Will Nett's Blog - Posts Tagged "travel"
"Never Heard Of You, Mate"
Will Nett is about 40, from Middlesbrough and the author of My Only Boro: A Walk Through Red & White, the book that was a bestseller in the town for three Christmases in a row.
Will is one of the most affable writers in the Tees area, and his global appeal and general popularity have seen his writing career straddle two millennia.
His latest book, The Golfer’s Lament: How I Reached For The Pars And Missed, was submitted for the William Hill Sports Book Of The Year Award 2020.
We caught up with Will to find out more…
How much research do you do for your books, and how?
I generally research as I write, as opposed to doing a huge of block of research first, which is perhaps uncommon in a lot of writers. As I never have a set structure as such, I’m able to experiment and put things together or move them around as I go. It sounds somewhat chaotic – and is – but it works for me. I like the element of not knowing where it will take you.
Your books have a strong Teesside feel to them – what do you love about Teesside and being a Teessider?
I love the bluntness of Teessiders, and that knack they have of puncturing pomposity and hubris. I’ve travelled extensively over the last fifteen years and always feel an affinity in places that remind me of Middlesbrough – working class port towns like Hamburg, Marseille and Glasgow.
What kind of response do you get from people in Teesside when you say you’re a writer?
See previous answer, eg. “Never heard of you, mate.” Actually, it works both ways. People are often impressed, certainly a lot more than I am by it, but they usually have a very misguided idea of what being a writer involves. The public have been very responsive and complimentary about My Only Boro in particular as it enters its second decade of being continuously in print, which is something I’m very proud of.
How do you find time to write?
Previously it was a case of whenever/wherever, trains, buses, airports, boats, which is the general nature of travel writing, but more recently I have been able to have a specific schedule in which to work. Having worked so haphazardly until now I haven’t yet decided if I prefer the new way of working.
How have you been affected by lockdown?
Aside from the problem of not being able to visit bookshops, lockdown has been hugely productive. After wading through all the unglamorously inevitable admin that comes with publishing, I’ve been able to work freely on a novel and several short stories and website articles. As the lockdown lifts, I’ll be looking for all the usual excuses to avoid writing that have served me so well in the past.
What’s next; what are you working on now?
I am currently writing a novel set in the world of organised crime, the first time I’ve attempted such a thing on this scale, as I normally work in non-fiction. Naturally, it retains many of the elements of my previous work, specifically travel, as it is partly set in the French Riviera, which bodes well for any future film adaptations.
Find Will on Facebook and Twitter, and buy his books at Drake the Bookshop in Stockton, WH Smith Teesside Park, and The Book Corner in Saltburn.
https://6e.net/product/my-only-boro/
Will is one of the most affable writers in the Tees area, and his global appeal and general popularity have seen his writing career straddle two millennia.
His latest book, The Golfer’s Lament: How I Reached For The Pars And Missed, was submitted for the William Hill Sports Book Of The Year Award 2020.
We caught up with Will to find out more…
How much research do you do for your books, and how?
I generally research as I write, as opposed to doing a huge of block of research first, which is perhaps uncommon in a lot of writers. As I never have a set structure as such, I’m able to experiment and put things together or move them around as I go. It sounds somewhat chaotic – and is – but it works for me. I like the element of not knowing where it will take you.
Your books have a strong Teesside feel to them – what do you love about Teesside and being a Teessider?
I love the bluntness of Teessiders, and that knack they have of puncturing pomposity and hubris. I’ve travelled extensively over the last fifteen years and always feel an affinity in places that remind me of Middlesbrough – working class port towns like Hamburg, Marseille and Glasgow.
What kind of response do you get from people in Teesside when you say you’re a writer?
See previous answer, eg. “Never heard of you, mate.” Actually, it works both ways. People are often impressed, certainly a lot more than I am by it, but they usually have a very misguided idea of what being a writer involves. The public have been very responsive and complimentary about My Only Boro in particular as it enters its second decade of being continuously in print, which is something I’m very proud of.
How do you find time to write?
Previously it was a case of whenever/wherever, trains, buses, airports, boats, which is the general nature of travel writing, but more recently I have been able to have a specific schedule in which to work. Having worked so haphazardly until now I haven’t yet decided if I prefer the new way of working.
How have you been affected by lockdown?
Aside from the problem of not being able to visit bookshops, lockdown has been hugely productive. After wading through all the unglamorously inevitable admin that comes with publishing, I’ve been able to work freely on a novel and several short stories and website articles. As the lockdown lifts, I’ll be looking for all the usual excuses to avoid writing that have served me so well in the past.
What’s next; what are you working on now?
I am currently writing a novel set in the world of organised crime, the first time I’ve attempted such a thing on this scale, as I normally work in non-fiction. Naturally, it retains many of the elements of my previous work, specifically travel, as it is partly set in the French Riviera, which bodes well for any future film adaptations.
Find Will on Facebook and Twitter, and buy his books at Drake the Bookshop in Stockton, WH Smith Teesside Park, and The Book Corner in Saltburn.
https://6e.net/product/my-only-boro/
Will Nett's Blog
‘You’ve got to grab them by the balls on the first line. And don’t let go.’ Sound editorial advice- for once- that has been the anchor for some of the greatest books of the last century. The who, what
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