WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE: THE THIRD SPACE
has always been a place apart. It is also a spectacularly beautiful island and the scents,
sights and sounds of Corsica appear in much of my writing.
What are local attitudes to writers?
We live in a rural community and many of our neighbours wouldn’t have a view about
writers or writing. However, professional French people who have retired here are very
interested in writing and there is also quite a large British expat community. We started
an Anglo-French literary festival
locally three years ago, which has gone
from strength to strength and shows
that there is an appetite to meet writers
and hear about their work. I also
belong to a writing group and a book
group.
What have you learnt from living in
France?
First, I have learned the language and
am now pretty fluent. Learning a
language is said to stave off
Alzheimer’s for several years, so I hope
to benefit! Living in another country broadens one’s horizons. You also learn that
everyday life is quite different from a holiday. Once you have got over the honeymoon
period when everything is new and wonderful, a certain disenchantment can creep in, so
you have to keep reminding yourself of the positive points. The pace of life is much slower
here than in London and it takes longer to get things done, but the lack of stress is one of
its charms. There is no perfect place to live on the planet.
Who is the audience for your writing and how much of it is local?
My audience is generally people who like historical fiction. I can’t say how much of it is
local but I’ve taken part in various literary events, so British expats know about my
writing.
Describe a typical day in your life in France including your writing.
I like to read in bed when I wake up. Then I check my emails, Facebook, Twitter, etc. The
internet is useful, but it’s also a timewaster. I have to discipline myself to write. I have
recently started ‘journaling’, i.e. spending 20 minutes each morning writing whatever
comes into my head. This opens the creative channels. What I do next depends on
deadlines. I still write for magazines and do some work for clients, and that has to come
first. Otherwise, I try to write 500-1,000 words of my latest work in progress. I write at
least one post a week for my blog, which focuses on the history and culture of Southwest
France. I use afternoons for gardening and catching up on chores. This is France, so dinner
is always accompanied by a glass (or two) of wine!
16 | November 2016