Novel Writing: A Writers' and Artists' Companion

Foreword by Ali Smith Preface by Carole Angier and Sally Cline Part 1: On novel writing Reflections What is a novel? A. L. Kennedy and Romesh Gunesekera The novel - what I wish I'd known before I started A. L. Kennedy Creative worrying Message from Delphi A solitary vocation The joy of not writing Writing my first novel Romesh Gunesekera Reading first The advice Starting to write The plan Autobiography My lessons Elements Beginnings and preparation A. L. Kennedy Who are you? Who is your reader? Environment Health Routine It's different for girls Character and plot Deep idea Support networks Setting, place and atmosphere Romesh Gunesekera Characters A. L. Kennedy Moral and personal issues The chicken and the egg Generation of elements Point of view and perspective Romesh Gunesekera Voice, language and dialogue A. L. Kennedy Voice Language and dialogue Endings Romesh Gunesekera Life lessons A. L. Kennedy Senses Media Within any given month The poisoned chalice A. L. Kennedy The public Stalking Interviews Other exposure and activities Other writers Saying no A. L. Kennedy Part 2: Tips and tales - guest contributions Tips from Novelists Hanan Al-Shaykh Bernardo Atxaga Tash Aw Joan Brady Amit Chaudhuri Davies Anita Desai Louise Doughty Anne Enright Jonathan Franzen Lynn Freed Alan Hollinghurst Doris Lessing Andrea Levy Tim Lott Glenn Patterson Tim Pears Philip Pullman Mich le Roberts Elif Shafak Evelyn Toynton Jeanette Winterson Granta's Best of Young British Novelists 2013 Naomi Alderman Tahmima Anam Ned Beauman Jenni Fagan Adam Foulds Xiaolu Guo Joanna Kavenna Benjamin Markovits Kamila Shamsie Evie Wyld Part 3: Write on Distance by Romesh Gunesekera Silence by Romesh Gunesekera Early issues by Romesh Gunesekera Planning The 'W' decisions Research 149 Tools Routine, time and zone Finding your voice

Romesh Gunesekera's first novel Reef was shortlisted for the 1994 Booker Prize. He is the author of six novels including The Sandglass, (winner of the inaugural BBC Asia Award) and Heaven's Edge, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. A L Kennedy is a prize winning novelist and author of short stories and non-fiction and Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Warwick, UK. Her novels include Everything You Need (1999), The Blue Book (2011) and Day (2007) which won the Costa and Saltire Book of the Year.