Today I have a great guest post by the author, Alison Layland. Her novel, Riverflow, was published in paperback and ebook formats by Honno Press on
20th June 2019.Alison is talking to us about Time and the Writer. First, here's a little about the story.
After a beloved family member is drowned in a devastating
flood, Bede and Elin Sherwell want nothing more than to be left in peace to
pursue their off-grid life. But when the very real prospect of fracking hits
their village, they are drawn in to the frontline protests. During a spring of
relentless rain, a series of mysterious threats and suspicious accidents put
friendships on the line and the Sherwells' marriage under unbearable tension.
Is there a connection with their uncle's death? As the river rises under
torrential rain, pressure mounts, Bede's sense of self begins to crumble and
Elin is no longer sure who to believe or what to believe in.
Welcome to Books, Life and Everything, Alison. Over to you!
Time and the writer
Time is something that most of us seem to be short of, too
much of the time. One song that features often in the various playlists I
create for friends, moods and novels, is Sandy Denny’s haunting “Who Knows
Where the Time Goes?” Time– the effects of the past, coming to terms with the
present, looking to the future – features strongly in my writing, and my new
novel Riverflow is no exception. It can also dominate the writer’s life and I
often wonder where it goes – who knows, indeed? – as I juggle work, family and
other commitments with writing.
I’m sure it’s the same for all writers – however inspired we
are, there is always some call on our time. Most of us have second (or third) jobs
– mine is translation. Frustratingly, it can also happen that when we finally
have time on our hands for our creative work, the words hover elusively out of
reach. It’s therefore a good thing to get into a routine of writing every day,
to use every tool at our disposal to avoid distractions, and to make time in
the way that suits us best.
When I first started writing, my children were small and I
used to write in the hour or two after they’d gone to bed, particularly on
evenings when my husband was out. As they grew older, and their bedtimes got
later and later, my precious writing time dwindled until I had to find another
way. I solved it by getting up at 5 or 6 am every morning, which led to the
discovery, as late as my forties,that I’m actually an early bird, at my most
creative in the mornings.This has stayed with me and I’m still up with the lark
even when on holiday.
Once a routine is established, it’s essential to make the
most of the time available. I’m fortunate that my career as a freelance
translator is largely compatible with writing, as I work for myself and can be
flexible when planning my work. However, I still sometimes find that control
over workloads and deadlines is an illusion and it’s easy to get pressured.
It’s also equally a blessing and a curse that I use the same garden
office/writing den, desk and computer for commercial translation work and
writing. If a plot idea or snippet of dialogue occurs to me while working on
something else to a deadline, the opportunity to jot it down is there, but for
concentrated periods of writing, having the same workplace means that making
the switch requires more discipline.
For this reason, internet blocker software such as Cold
Turkeyis a valuable tool. Although I need the internet to research, both for
translating and writing, and social media is also an important part of what I
do, rationing my online periods helps me to work more efficiently, freeing up
more creative time, and takes away those insistent distractions. Cold Turkey
not only blocks the unwanted distracting website, but replaces it with
aninspirational message. Having just flicked to the internet (I confess!) I’ve
just been shown: “Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a
wonderful stroke of luck,” attributed to the Dalai Lama. Which leads me neatly
on to…
Being busy and unable to devote hours at a stretch to writing
can be unexpectedly productive. Ideas can pop up in the most surprising places
and a random event can be a trigger for a development in the novel I’m working
on. Scenes from Riverflow have been inspiredor elaborated on buses and trains,
in shops or hospitals, while out walking, baking or doing housework –
bizarrely, it often seems that the more mundane the activity, the more vivid
the stimulation. It might be an exaggeration to say that washing up is an
essential part of my creative process, but I do wonder whether my propensity to
play out scenes while gazing out of thewindow over the kitchen sink is the
subliminal reason why the kitchen at Alderleat, the smallholding in my novel,
is the heart of my characters’ home and the setting for several dramatic
scenes.
The insistence of time also played a wider part in the
writing of Riverflow. Personal circumstances – moving house, illness of both
myself and close family members – meant that the novel took longer than I
intended to finish. But the themes underlying my characters’ story
–environmental protest and protecting their world – are topical and gave me a
sense of urgency as outside events unfolded. Just as time is running out to
take effective measures to mitigate and deal with the climate and ecological
emergency, the awareness of time running out on a personal, micro level gave me
a kind of deadline and a spur to keep writing during difficult times.
I’m glad to say that, with the support of my publisher,
Honno Welsh Women’s Press, Riverflow has been published at a time when, despite
rapidly moving events, its messages are as relevant as ever.
Alison Layland
Thanks so much for those thoughts, Alison.
About the Author
Alison Layland is a writer and translator. Raised in Newark
and Bradford, she now lives on the Wales/Shropshire border. She studied
Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at Cambridge University and translates from
German, French and Welsh into English. Her published translations include a
number of bestselling novels.
Thanks to Alison Layland, and Emma Welton of Damppebbles Tours for the guest post and a place on the tour.
Check out the rest of the tour!
Thanks so much for this x
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