Sarah Hargreaves

As I try my hand at writing fiction, I sit scratching my head at how I’m going to actually write.

I can envisage a scene, as though I am the character. I can see what they see, hear what they I hear, smell what they smell. I now need to work out how to emulate that on the page.

I have always been a quick reader, for the most part, enjoying the story and not really appreciating the craft. Somebody has spent hours thinking about how they want their words to come across.

How each choice of word has been carefully considered.

Now, as I read for pleasure, I am trying to recognise this in well established authors. Why have I continued to read this 700+ page book and not given up? Also, the reverse is just as helpful. If I have given up on a book that I thought I would like, why have I?

What type of reader am I trying to engage?

And…the level of detail in books is extraordinary. As I write my first draft I already know that I have a substantial amount of research to do.

My main task is to get this first draft done.

Get the bare bones of the book and hopefully I can sort out the glaring omissions; sections that don’t make sense, paragraphs that don’t feel realistic.

As a mathematician we are trained to solve problems as efficiently as possible. I hope this will translate to my writing, but it may mean I am lacking in detail. Rather than needing to give my first draft a brutal edit, cutting significant parts out, I think I will need to add to areas. Try and generate a desire for the reader to continue. Maybe I’m wrong. Who knows. On we go.