in an area bounded by Iceland to the north, California to the west, Patagonia to the south and Shanghai to the east, yet I haven't been out of Europe since the trip that inspired the story that inspired the post about confusing memory and imagination, and I even have to psych myself up for a weekend catching up with much loved friends. I actually think the stay at home life is perfect for a writer yet, apparently, once you hit the big time, or even the mid-list time, it can be, depending on your preference, a traveller's nightmare, or dream. The literary Grand Tour seems compulsory: Charlotte Rogan, author of The Lifeboat, next in the chair for my author interviews, wouldn't be free for another six weeks due to travel commitments; my first interviewee, Alison Moore, when we met for real at the fabulous Lowdham Winter Book Festival told me she was appearing at a similar event roughly once a week. Having an audience must be wonderful but, as A L Kennedy points out, sleeping night after night in a room not one's own decidedly isn't. Especially for a writer who feeds off that mental inner space. Especially for someone like me who's lost the travel bug.
Nevertheless, balancing my personal preferences with my ambitions, I did toy with adding another line to my bio:

Any agents or publishers considering her novel should be reassured that, should they wish to publish her work, she will have the personality transplant necessary to promote it.

What do you think? Do you like to travel and does it help or hinder the writing life?
Coming next: something touching on the psychology of writing.

7 Comments

Carlie Lee link

26/4/2013 02:59:03 am

Hello Anne!

I recently had a dreadful dressing-down from an agent who said how the hell could I expect him to sell me, when I couldn't even sell myself.

All of my self-deprecating half-jokes irritated him hugely. What he wanted from me was positive and strong belief in myself and my writing. Totally grim.

But my point is, I think you're doing the same very British thing. You don't need a personality transplant, you just need to stop asking for permission to become the writer and woman you should be.

Can you tell I've been lurking on American sites? But it's true. Perhaps try being unashamed of ambition (you can always tell them you don't like moving after you've sold your book. Or invent agoraphobia, and turn it into a marketing drive...).

Anyway, best of luck!

C

Annecdotist

26/4/2013 09:28:10 am

Hi Carlie,
Welcome to my website and thanks for your most interesting comments. I will bear in mind your feedback as I personally dislike that aw shucks it's only little old me attitude when I come across it in others but, on the other hand, I'm equally irritated by people preening themselves more than I think they merit. It's hard to hit the right balance of pride in one's work and modesty, especially at this stage of the game when no-one is yet saying they'd want to publish my novel, but confidence doesn't just come from within the individual, it's a relational thing and I'm quite sure that when people start treating me like a published novelist I'll be able to behave like one, whether I choose to travel or not.
On that note, desperate as I am for an agent, I'm not sure I'd want one who gave anyone a dressing down for not selling themselves enough (a discussion, kindly advice, negotiation perhaps) as I thought selling was what they got their 10 or 15% for and I guess I'd rather be self published than bullied. But just like writers, agents have their idiosyncratic personalities and I'm still hoping I'll be able to find a closer match.
Really liked your piece on novelicous on the lit factor by the way – very brave.
http://www.novelicious.com/2013/04/the-london-book-fair-2013-an-aspiring-authors-guide-the-brilliant-authors-lounge-and-the-terrifying-.html

Carlie Lee link

30/4/2013 02:47:10 am

Hello Anne!
I'm so sorry, I didn't see your reply until I clicked on your latest blog. Thank you so much for reading my work, and putting on the link - boy am I glad to have got the Pitch out of the way!
I see what you mean about confidence being a two-way perception - until recently I never used to tell people I was a writer (I'd say copy-writer, because that's one of my day-jobs). Do you tell people you write? Or do you fuzz it a little by saying blogger, or journalist or whatever?
Regarding dressing-down...I need it! I live most of the time in my own little world, and quite often don't even notice people until they shout. I'm very frustrating to have as a wife or mother.
Anyway, off to read some more of your blog,
Best wishes,
C

Annecdotist

30/4/2013 03:48:26 am

Thanks for coming back, Carlie, and, incidentally, your comments came up alright so I've deleted the duplicates. (I've had that happen sometimes of not being able to post, or not knowing if I have done, especially confusing if the message "your comment is awaiting moderation" comes back in Hungarian. But I did want to comment in response to your novelicious post on that site but for some reason it didn't work).
But yes indeed, how to say you're a writer without going into some terrible spiel about how hard it is to get published as a novelist? It happened just this weekend with some lovely women I went out for a meal with in the break between the rehearsal and performance of the Messiah so no wonder I'd practically run out of voice before the end. although I do think blogging has made me more confident about it than I was.

Carlie Lee link

18/5/2013 08:05:49 am

Good for you! I totally get what you mean about blogging improving confidence - worked wonders for mine, too.
And lucky you to see 'The Messiah' - I've heard it's brilliant!

Hope your writing's going well - keep us all up to date,

Best,

C