Tell us your thoughts on e-reading and win a Kobo Arc tablet, plus a signed copy of award-winning author Margaret Drabble's latest novel The Pure Gold Baby

maryandbuzz1

How long does it take to write a book and how many hours a day do you write for?

It used to take me about two years, working whenever I could snatch time from the family. Now I have more time I am much slower and my last book took me five years.

ebaydoesntrule

the great thing about e-reading is you can do it anywhere, any-time. A bit like Martini.

My daughter has written a coup[le of books but can't get published. how did you get started?

It was easier in the 1960s. I just sent mine off to a publisher, and struck lucky. Now you need an agent, or a literary consultancy. She could try TLC, The Literary Consultancy, but you have to pay for a read. It’s tough these days.

lornajk

Hi - Have not tried e-reading yet but am keen to get started! I am always fascinated by plots in books, especially those that weave and turn. It must be difficult, how do you plot out your books? - do you have a definitive plan at the beginning and map it all out, or does it develop as you write? I have great admiration for those who write complicated stories - don't think I could ever do that - I'd better stick to reading!

I am hopeless at plots! I too admire books with very complicated plots; I don’t know how they do it. My books are never fully plotted in advance, they evolve as I go. But please keep reading, we writers need readers.

sophie56

Some people as they age say they feel the same inside as they always have, whereas others, such as myself, feel different. In what ways, if at all has maturity had an impact on what you write, how you write and what you choose to write about?

I too feel different as I age - I have broader themes now, more social concerns. My early novels were full of hope and expectation, now there is more reflection. It’s a great benefit, though, having a longer time span and many historical memories.

feefeegabor

Margaret, I love your books. Do you feel lost when you finish a book? What do you do when you're not writing?

I do feel a bit lost when I finish a book, but also a feeling of arrival. I like best being in the middle of a book, with the characters as my companions. When I’m not writing, I enjoy walking (for as long as I can keep going), seeing friends, a little swimming, and of course reading. I used to teach Adult Education classes, but now I go to one instead. Less responsibility!

compy99

Do you foresee a time when the old-fashioned physical book disappears forever?

No! I think e-reading will grown and grow, but physical books will still be part of our lives, for the foreseeable future. But they will adapt to the new circumstances, and become more attractive in format, I suspect.

annodomini

I wonder which of your books is your own favourite? I have a soft spot for the Millstone, partly because of my experience of having had a child in hospital for a lengthy period.

I like The Millstone too, and the theme of children in hospital returns in my books again and again. But my favourite is The Needle’s Eye, it’s long and complicated but I think it’s my best.

Funkyferret

I find that at home I prefer to read traditional books but like an e-reader when travelling.

I'd love to know whether you think that e-books have changed the publishing landscape.

They’ve certainly changed bookselling. Publishers are learning very fast to adapt to the new scene.

glammanana

Margaret do you base your characters on any one you know personally or your story lines on events that you may have witnessed? I always wonder where authors get their inspiration from.

I often use people I know, or events I’ve witnessed, but never directly. I try to disguise. But story lines come from the daily news, from gossip, from conversations overheard on the bus.

janerowena

I too wondered about how you keep a plot in your head, or do you use planning boards? I think getting my plot in a muddle and making a mistake is what would worry me most about writing a book.

I don’t use planning boards, and I do make mistakes, but usually a kind editor will spot them - a Honda turning into a Peugeot, for instance. And worse. It’s much easier to control plot with the word processor - you can search for where your characters are more easily. On the typewriter, I used to number pages in different colours in different bits of the story. But that was very clumsy. And I used a lot of sellotape. Glad that’s all over now.

pamelaJEAN

I love reading, however I love the smell and feel of a book. I would love to win a e-reader, but would still buy books. Margaret, which do you prefer: e-reader or book? Do you have a favourite book/author ?

I love my e-reader, but I also loved my books. The e-reader is wonderful for a really heavy reader like me, who can’t carry heavy books. But I often have one of each on the go at the same time.

hummingbird

Margaret, your books have given me so much pleasure over the years - you articulate so beautifully what it is to be human. 'The Radiant Way' is one of my all-time favourites. It's seven years since you last published a novel - was the new book that long in the making, or have you simply had some time off from writing?

Like many others, I love the smell, feel, and the comfort that only a 'real' book can give. I guess that practice would improve my relationship with the ebook, but I'm not convinced!

I took time off because I couldn’t work out what to write next. I thought I’d retired. But I found I needed to have something on the go. I need the company of work. I wrote my last book very very slowly, with lots of hesitations and rethinking. I was surprised I finished it.

michelleblane

Do you write a book in order from beginning to end, or do you sometimes write some later bits, then go back and fill in the gaps? (Hope this makes sense.)

I always write chronologically, partly because I never know where I am going. So I do go from beginning to end, though I often have to rewrite, and usually get stuck about a third of the way through, and have to rethink everything.

Venus

Do you do a lot of research for your plots, or do you draw on your life experience?

Both. I enjoy research, it takes you out of yourself, it makes you explore. I love walking round new places, or new bits of familiar places, finding settings. And I enjoy interviewing people, formally or informally. I’ve been to prisons, factories, refugee camps, down sewers - all very interesting. At my age I can’t explore physically as much as I’d like, and that’s annoying. You can find a lot on the internet but it’s not as exciting or unexpected as being there.

annemac101

I've always wanted to ask an author if when you decide on a title for your book and found out there was another book printed with the same title would you still use it or change it to something different? I've seen so many books lately on Amazon all with the same title.

I once had to change a title but I’ve forgotten what it was! I published a novel called The Red Queen, set in eighteenth century Korea, and discovered there are lots of books with the same title, one of them about genetics. I met the author at a festival and we exchanged copies.

mrssw

Would you ever consider doing a collaborative novel like London Consequences again? Thanks for your writing, it's a pleasure to read!

London Consequences was a one off, I don’t think I’ll ever do anything like that again. It was fun. Writing is a lonely business and it was fun having collaborators. Working in the theatre is fun too, but I’m not very good at writing plays.

skai123

Do you know how many books you will write and publish in a defined time?

Absolutely not! Never have any idea at all!

mrsmopp

Is it better to read a book on a kobo or a kindle rather than an iPad? What are the pros and cons? I think I could get the app on the iPad so does a kindle have any advantages? Just making sure!

Not qualified to answer! Don’t have an iPad! Am afraid of iPads and smartphones! I love my Kindle and my Kobo - I’ve got one of each. I love the e-reader, I don’t want to be distracted from reading by all the other apps. The e-reader is perfect for me. I’m nervous about apps. But who knows what the future holds?

helenclare

Where do you get the inspiration for the themes of your books.

valleysusan

Where do you get your thoughts/inspirations for a new book? Do you keep a pad by your bedside in case of 'in the night inspiration'? Do you still get excited when inspiration hits you and you can start a new book? Thank you.

I do have a pad by the bedside but in the morning I can’t always tell which bits are shopping lists, which bits are notes on what I’d been listening to on the radio or reading, or which bits are ideas for the novel I’m working on. My house is full of notes on bits of paper. I always mean to keep a notepad and pen in the car, but it’s not always there when I need it. Yes, it’s exciting when a new idea strikes. But sometimes they vanish as quickly as they come.

Isis1981uk

When you create a character where do you start - do you draw on someone you know, or a combination of people you know, or try to use purely your imagination?

Often a combination of people, sometimes one, sometimes a fictitious construct, sometimes the people I might have liked to have been in other lives.

scottyannie

Which of your books was the hardest to write? and how much research goes into one of your books?

The Radiant Way was hard but very enjoyable - it had a big social theme, covered a lot of ground, and took me back to my hometown Sheffield several times. The research (miners’ strike, Thatcherism, privatisation) was fascinating.

chrisx2

What book did you read that made you decide...'I want to write a book..and its going to be a bestseller' !!

I’ve never thought about being a bestseller. I write because I need to write.

karenwellman

Have you found your dream job?? Mine was to be a taster for chocolate but is that really a job? lol

I’d like to have been a marine biologist!

KITTENPAL

I havent used an e-reader yet. I like the feel of a book, but the weight issue may be a clincher plus all the books you can get for free is a bonus too. I'd like to ask if you notice a difference in your reader demographic with this new group of e-readers?

Too soon to say!

Keithymon88

Margaret Drabble: Who is your favourite male novelist?

Saul Bellow. A difficult man but a wonderful writer.