A Work in Progress

Anna Sayburn is a journalist and online editor at the British Medical Journal. She also blogs at Dulwich OnView (which is how I got to know her) and her two blogs, Work in Progress and Bloomsbury Bluestocking, while working on her first novel. Now that’s true dedication to the craft of writing - which is why I wanted to introduce her to you all here on Fusion View who love words, writing and reading.

Here is our interview:

What is your novel about and what inspired you to write it?
The novel seems to be about things that have been buried - buried bones, buried secrets, buried treasure! I first got the inkling of an idea for it when I walked to Canterbury last Easter, with my husband Phil. Long walks seem to be very good inspiration for writing. Lots of the things and places we came across on the way have found themselves into the plot.

How are you finding the writing process?
Slow! I’ve never tried to write anything of this length before. I work as a journalist, so tend to think in terms of 350 words for a lead story, 1000 words for a feature. I’m aiming for 80,000 words for the novel. It seems an awful lot and it’s hard not to get daunted by the sheer scale. But when I actually sit down and write, it’s fine and I enjoy it. I tend to write the bones of the plot quite quickly, then have to go back and fill in the detail later.

Do you have a routine or a particular approach to the writing process?
The main challenge is to find a stretch of time when I won’t be interrupted and force myself not to do anything else! I can write for about 2 hours before I need a break, and I think I start writing rubbish after about 4 hours, so I try to stop then. In an ideal world, I’d get up early, write all morning and go out for a long walk in the afternoon. In the real world, I go to work, come home, make dinner and then switch on the laptop for a couple of hours before bed.

How does it compare to writing as a journalist or blogger?
The scale is the main difference. Plus, of course, it all has to come out of your own head, as a sustainable story. Making a coherent plot is a real challenge. I’m surprised how much I’ve enjoyed that bit. I do summaries of each chapter, and I’m about 5 chapters ahead in terms of plotting, compared to what I’ve actually written. But the time frame so different. I’ve no idea when I’ll finish the novel, while journalism and blogging are both pretty instant hits. I’ve always written fast and I tend to do blog posts in lunch hours or spare 10 minutes here and there. For the novel, I need at least a couple of hours, or there’s not much point starting.

What do you enjoy about blogging in contrast?
The immediacy of blogging is great. I can think of an idea, write it up, find a photo and post it in less than an hour. It couldn’t be more different from writing the novel. It’s also a great excuse to put off writing the novel! In fact, I’ve started a second blog, BloomsburyBluestocking, just to have more space to witter on in a non-professional manner. Trouble is, writing is addictive and the more I write, the more I seem to want to write.

Photo: Anna Sayburn, from her blog