In this wild, windy weekend, it's been a joy to be holed up with other booklovers in the Southwold Arts Centre for the relaunched literary festival organised by the town's library and bookshop.
I always find it so interesting hearing how authors come about their ideas and dedicate years of their lives to telling their stories.
The novelist John Boyne was extraordinary as he gave an insight into structuring his books. Despite experimenting with chronology and format for his work, he doesn't intricately plot. Instead he comes only with a concept or an idea and waits to see what happens when he sits down to write. A clever and creative man who is also very engaging to hear speak, and wonderfully animated in reading passages from his book (scroll down for my review).
Then there was Louis de Bernières who was talking about his weird and wonderful new book 'Light over Liskeard' which I mentioned last week. He spent years teaching creative writing, he said, where he would talk about the hero's journey and finally he decided to try it for himself. Another very entertaining and informative speaker, who was also incredibly open and honest about life as well as his work.
It's such a privilege to meet these authors who are so generous in all they have to share. And we have two novelists visiting us at the Riverside Woodbridge later this month who I know will also inspire, energise and delight us!
Victoria Hislop will take us to the Greek islands as well as 1970s Woodbridge in 'The Figurine', and Nicola Upson, who sensitively melds fact and fiction as she takes us to the literary and artistic world of the 1930s, introduces us to Hollywood and a snapshot of the lives of Alfred Hitchcock, Daphne du Maurier and Josephine Tey.
I hope you'll join me in coming along to hear what they have to say about their Creative Act.
Thank you for reading.