Ask the Author: Matt Nicholson
Answered Questions (6)
Matt Nicholson
I had open heart surgery about six years ago, and just a few days later, I started thinking about writing a book about economics - about how a modern economy actually works. It's something I've always been interested in, and I wrote some 30,000 words before I started having doubts along the lines of, "Who's going to read a book about economics by an unknown author such as me?" Eventually I took my own advice and decided to write a book about something I know, and am known for knowing (if you see what I mean); namely desktop computing.
Incidentally, you can find portions of the book on economics on my blog at http://mattsspot.com/2011/06/01/where....
Incidentally, you can find portions of the book on economics on my blog at http://mattsspot.com/2011/06/01/where....
Matt Nicholson
I've been a technical journalist for nearly 30 years so the act of writing comes fairly naturally. Often it's a way to 'get something out of your system', and I'm often aware that I'm going to write something, but it's not quite ready yet. The problem is that the transition between 'not quite ready' and procrastination can be hard to spot!
Matt Nicholson
A novel that I first conceived nearly 20 years ago, but have only now got round to completing. Writing non-fiction is hard, because you have to research every sentence, and the plot is something you discover, rather than invent (although the same could be said of fiction). It's nice to be able to 'make stuff up' for a change. It's set in the early 1970s in SE England and the protagonist is a 17 year-old boy (i.e. me), but the plot is fiction and there are elements of 'magic realism' in there too, alongside the sex, drugs and rock-and-roll.
Matt Nicholson
Write about what you know.
Matt Nicholson
Actually holding the printed version of the book you've spent the last four years writing has to be one of the best moments of my life - up there with holding my children for the first time.
Matt Nicholson
That's a tough one! Writing can be incredibly fulfilling, and great fun too, but for some reason, the human brain insists on coming up with excuses. One valuable exercise is to set aside a short period of time every day - perhaps 12 minutes - during which you force yourself to write non-stop about whatever comes into your head, even if it's just "I'm sitting here and I really have no idea what I'm going to write about...". Don't edit or even look at what you've written in the immediate aftermath, but instead come back to it at the end of each week. You'll be surprised at the result.
Finally, I should recommend the book 'Becoming a Writer' by Dorothea Brande. Written in 1934, this is the best book I've come across on the actual task of writing, as opposed to the art, and is full of useful advice.
Finally, I should recommend the book 'Becoming a Writer' by Dorothea Brande. Written in 1934, this is the best book I've come across on the actual task of writing, as opposed to the art, and is full of useful advice.
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