My Writing Life: Fraser Harrison
"Stamina is really important. And if you haven't got it, then you're going to starve."
Fraser Harrison is a writer and journalist, who has published twelve books, including non-fiction, poetry, memoir and novels. He is also an RLF beneficiary.
1. What book should every writer read?
I think everyone should read Homer, Shakespeare and Tolstoy. And I think everyone should read anything by Christopher Hitchens. That would set you up to be a playwright, a novelist, a poet or an essayist.
2. What is the one thing you wish someone had told you before you started your writing career?
I wish someone had told me before I started my writing career how gruelling rejections are.
In the bath, I'm very creative - probably a genius.
3. What is the best advice you’ve ever received about your writing?
I was under-advised if I can put it that way. And I was bad at asking for advice. That's a great mistake. You should ask for advice. For a while, I worked for a very well-known literary agent called John Wolfers. I brought him a short story I'd written. He immediately put it on the bar and read it. And I was so pleased: it boosted my self-esteem enormously.
4. What is the most underestimated challenge about being a professional writer?
If you're looking to make a living, which I was, stamina is really important. And if you haven't got it, then you're going to starve.
5. What was the proudest moment of your writing career?
I published a diary about my children. It's called A Father's Diary. We did a signing in the local book shop, and a hundred people came. This was in Bury St Edmunds, which is a small town. I'm always looking for a copy that’s been signed by the three of us, although I've never come across one. That was a proud moment.
6. What is your typical writing day like?
A typical writing day for me begins in the bath. In the bath, I'm very, very creative - probably a genius. But when I get out of the bath, it all seems to drop away. I still hope my magnum opus is around the corner. And in the bath, there it is, just gleaming, like steam coming off the water.
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I also have great ideas in the shower! Somehow, the flow of water plus lack of distraction from everything else seems to work! I bought some Aqua Pads (they come with a pencil) work for me - to write down those thoughts before they evaporate!