We asked best-selling author and Forthwrite Festival Keynote Speaker, Annie Garthwaite about her writing and publication journey.
With rousing talks from best-selling authors, the festival takes place over two days, in Brighton and Crawley. Expect inspiring workshops, lively discussions with authors, publishers and industry professionals.
Annie will be giving the key note speech in Brighton on 15 March and speaking on the Debut Over 50 panel.
1. What age were you when you first got published?
I was 58 when my first book Cecily was published. It was the novel I’d waited my whole life to write, born out of an early passion for the women of the Wars of the Roses. In my twenties, when my immediate priority had to be forging a career and making a living, I promised myself that at age 55 I would give up whatever the day job was by then, and write it. That’s exactly what I did. It was a long and sometimes painful wait, but so worth it. It has transformed my life.
2. What advice would you give to your younger writing self?
That there is no right way – or right time – to write a book. It’s easy to envy those for whom writing success comes early. Or even those who, early in life, have the luxury of time and financial security to write. It was a huge disappointment for me to realise that wasn’t going to happen in my twenties. So, I think I’d go back and say to myself, don’t panic, stick to the plan. It’s okay to wait. In the meantime, grab every ounce of life experience you can as grist to your writing mill. You’ll write a better book if you do.
3. Which woman writer inspires you and why?
Hilary Mantel tops the list for the brilliance of her writing and sharpness of her intellect. Hilary wrote all her life, but was well over fifty when her greatest success (what publishers would call her ‘breakthrough novel’) came out. It transformed our ideas about what historical fiction can do. And look at everything that come from it – theatre, TV, two Booker wins…! I’d add Tricia Cressell for her career. Her debut The Midwife is the fruit of a lifelong career in public health. Like me, she had grey hairs and stories by the time she sat down to write.
4. How does your background, career and life experience influence your writing and the way you approach it?
I’d say that, by 55, I’d learned the discipline of hard work. Especially since, for the last twenty year of my career, I ran my own business knowing that, if I didn’t turn up at the desk every day, I wouldn’t make any money! I’m impatient with writers who say they’re ‘waiting for inspiration’. Don’t’ wait – inspiration will come after you’ve put in some graft. Also, working in business taught me how women achieve power and influence in a man’s world – something my 15 th century characters knew all about! Everything you do in life is part of your preparation to write – fuel for your story.
5. What advice would you give to a woman writer over 50 who is looking to get published for the first time?
Three things. First, don’t believe the people who tell you publishers are only interested in young, glamorous writers. It’s not true. They’re interested in great stories written by passionate authors. That’s it. Second, don’t be half-hearted. If you want to write – and hope to be published – you have to treat it like a job, a career, not a hobby. Finally, make no apologies. You’ve probably spent a lifetime doing stuff for other people, don’t be ashamed to do this for you. Writing is your work now, make sure the people around you – family and friends – take the writing and the time you give it as seriously as you do.
Annie Garthwaite is a key note speaker and panelist at Forthwrite Festival: a celebration of women writers over 50.
Find out more about Forthwrite Festival and get your ticket.