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Dear Reader,
This week's guest author, Lucy Dillon is the national bestselling author of several books including Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts and her new book, A Hundred Pieces of Me. Lucy told me she writes, "Romantic stories about love, friends, rescue dogs, old houses, families, and cake, mostly set in a small Midlands town called Longhampton." Lucy lives in Herefordshire, England with her husband and a pair of basset hounds, Bonham and Violet.
Which brings me to her column today (be sure to click on the photo below, it's adorable)...
Working at home...with dogs.
One of the things people often say to me, when they find out I work from home, is, 'Oh, don't you miss hanging out with people in the office?' (Unless they have an Office Joker, in which they look envious, and say, 'It must be so peaceful.') I can honestly say, no, because I have two co-workers who sleep under my desk, and are very vigilant about clocking-off time. As in other offices, they always expect me to bring the cookies, though.
My working day is basically dictated by my boss, Violet (9) and her deputy manager, Bonham (5). They're both basset hounds, although Violet would argue with you that she's at least 75 percent human on account of her superior intellect. They herd me to my study at 9.30am, when I start writing, and demand I take a break at about 11.30am for a mobile meeting around the orchards behind my house. (A walk, in other words.) This is where their main creative role begins: they listen to me talking my novel aloud. And they never interrupt or put me off.
It's not as mad as it seems. My best advice for any aspiring writer is to stop typing and start talking: read dialogue--does it sound like something someone would say?--and if you're stuck on 'what would happen next?' then talk it out. Play the roles. Feel your way into the emotions. If you're lost about your themes or worried about where it's all going, then describe your novel aloud to your dog, as if he's interviewing you for an arts programme. If you can move at the same time, so much the better: the blood seems to pump to my brain while I'm walking, and I always come home with ideas.
After an hour or so of walking, talking and listening, we get home, have lunch and I write up what we've just discussed. The dogs remind me to get up and stretch at regular intervals by barking at random stuff, until at 5.30pm exactly, Violet uncurls herself from her basket and stands on the arm of my chair, and demands I stop working by looking sad. (And also by leaning on my arm. She weighs nearly 70lb.) She does this every single day. It's as if she's unionised, and cannot, will not, accept working after 5.30pm. I sometimes post a 'Violet says tea time!' photo on Twitter to make everyone else stop working too.
Until I had dogs, I worked till midnight, and never knew how lovely a midday walk was. Now I wouldn't swop my canine co-workers for all of Mad Men's Stirling Cooper Draper Price.
--Lucy Dillon
*To see a photo of Violet waiting for tea time and to post comments about Lucy's column, visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/DearReadercom/291327524280953
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
* This month's Penguin Classics book is SAGITTARIUS RISING by Cecil Lewis. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqQ1AFE3FA73E7&c=CLASSICS
AUTHORBUZZ: ONE TRILLION DOLLARS (Fiction) by Andreas Eschbach, Translated by Frank Keith
Over the years I've received literally hundreds of letters from people all over the world who wanted to give this book to friends or relatives who only read English. I am happy to announce that finally, this is possible, thanks to Frank Keith, who did a tremendous job in translating my novel. It is now available in English, ready to make you ponder what you would do, should you happen to inherit the largest fortune ever known.
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on ONE TRILLION DOLLARS to read more and to email author Andreas Eschbach, you'll get a reply.
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