Adele Parks is the author of 21 novels, all of which have been bestsellers. She has sold over 3.5 million copies of her novels and her books have been translated into over 26 languages. Lies, Lies, Lies was shortlisted for the 2020 Fiction Book of the Year in the British Book Awards. Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck were Sunday Times #1 bestsellers. Her new novel, Both of You, was described by Lisa Jewell as: âYet another stick of literary dynamite from Adele Parks: chilling, gripping and entirely unputdownableâ.
Here, Adele tells us why she writes.
I write because:
- Life is complex and I am always trying to make sense of it.
- I like to entertain, be useful and have a role.
- I think I like being the centre of attention.
- I also hate being the centre of attention.
- Iâm not great at acknowledging pain in real life but I find Iâm excellent at acknowledging it on the page.
- Writers are interesting.
- Reading is empowering.
- I have a hunger to be known and understood.
- I have a desire to make connections and feel less alone.
- I cannot not.
Iâve found writing is best if:
- I donât think about my mother reading what I have written.
- I donât think about prizes, chart positions or reviews.
- I do think about being honest.
- I redraft and edit as I go along.
- I am disciplined and write regularly, by which I mean every day.
- I risk being unpopular, so I donât chase a tide of popularity in terms of genre.
- I donât copy other authorsâ styles.
- I challenge myself.
- I doubt myself.
- I believe in myself.
Iâve managed to write 21 novels in 21 years because:
- Iâve been given the opportunity to do so, it would be madness not to.
- I find writing the most consistently fulfilling experience of my life.
- I am incredibly disciplined.
- I have the good old-fashioned quality of being hard-working.
- I donât care what others are doing, Iâm only in competition with myself.
- Itâs my job, and a great job. Why would I take a year out of a great job?
- I constantly challenge myself in terms of new ideas and genres, so I donât bore myself or my readers.
- Being busy is important to me. Being idle fills me with dread and horror.
- I have a lot to say.
- Writing for a living was my dream, I am living the dream!
Enjoy a fiction writing class with Adele Parks in our Catch Up TV area when you join us at The Novelry.
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