Write short - and they will read it. Write clearly - and they will understand it. Write graphically - and they will keep it in mind.
Joseph Pulitzer
Joseph Pulitzer
I always tried to heed those words of the Hungarian-born American newspaper publisher. Especially when working in politics one needs to be short and precise, as nobody there has time to listen any more.
Being used to write “short-stories”, it was a bit of a jolt when writing my own books. They needed to be more than just some thousands words on paper, and I realised there is a lot of work involved to write a full-length novel.
Whereas my job as a Political Advisor required writing a lot for other people, I started composing my own works after settling in my new home in Northern Ireland. My first book “Yorkshire Terrier – Zwerge mit Löwenherz” is available since 2011 in Germany.
If you are interested click on the button for my German Website:
Being used to write “short-stories”, it was a bit of a jolt when writing my own books. They needed to be more than just some thousands words on paper, and I realised there is a lot of work involved to write a full-length novel.
Whereas my job as a Political Advisor required writing a lot for other people, I started composing my own works after settling in my new home in Northern Ireland. My first book “Yorkshire Terrier – Zwerge mit Löwenherz” is available since 2011 in Germany.
If you are interested click on the button for my German Website:
♥♥♥
There is a story behind every book. My story of writing Broken Hearts and Mended Love started in 2015, when, after having been treated for ovarian cancer, I was looked after by the MacMillan Support and Information Centre in Belfast. During my complementary therapy the MacMillan staff encouraged me to go ahead with writing my novel, which is basically a love story and has nothing to do with cancer, and in the end turned out to be the best therapy to take my mind off my illness.
Writing a book in English was something else to me. It may sound strange – but writing in English seems to be easier for me than in German. With all the grammar and spelling mistakes I made in the first drafts of the manuscript, I surely stretched the patience of my editors and test readers to the limits. And I can’t say how grateful I am for all the support!
During the two-and-a-half years writing the book, I learned a lot about the English language, especially with regards to the use of adverbs. The little word “friendly”, for example can’t be used as an adverb. One would have to say “friendlily” and although it goes against my grain, it is perfectly right to say “to take something (or somebody) seriously” – I still believe it should just be “serious”…
I put a lot of time into researching – something I was trained to do in my previous jobs. Since I’ve never been to Sweden, or New York, or any of the places Ashly and her son travelled to, I sometimes needed a push for my imagination and so I turned to Google. It’s amazing what one can find here!
All in all, I deeply enjoyed writing a full length novel in English. Hopefully that will be reflected in the book.