Amanda Prowse on Writing

I always find it hard trying to explain to non-writers, the need, the compulsion I have to put pen to paper, or more accurately, finger to keyboard!

I’m never sure if it’s because I didn’t start writing, properly writing, until I was forty and am therefore playing catch up, or whether I have caught this creative bug and there is no cure, maybe it’s one in the same.

Growing up in a house without books and embarrassed by my lack of grammar, I would shy away from creative writing – something I now look back upon with such regret. How I wish I had captured the multi-layered ramblings of my teenage self. Who cares if my dots and dashes were a little misplaced? How great it would have been for me to have the essence of those thoughts now preserved.

Now however, with my confidence sky high, I have realised that I only have to write to please myself and if people like my work, well hey, that’s well and good, but the objective is to WRITE! I now feel free to express myself without censure or restraint and that kind of freedom gives me the best chance to ‘create’ in an unfettered, utterly fulfilling way.

I write anywhere; trains, planes, floors, waiting rooms, cafes… It doesn’t matter to me. I think growing up in a busy house, always packed with siblings, friends and noise has stood me in good stead. As a child I became well practised in grabbing a book and having to zone out, ignoring the chaos all around. It’s an ability that I now cherish.

I love what I do often describing ‘real life’ as a horrid, necessary distraction from the task in hand! If only those darned dishes and piles of laundry could magically sort themselves. I need some of those magic mops that Mickey had so much trouble with in Fantasia!

My writing day starts early, around six a.m. in the UK and the irritating equivalent in whatever country I might wake, much to the frustration of my sleep deprived husband who is now quite used to grabbing the nearest pillow and burying his head under it, trying to hide from the glare of my screen. If I don’t write for at least a couple of hours before I click the kettle on to boil and jump in the shower, I feel slightly out of sorts all day, it would be like going out without socks or forgetting where you’ve parked the car, something wouldn’t feel right.

I take my characters lives very seriously and if I have left them in a precarious position, maybe in a state of distress or in pain, I pen a couple of lines to leave them on a beach or happily sleeping, unable to bear to the idea of them in limbo for eight hours or so – I then erase those lines in the morning, apologising for having misled them, and carry them forward on their journey!

I am very fortunate in that my stories arrive in my head fully formed with beginning, middle, end, twists and turns and all characters exact. I then just have to write it down, which is the easy bit, simply transferring the words, lines and images that play in my head like a movie.

My stories come to me very quickly, in about four minutes to be precise and this rather odd process can happen anywhere, a supermarket, upon waking, whilst sitting in the sea or mid-conversation, as it did quite recently. The poor person I was chatting to (my mum!) watched me go blank for a while and then asked ‘Am I boring you?’ I then explained that a new book had just popped into my head!

I think my writing is actually my therapy! It helps me understand situations, think through issues and by looking at events through the eyes of my characters, I am often able to make better sense of things.

The best compliment I can receive about my work is when someone says, ‘I can’t stop thinking about Poppy or Jessica or Bea…’ I know then that I have created a character that is fully formed and relatable. My characters have to pass the café test. This is something I do, imagining meeting them in the street and we are outside a café, do I like them enough, find them interesting enough to suggest we go and grab a coffee?

I hope that I have passed the café test and that your readers are interested enough to want to invite me to grab a coffee! …and if any of them have any of those magic Mickey brooms, they know where to send ‘em!

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Amanda Prowse is a No.1 International Bestseller and one the most prolific writers in the world right now. The former author in residence of ITV’s Good Morning show, Amanda is a regular on TV and radio, where she gets a terrific reaction from audiences with her open, honest and humourous approach.

All of Amanda’s books cover an issue or topic that makes a good talking point, making them ideal for book club reads or just to chat to friends about or discuss online.  Follow Amanda on Twitter as @MrsAmandaProwse or friend her on Facebook at Amanda Prowse Author  and see more about her books, including the incredible reviews on her Amazon Author Page

Tags: Amanda Prowse, featured, women writers

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing