The Union Chapel - Awe-Inspiring Authors

On the 16th of June I trotted along to the fabulous Union Chapel in Islington to see Neil Gaiman in conversation with David Mitchell.

I had just finished Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane - if you haven't read it, do so - and was excited to see him and Mitchell discussing together.

They had never actually met before, so they told the audience, but had passed each other at book festivals, airports, publishing events; often only separated by a tent-canvas or a late-running train.


So it was really lovely to hear two of my favourite authors discussing what makes them tick.  What keeps them going.  What gets them started in the first place!


What hit home for me in particular was their description of how their stories and books came into being.  They both agreed on this point, but it's Neil's words that I remember most clearly.

He said that he often felt as though he was surrounded by fictional characters he'd not yet met.  As though they were waiting in the wings for their moment to step onto the stage (or words to that effect).  That when the time was right they'd come along and start doing what it was they'd been waiting to do.  And the story just unfolds.

Both authors said that when that happens, they find themselves writing quickly to keep up with the characters.  The characters get on with the story by themselves and the writers then find that their job is simply to write down what they are doing.

I thought this sounded magical - and indeed it is.  What a marvellous gift!

But do you know what?  Since I began writing my own story, my characters have gone off and done things I hadn't planned for them to do.  And I've been finding myself writing to keep up with them.

So maybe there's something in this after all? ...