Deborah Moggach
Deborah Moggach
Deborah Moggachis an English writer. She has written eighteen novels including The Ex-Wives, Tulip Fever, These Foolish Thingsand Heartbreak Hotel...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth28 June 1948
characters fun halt huge novel panic trust week
Writing a novel is a huge adventure; when it's going well it's more fun than fun. When it stutters to a halt put it aside. Go for a swim, go for a walk, take a week off. Don't panic or be afraid; you and your characters are in it together. Trust them to come to your rescue.
character eye starting-up
Once a character has gelled it's an unmistakable sensation, like an engine starting up within one's body. From then onwards one is driven by this other person, seeing things through their eyes ...
anarchy breathing characters people
You need to know the characters as living, breathing people before you start the plot; otherwise, you'll feel panic, anarchy and chaos.
characters months novel saw somebody spend until
Don't start writing your novel until you know your characters very, very well. What they'd do if they saw somebody shoplifting. What they were like at school. What shoes they wear. Spend days - weeks, months - being them until they thicken up and start to breathe.
lonely children rain
I was never a lonely child who sat looking at the rain sliding down the window,
sister love-you rakhi
Whatever you do they will love you; even if they don't love you they are connected to you till you die. You can be boring and tedious with -sisters, whereas you have to put on a good face with friends.
morning night drunk
Discover the times when you're most creative - mornings, nights, afternoons - and clear the time to work then. Many writers find the mornings are best, and the afternoons are only good for editorial corrections, or getting the washing done. Others can only work through the night, drunk.
falling-in-love hair people
When I was young, I couldnt imagine women of 60 falling in love. For one thing, people used to stay married; they werent out in the jungle, searching for romance. Besides, these women just looked so ancient - permed hair, beige cardis.
garden mad hens
I'm mad about gardening. I have an allotment on the other side of Hampstead Heath, and I keep three hens in my garden.
disappointment real trying
The only real failure is the failure to try, and the measure of success is how we cope with disappointment.
risk doe different
But it's also true that the person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing. All we know about the future is that it will be different. But perhaps what we fear is that it will be the same. So we must celebrate the changes.
travel peace ends
Everything will be alright in the end so if it is not alright it is not the end.
sister memories past
You keep your past by having sisters. As you get older, they're the only ones who don't get bored if you talk about your memories.
almost burden domestic ease huge impossible lead living people places pressure spend time
Living together places a huge burden on the other person to be lover, friend, entertainments manager, chef, domestic help, which is almost impossible and can lead to disappointment. If you don't live together, you spend more time with other people and ease the pressure off your lover.