Tag Archives: writing

My Writing Process – Juliette Quenin

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I was born in France but I travelled and lived in many countries as a child and as a teenager. I always had two certainties in life. One was that I wanted to be a creative, artistic person and the other one was that I wanted to live in London. I have now fulfilled both those dreams so I am a happy person. I have tried my hand at different creative mediums. I studied acting in Paris, I sang Opera for a few years and I have done a cinema school. As such I directed a couple of short films and worked on other fellow students’ short films. But writing has always been a constant passion of mine and since in London (nearly 12 years now), I have dedicated myself to playwriting.

What you have written past and present?

Over a period of 10 years I have written 8 full length plays. The Beauty of the Cactus Flower talks about the difficulties of being a woman in this age and time. Dear Wallis is about a teenager revolting against an abusive alcoholic mother. My play Sugar talks about the strong bond in between a grandmother and a granddaughter and the healing power of baking. 430 King’s Road, An Urban Odyssey tells the story of the punk movement’s birth, narrated as a Greek Tragedy. Little Wing exposes the difficult relationship between two brothers carrying the burden of a past accident. Womb’s talks about the demolition of buildings and key historic buildings in the Soho Conservation area and the impact this has on the local residents. Catsville tackles the problem of animal hoarding and loss. And my last play is still a work in progress, so I won’t be talking about it today.

What are you promoting now?

I have decided to self-produce and direct one of my plays. Little Wing, the story of the two brothers, is going to be on stage at the Jack Studio Theatre in London from the 7th of April till the 18th of April 2020. I have produced and directed short films and readings before, but this is a very different adventure and I am very excited about it. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a new modus operandi: Part time playwright/part time director.

Do you plan or just write?

Years ago, I used to just write. Not anymore. I miss this very spontaneous way of working because it can produce beautiful and poetic writing but I have noticed that in terms of storyline I would get stuck, sometimes finding myself in a cul-de-sac. I wanted to take my writing to the next level, so I started planning. Now, as far as I am concerned, the work is less spontaneous but much more structured and of course playwriting is about structure, structure and more structure.

What about word count?

For me as a playwright, it is more about number of pages. I know that when I hit the 70 pages mark (knowing that a page of dialogue is more or less 1 minute and half on stage) I have a play that is about 1 hour and 30 minutes long, so then I can relax, before starting a new draft.

How do you do your structure?

The play and the subject matter command it really. My plays are rarely about big dramatic situations and twists, so I am not worrying too much about the climax for instance. Of course there is always a climax, but mine tend to be quite subtle. I tend to favor two act plays. They work well for me. I’ve learned through the years that a scene did not need to be of a certain caliber and length, that it’s all about balance and rhythm. I have studied music for many years and I love the idea that my plays are like scores. 

What do you find hard about writing?

Endings! It’s always hard to finish a piece. It’s like a little death and I don’t like that. Also, the time in between two plays is a difficult one for me. I get crippled with doubts, I become a bit crazy. Will I ever be able to put pen on paper again? I have a few coping mechanisms now but it’s still difficult. One thing I don’t have, fingers crossed, is the famous writer’s block.

What do you love about writing?

The craft. It puts me in a zone like nothing else does. Nothing makes me happier than a well-produced page of dialogue. I love this wordsmith business. I fancy myself as a lacemaker, only it’s with words and sentences. Beautifully written pieces can move me to tears (more that the content of the play itself actually). For that reason, I am a big fan of Jean Cocteau, J. M. Barrie,  Edmond Rostand and William Shakespeare for instance. I recently reread Hamlet. Everything, absolutely everything you need to know about plays and playwriting is in there. And if I dare say, everything you need to know about life!

Advice for other writers?

Do the 1%, which is present yourself to the page consistently and preferably at the same time of the day, and the universe will do the 99% left, which is inspiration, willingness and the courage to push forward. Drink lots of water, exercise (I’m not very good at that myself) because sitting hours in front of the computer can be hard on the body. If it’s a first draft, don’t indulge in endless rewriting (that’s a tough one). And don’t give up! My production company is called Five Minutes Before the Miracle (short for Don’t give up five minutes before the miracle!) which is a constant reminder that one needs to be perseverant in life. That’s the key.

 

My Writing Process – Sue Kittow

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I’m Sue Kittow, a Cornish author, freelance journalist, researcher and copywriter, been living in Falmouth for 25 years.

I have written five books on Cornish walks – Discover Cornwall, Walks in the Footsteps of Cornish Writers, Walks in the Footsteps of Poldark, Walks in the Footsteps of Daphne du Maurier and Walks in the Footsteps of Rosamunde Pilcher. I am also writing a novel set in Cornwall but don’t have an agent or publisher for that – yet!

As a freelance journalist I have interviewed many authors including Bill Bryson, Ian Rankin, Lionel Shriver and Rosamunde Pilcher. I have also written for Daily Mail, Cornwall Today, Writers’ Forum, Woman’s Weekly, Classic Boat and many other magazines.

I am currently promoting Walks in the Footsteps of Rosamunde Pilcher, published by Sigma Press August 2019.

Walks books need a lot of research and planning so my writing is quite structured – I write lots of notes for research then incorporate that into the walks as I transcribe them. It’s lovely playing the tape back and listening to the conversations we had, the birds and sea and whatever else going on. When I’m writing fiction it’s very different – I plot a lot and make notes on that but the writing itself is very free – I love the excitement of a first draft. Editing I find much harder.

As these are books on walks, a lot of planning and research goes into each one. My publishers like a geographical spread of walks around Cornwall, so I have to start off with ideas and make sure the walks are all over the county, not just focused on a few areas. Then research them, walk them, take photographs, transcribe them – it’s a lot of work!

My contract stipulates 35-45,000 words but that’s quite a loose guide.

The structure for each chapter is roughly the same so I’m used to it now – Introduction (about author, character, location), The Walk, incorporating more research as relevant, Factbox, Content, Photographs, Summing up.

The hard bit is always the editing, then the proofing and checking the maps. And self belief.

I love the physical part of writing – actually putting the words on the page and then transmitting the idea of the place – capturing the sounds, the sea, the birds, the trees etc, so that the reader can come on this walk with me while they read it.

Advice for other writers – find your voice. Read lots. Be realistic. Study agents and publishers carefully, see what’s happening online but don’t compare yourself to others – social media is full of people sharing their Amazon rankings, reviews etc. For every good review there is a not so good one (don’t read reviews!). Make sure your work is as good as it can be before you send it out – get advice from people you trust and listen to what they say. Good criticism can only improve your work. Persevere. This is a lonely business, so network with other writers. And write because you love it.

 

My Writing Process – Caryl Hart

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I’m a children’s author and, over the past ten years, have published over 45 picture books and young fiction titles with seven major publishers. Several have been shortlisted for awards and I’ve won a few too. I run creative literacy workshops for schools, libraries and festivals and run teacher training and mentoring services.

Find out more here: www.carylhart.com

What have you written?

I have 45 published titles to date and around 15 books in production.

Next year celebrates the tenth anniversary of my Albie series, illustrated by Ed Eaves (Simon & Schuster), which includes the best-selling How to Grow a Dinosaur and Supermarket Zoo. We are currently working on book 11!

I also have a series of five feisty princess books, the most recent is The Princess and the Shoe – a book about following your dreams and believing in yourself, illustrated by Sarah Warburton and published by Nosy Crow.

Then there’s the Knock Knock series of crazy counting book capers, illustrated by Nick East and published by Hodder. The fourth book, Knock Knock Superhero is out in August. 

And Let’s Go.. a preschool series of first experiences, illustrated by Laruen Tobia and published by Walker books.  

My book Big Box Little Box, illustrated by Edward Underwood was shortlisted for the Klaus Flugge design award and is the first in a new series with Bloomsbury.

These are just a few of my titles. You can see them all here: www.carylhart.com/books

I’m very excited about the publication of Together We Can, a book about friendship, illustrated by Ali Pye and published by Scholastic. It’s a rhyming picture book that talks about what a friend is, how to make friends and, most importantly, how to be a friend. It is also a book about diversity as it features over 150 characters including children with different skin tones, hair styles, clothing, interests, mobility and other aids, prosthetics and cognitive and other physical difference.

It follows on from the success of Girls Can Do Anything and has already received a lot of interest on social media.

A bit about your process of writing. 

Do you plan or just write?

Every book is different. Sometimes I create a proposal in which I outline my idea and write sample spreads, which I then submit to publishers.

Other times, I just start to write.  Sometimes I sketch out ideas too, it just depends on how my brain is working on a particular day!

What about word count?

This also depends on the book. The shortest book I have written is 50 words and the longest around 60,000. On the whole, picture books are around 600 -1000 words and titles aimed at preschoolers or babies are shorter.  I guess, as I’ve gained experience, I have developed a feel for how many words work on a double page spread.  

There’s always a lot of editing, both for the first draft and at various other stages during production.  For example, once the illustrator has created rough drawings, my editor and myself will work together to cut out unnecessary words, or re-write lines, so a text will often get sparer with each iteration until the final book is produced.

What about structure?

Once I’m ready to being writing, I lay my text out in spreads. A typical picture book has 12 -14 spreads so I just put the spread number as a subheading on my page and write the text to fit.  I find this helps me to evaluate word count and also to make sure that every page turn gives the reader something new and exciting to experience. 

What do you find hard about writing?

Getting the time to actually sit down and put words on a page can be hard. Working from home and being a mother and wife have their own distractions, but I also do a lot of school visits and workshops, so spend quite a lot of time planning timetables and creating activities to go with my books.  You can see some of these here: www.carylhart.com/about/book-activities

As a freelancer, I’m happiest when I’m busy and have several new projects on the horizon. There are times when I do worry that the next contract might never come, but have learned to push those worries to the back of my mind and trust that either I’ll come up with something, or a publisher will commission a new project. In reality I’ve never had a period when I’ve been without work, perhaps because I’m quite well disciplined and very self-motivated.

What do you love about writing? 

I love losing myself in a story and the discipline of writing, especially writing in rhyme. It’s very challenging creating a multi-layered story with appealing characters, a satisfying arc and clear meaning and also making the rhythm consistent and the rhyme solid.  It can take a day or more to write a four line verse so it can be very slow-going, but I get great satisfaction when I finally crack it. 

I also love getting the rough illustrations through as this is the point at which my stories really start coming to life. I’m so lucky to be working with lots of super-talented super-lovely illustrators who really do an amazing job, so it’s great seeing the books going from lines of text in a word document to bright, colourful, engaging  books that are just gorgeous to look at and handle.   You can meet all the illustrators I work with here: www.carylhart.com/about/illustrators

Advice for other writers. 

Writing for pleasure is a wonderful thing to do. It helps you, and others, work out how you feel and what your views and opinions, hopes and dreams are.  Writing can help you manage stress and take you to places you never thought you could go. Sharing your writing with friends, family or people online is a great way to feel validated, loved and appreciated.  There are now so many platforms out there where writers can share their work – social media, performance, blogs to name but a few. So if you love to write, WRITE!

If you’re hoping to get your work formally published as a printed book, set your bar high.  Remember that your work is competing for contracts with authors who already have a track record and relationship with their publisher, so your work really does need to shine.  

Publishers have to make money to survive and the industry is very competitive so your work needs to be commercial. That means that you have to take on board what editors and designers ask in terms of developing your texts. Publishing books is a team effort and if you are unable to stomach criticism then consider other platforms where you have total control over what gets published.

If you are writing in rhyme, make sure your rhythm is tight and your rhymes feel natural. Half rhymes work okay in song lyrics but aren’t ideal for children’s books.

If you are hoping to publish a picture book, go it alone. If you illustrate too, then by all means send some sample illustrations but don’t do the whole book unless you’re very experienced. Publishers will have their own ideas on how they want your text to be illustrated by, and rarely sign books that are submitted by a ready-made duo.

The more you write, the better you will become, especially if you are able to take on feedback from professionals in the industry.  Just because your mum or your children like your book idea, it doesn’t mean its commercially viable.  So if you get the chance to speak to someone with experience in publishing, do try to act on their advice – it’ll save you a lot of time and effort in the long run.

Above all else, write. Just write. And then write some more. You never know where it might take you!

My Writing Process – Damaris Young

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damaris young, author, the switching hourI was an avid reader growing up. I would try and copy my favourite stories, filling notebooks with fantastical worlds much like Alice’s wonderland. As my confidence grew, I started writing stories of my own, often to entertain my four younger brothers and sisters. When I moved to Bristol as an adult, I continued writing stories, eventually studying on the Bath Spa Writing for Young People MA, where I wrote my debut children’s novel, The Switching Hour. 

The Switching Hour is my first published book, but I have been writing stories ever since I can remember. I have so many half-written novels hidden away in my desk draw and on long-lost USB sticks!

What you are promoting now?

My debut The Switching Hour, a fantasy story aimed at young readers, is being published by Scholastic on the 1st August. It is about a girl called Amaya who lives with her grandmother, her small brother Kaleb and her pet goat in a land suffering a terrible drought. Every night, the doors must be locked after twilight, the Switching Hour, because the drought has awoken Badeko, a creature that snatches people away to eat their dreams. Three days later, the memory that they existed is gone from those that knew them, and those that are left are afflicted with The Sorrow Sickness – a grief which consumes a person without them knowing why. When Kaleb is taken by Badeko, Amaya must journey into the terrifying forest to find her brother before she forgets him.

The Bookseller has reviewed it as being ‘Highly atmospheric and genuinely spine-tingling, the power of family and female friendships shine in this assured debut’ which was wonderfully encouraging as The Switching Hour makes it’s way into the world for the first time.

A bit about your process of writing. 

I allow the seed of the story to grow by indulging in all the different ways the plot could go, no matter how ridiculous! I spend time thinking about the characters, how they talk and think and what they want most in the world. Once I have an outline for the story, I do lots of research. For The Switching Hour, I looked into what life would be like living through an extreme weather phenomenon, as well as being inspired by my experience growing up in central and southern Africa. I also had to do a lot of research into goat behaviour as my main character has a pet goat who is very much a part of the story!
Do you plan or just write?

I get the first draft down by furiously writing, without looking back on what’s been written. Once I have the first draft written down, I put it to one side and start from scratch all over again. This may sound quite discouraging, but for me the first draft is for getting a sense of the characters, testing out the plot and immersing myself into the story. The subsequent drafts are where the planning really starts and the manuscript begins to take shape. 

What about word count?

The Switching Hour is aimed at 8-12-year-old readers, so the general word count is expected to be around 50,000 words. I’m a ferocious editor of my own work so I do find it a struggle to keep my word count up!

What about structure?

I structure my story around the key narrative points, the exposition, the inciting incident, the peak and the resolution. When you’re writing for children it is especially important that you get to the inciting incident as soon as possible, to really capture the readers attention. In The Switching Hour, the inciting incident is when Amaya’s younger brother is taken by the Badeko and she must journey into the forest to find him. If you can create intrigue from the very first page all the better! I will always rewrite my opening chapters last, which may seem strange, but it helps to understand how the story ends in order to know where the best place is for it to begin. 
What do you find hard about writing?

Self-discipline. I write from home, sitting on my sofa with my two dogs snoring next to me and I’m easily distracted by social media, emails and even the washing up when I’m in the middle of a tricky chapter! It’s important to take time away from your laptop and just allow your mind to mull over the story, letting the character take up space in your head (and heart) but there’s no getting out of the fact that you have to just sit down and WRITE! 
What do you love about writing? 

I love getting swept away by writing, when I’m immersed in the story and I’m creating something that I really care about. I also love the way that my characters can surprise me by acting in ways that I hadn’t anticipated. Amaya in The Switching Hour was initially boisterous and outgoing (something I thought I wanted her to be) but I soon found out Amaya was actually a younger version of me, someone who felt unsure of herself and sometimes alone, yet fiercely protective of those she loved.

Advice for other writers. 

Believe in yourself and your writing. It’s all very well taking courses, reading books about writing and going on writing retreats (all things that will help you improve!) but if you don’t believe in your ability it will show on the page, so be your own biggest supporter! Another piece of advice would be; don’t follow trends. The publishing process can be slow and so by the time you have written the story about the latest trend, the publishing world will have most likely moved on. Write what you enjoy and aim to write it as best you can. And most importantly, just keep writing!

The Switching Hour is available here. 

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My Writing Process – Kimberlie Hamilton

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rebel dogs, book, I used to live in sunny Southern California and now live in misty Northern Scotland with four cats. Life has been a whirlwind ever since I moved to the UK a year and a half ago – lots of travel, enrolling in a Master’s programme at the University of Aberdeen, getting an agent, earning a coveted “Blue Peter” badge and publishing three books. I’m currently working on a new book (my third for Scholastic UK) and will be presenting at the Edinburgh International Book Festival for the first time this August  Really looking forward to that.

I have written all sorts of things over the years, including advertising copy, travel brochures and blogs, screenplays, newspaper articles, websites, PR and marketing materials, digital content and even some teaching materials (for my English language students in Kyoto, where I once lived). But my true passion is writing entertaining nonfiction books for children ages 8 to 12. 


My latest book is Rebel Dogs! Heroic Tales of Trusty Hounds, published by Scholastic UK (August 2019). It features 30 real-life dogs that all did something amazing and memorable with their lives, plus pages and pages of fascinating trivia about canines across the centuries. It’s the follow up to Rebel Cats! Brave Tales of Feisty Felines (November 2018).

 

I write nonfiction and that requires a load of research, both online and the old-fashioned way, with proper books. After a stack of ‘source material’ starts to pile up, I go through everything, type up a rough outline, and begin distilling and editing. I always edit my manuscripts with a pen, then re-type all my messy scribbled notes the next morning to get myself back into a productive writing groove for the day.
Do you plan or just write?
I’m a Virgo, which means I always plan everything down to the tiniest detail. I’ve met other authors who work without a plan – they simply write a scene here and a scene there and somehow it all magically comes together in the end. I cannot relate to these people at all! I think most nonfiction writers need a structure of some sort.
What about word count?

In the initial phase of writing, I don’t think much about it. I tend to be a very concise writer, even when not writing for children, so there’s little chance of me ‘going off the reservation’ in terms of excess prose. With the Rebel titles, the books were designed and formatted while I was working on the manuscripts, so the Art Director was able to tell me precisely how many characters would fit on each page. I loved that. It was like a game for me, making sure everything fit just right.

What do you find hard about writing?
For me (and I suspect most writers), everything about writing is hard. I vastly prefer editing. Sometimes I think I write just so I have something to edit.

What do you love about writing?
I love the challenge of taking something based on fact and making it sound as playful and entertaining as a good piece of fiction. Tough to do so it’s very satisfying when I actually manage to pull it off.

Advice for other writers. 

My first real job after university was as an advertising copywriter, and everyone in the agency worked way too many hours. But my boss encouraged me to get out of the office and read and travel and see movies and try new things…to experience life to the fullest. He said that the creative spirit is like a battery that needs to be recharged now and then. Life experiences are what sparks and feeds creativity. 

 

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My Writing Process – Dr Kathleen Thompson

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I suppose I’m an unusual writer. I write lots of factual stuff for my day job – I’m a doctor and test new medicines to check they work and are safe. However I am also enjoying writing an Italian novel currently. I’m familiar with the Italian way of life, psyche and language and it’s fun to create an insight into the truth behind la vita bella d’Italia for the reader. 

My first book was a self-help guide for breast cancer – From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer—by a doctor who knows which won two book awards –the Words For The Wounded Book Award 2016 and the Janey Loves (Radio 2’s Janey Lee Grace) 2017 Platinum Award. When I had breast cancer myself, even I found the hospital experience confusing and frightening. How much harder for people without a medical background? So I wanted to provide the knowledge people needed, quickly but easily – people with cancer are in a state of shock and it’s hard to absorb things. I wrote the guide using my personal experience, whilst drip-feeding what people needed to know. You can read my book from start to finish, or dip into chapters – each one deals with a specific aspect of your cancer journey, and finishes with a summary and further information. Because of my background, I’m passionate about debunking internet medical ‘facts’. There is good information out there, but also much which is misleading or dangerous. I share simple rules for assessing the quality of the information in my book, and also summarise how to reduce cancer risks through life-style. 

Since then I’ve written articles for Frost Magazine, and Huffington Post. I love demystifying medical issues for people – it shouldn’t be complicated.

So how do I write? My biggest challenge is expressing emotion. As a scientific writer I’m used to stating facts, there’s no place for feelings in a scientific report. But people kept asking me what having breast cancer was like. So I had to take a deep breath and really describe my feelings. I’m getting better, but I still find it hard to let go and show my vulnerability. 

My breast cancer guide pretty much wrote itself. Odd things happened during the course of my cancer – unpleasant for me, but perfect material for a book – such as when my operation was nearly cancelled literally at the final hour, and when a doctor tried to give me radiotherapy to the wrong area – it was as though a writer in the sky were choreographing my life to make a perfect story. For novels, I try to write a plan first. I detail the synopsis, the characters and the chapters. 

I like to write concisely – and prune my work repeatedly. This lends itself to online journalism, like Frost Magazine, as people can see the whole article on a smartphone page. 

If you’re inspired to start writing, you should find a good creative writing course, run by an experienced published author. I learned so much about writing technique from my mentor, the best-selling author Margaret Graham. Join a writing group and share your work with your peers – you’ll get essential feedback. Writing a book takes longer than you think. Until you’re very experienced you’ll need to rewrite until it works. But if you enjoy it – keep going, it’s a lot of fun.

 

My Writing Process – Tora Williams

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A bit about you. 

I’m one of those people who was always wanting to write a book, but could never find the time to write. Not that I wrote nothing at all—I used to write fan fiction and short stories purely for my own entertainment—but I never quite believed that anyone else would be interested in reading anything I might write. Then about ten years ago I signed up for an Open University course on writing fiction and was encouraged by the feedback I got. Suddenly writing a novel didn’t seem such an impossible task, and I started writing seriously. Much to my parents’ horror, I resigned from my job and set up as a maths tutor and freelance proofreader to give myself more time to write.

What you have written, past and present.

I write historical romance, set in medieval Wales and the Welsh Marches. My debut novel, Bound to Her Blood Enemy, was published by The Wild Rose Press last year. They’ve now published two more of my books, the latest one being His Clandestine Bride, published in March. I’m currently editing a fourth medieval romance with others at various stages of completion.

A bit about your process of writing. 

I try to get up early and write between about 5 and 7am. I then get on with my day job until mid-afternoon, then return to writing. If I don’t write first thing in the morning, I find it really difficult to write later in the day, so I have to be strict.

Do you plan or just write?

A bit of both. Before starting a new story, I plan the hero and heroine’s characters and have a rough idea of where the plot is going, but after that I write as the story comes to me.

What about word count?

I try to write 1000 words a day. If I can get down 500 words in the morning, writing another 500 later on never seems like too terrible a task.

How do you do your structure?

I don’t consciously follow a structure when writing the first draft, but when editing I always find the story falls roughly into a 3-act structure and I edit to firm up that structure.

What do you find hard about writing?

Every day it’s a struggle to force myself to silence the inner voice telling me the story is rubbish and no one will want to read it. Once I get going that voice goes away, but dragging myself out of bed every morning to turn on my computer is never easy. 

What do you love about writing? 

I love dreaming up the characters who inhabit my stories and get a real rush planning how they’re going to achieve their happy-ever-after. It’s the best job in the world. Who else can say they’re a professional daydreamer? 

Advice for other writers.

Take every opportunity to connect with other writers. Writing is a lonely business and rejections can be hard to handle. Meeting others going through the same experience can help you stay sane and provide the motivation and encouragement to keep going, especially when your family and friends think you’ve lost your mind!

 

Ditching the daily grind and taking off in a camper van was novelist Rosanna Ley’s fantasy. Then she and her husband actually tried it… 

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Who doesn’t fantasise about getting away from it all? Escaping the daily grind, travelling to somewhere warm and wonderful? Who doesn’t occasionally dream of cloudless blue skies, golden beaches and a sparkly Mediterranean sea – not just for a week or two on an annual holiday, but for longer… much longer?

Ten years ago, my husband Grey and I resolved to make this fantasy a reality. We were both in our frivolous 50s. We had both spent our adult lives working full-time. And we were both a little weary. Where had the excitement in life gone? We seemed to have reached some sort of turning point – a bit ‘do or die’. Now that the children had left home – almost – shouldn’t we be thinking about doing something we’d always dreamed of?

Need Text

‘If we weren’t working,’ Grey said mournfully one day, ‘we could just up sticks and leave.’

‘Leave?’ I echoed. It sounded so final. My younger daughter was still living at home, although she too had the travel bug and was planning to visit Australia for a year. How could we just leave? And what about all our… stuff?

‘We’ve got far too much,’ he declared dismissively. ‘We’ll do a car-boot sale, put the rest of our stuff in storage, rent out the house and go.’

Grey made it sound so easy. I thought of those clear blue skies, imagined the writing inspiration that might be had from such a trip.

But this shared dream was just a fantasy – wasn’t it? Couples talk like this all the time – well, we do. We go somewhere on holiday and by day two we’re looking in estate agents’ windows. It doesn’t mean we’ll be moving there anytime soon.

But a few days later, we spent our savings on a camper van. (Yes, the woman who dithers over cans of beans in the supermarket can spend £20,000 on a second-hand camper van in the blink of an eye.)

Should we have done this earlier, later, never? Were we too young or too old for a camper van? Who cared? We so fell in love with that van and were soon trundling off happily for weekends in Dorset. But it wasn’t enough. It was like a drug. We needed more of the open road. We needed to be living our dream.

So we took the plunge. I gave up my teaching job, Grey wound down his client diary. We cleared the house and begged the loan of friends’ garages for storage of all our worldly goods. We organised shelter for my younger daughter until she went to Australia and for my elder daughter who had moved back home to save up for a trip to South America. What was going on with this family?

We redecorated the house and advertised it for rent – this would be our income. We would go on a road trip – for six months or more. We would live close to nature. We would make our own entertainment – Scrabble and reading, no TV for us! We would be free to go wherever the wind blew us. It was a fantasy, yes. But we would make it come true.

Our day of departure dawned. We waved goodbye to my daughters and headed for Dover. We had done it. We were on the road and heading for Italy.

The first two weeks were wonderful. OK, there were some minor hiccups. We hadn’t taken into account the hilly terrain in Liguria – many a steep, narrow road proved too much for our van. Nor had we realised that campsites in Italy were so expensive. And we hadn’t dreamed it would be so hot. (I will never complain about air-conditioning in an apartment in the Med ever again.)

Getting stuck up a mountain on a tight bend, damaging the camper van’s back panel in a complex manoeuvre designed to get us to the beachfront then getting lost while scrambling down a hillside of olive trees… Such things are bound to make tempers fray – especially in that heat. And in our haste to be free of all our possessions we had forgotten a few vital pieces of equipment – such as the coffee maker and the duct tape. But that’s what it’s all about, we reminded ourselves, as we settled in for another interminable game of Scrabble. It’s about having exciting adventures, new experiences, being free. And there’s always another camper vanner around with an unfeasibly large toolkit to help out in times of trouble.

But, two weeks in, things were not going as smoothly as we’d hoped. Our van was small – with the table erected, the person trapped on the far side could barely breathe, let alone move – and we had to make up the bed from scratch (or should I say slats?) every night. Yes, every night. It’s surprising – even when you have little else to do all day – how very tedious this can become.

It turns out that – surprise, surprise – size matters. Claustrophobia set in. We tried to stay outdoors most of the time but, actually, it rains quite a bit in Italy. Still, we remained cheerful. This was our shared dream, remember. If this was what it took to make that dream come true…

By week three, like Napoleon once was, we were exiled on the island of Elba. And very nice it was too, we agreed, as we sampled the delicious gelato. But money was getting tight, which meant two things. One, we had to eat in – every day. And two, we couldn’t afford to stay in campsites. But, hey, weren’t we at one with nature? Heating up bottles of water on the dashboard for an outside shower after a day on the beach only went to show how resourceful we had become.

And, as all camper vanners know, there is an alternative to campsites – it’s called ‘wild camping’. In our fantasy, this meant finding deserted beauty spots in which to park the van and gaze out at an unspoilt landscape. In reality, it meant car parks (marginally safer and quieter than roadside parking, though I didn’t say this the night half a dozen youngsters practised their motorbiking skills around the car park at 2am).

How to keep the shared dream alive

  • Remember that sometimes a fantasy is more fun when it stays in your head
  • Check from time to time that you still want the same things
  • Value what you leave behind – you won’t know how much you miss it till it’s gone
  • Have a back-up plan
  • And don’t forget the Scrabble dictionary!

In one such car park we met some friendly Italian camper vanners, immune to the hordes of mosquitoes we fought to escape from at twilight every night, who showed us around their (much larger and homelier) van with pride. There was a language barrier, which may explain why they left the car park and we stayed – only to wake up at 5am with a raucous Italian market setting up around us and no way out. But, well, it’s all part of the fun.

Back at home, we had friends, family and colleagues to chat to; on the road we had each other. It was good to have so much time to talk. But… in small spaces, over time, conversations with your nearest and dearest can become a little, shall we say, intense. Past misdemeanours and misunderstandings that you may or may not have forgiven may once again rear their heads. But we could get through this – together.

It was lucky we were so close, we kept telling ourselves. But did we want to be quite that close? All the time? We had given up material things – but had we also lost sight of civilisation? When we eventually left Elba, Grey was following a camper van with GB plates at breakneck speed. I glanced across at him (by this point we didn’t need words).

‘They’re British! Why don’t they pull over and talk to us?’ he asked me through gritted teeth.

This, let me tell you, is what travelling in a camper van can do to a person.

And then autumn arrived, and it began to get cold. We realised with a feeling of mounting horror what this meant – more time in the van, together. More talking, more Scrabble, more opportunity to examine our relationship. Did we really want that? Could we survive?

We considered travelling further south in search of sunnier climes. But funnily enough, driving was beginning to feel monotonous, too. And finding places to sleep at night was also becoming a strain. It was still great to be on the road – but wouldn’t it be even better to stop in one place for a while?

‘Why not just dump the van and rent an apartment?’ Grey suggested.

I stared at him. Dump the van? Rent an apartment? What about our shared dream?

‘Somewhere hot,’ he continued. ‘The Canaries?’

Which is how we came to leave our van in Italy – to be collected in the spring – and book a flight to Fuerteventura. Sod the expense. We rented an apartment with entire rooms to be alone in. It had a bed that remained a bed, day and night, and a bathroom with proper drains – no chemical toilet to empty and clean. Pure bliss.

We started enjoying each other’s company again. We began looking forward to returning home. That’s right. Going back home became our new shared dream.

Rosanna’s latest novel The Lemon Tree Hotel is published by Quercus in hardback, priced £20.99.