candace robb
walking the Mean Streets of Medieval York
Category: Imagination
Shop Talk: Patience and Trust vs Outline
Once upon a time, at the very beginning of my writing career, I would spend several months outlining a book before I began to write, and then revise the outline as I moved along. The revisions were not simply a matter of ensuring that… Continue Reading “Shop Talk: Patience and Trust vs Outline”
The Mysteries (& Magic) of Writing
In an interview on the weekend Olga Tokarczuk, whose novel The Books of Jacob was recently published in the US, and moderator and fellow novelists Rabih Alameddine ended with an exchange about something dear to my heart. Rabih was asking about a phenomenon Olga… Continue Reading “The Mysteries (& Magic) of Writing”
York as Inspiration
A reader who follows me on Facebook requested a post about why I chose York. I chuckled, because as a historian of late medieval England my immediate response is, “Why not?!” But that’s no fun, is it? Today, on the 35th anniversary of the… Continue Reading “York as Inspiration”
Shop Talk: Character-driven–Magda and Potter Digby
As I began writing The Apothecary Rose I envisioned Potter Digby as a loathsome creature in the spirit of Chaucer’s Summoner, a throwaway character no reader would mourn. And perhaps for some he remains that way. But not for me. I can’t recall which… Continue Reading “Shop Talk: Character-driven–Magda and Potter Digby”
So many books, so little time….
How do you choose what book to read next? An idly chosen book often surprises me with insight into my work-in-progress—so often that I now believe it’s not happenchance. So I’ve been experimenting with letting my subconscious choose the books I read for relaxation.… Continue Reading “So many books, so little time….”
candace robb 