Comments on: A day in the life of… Joanne Harris

By: Paula Kelly-Ince

Paula Kelly-Ince — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 13:26:14 +0000

Thank you for this Joanne. I’ve been working from home for eighteen months now and keep feeling like I’m a bit of a fraud – this really helped. I look forward to reading more of your work.

By: 10 Ways To Kick Start Your Writing : Women Writers, Women's Books

10 Ways To Kick Start Your Writing : Women Writers, Women's Books — Sat, 05 Dec 2015 10:13:27 +0000

[…] by Joanne Harris on WWWB: A day in the life of… Joanne Harris The Power of Dark Stories, and Why we Are Not Always What we Write Writing Tips: 10 Mistakes to […]

By: Alison Runham

Alison Runham — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 19:48:42 +0000

Many things here chime with me.
The psychological divide: (I am so much more productive when I have one, but unfortunately I’m back in the corner of the bedroom again; the desk helps, but…)
The period of adjustment: I’d always worked out of the house, first in a high pressure NHS environment, then in more recent years at various kinds of educational institution. So working from home – and never feeling like I’m quite ‘on holiday’ and allowed not to work – has taken some getting used to. And a lot longer than I expected.
As for the waiting to feel like a ‘proper writer'(and a proper grown-up!),I’ve come to the conclusion that it never happens, so I’m not going to worry. I can’t wait any longer! 🙂

By: Featuring Women Writers on WWWB 2013 - Women Writers, Women Books

Featuring Women Writers on WWWB 2013 - Women Writers, Women Books — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 13:50:23 +0000

[…] Women Vs Thrillers – Susi Holliday Coping with Pain through Writing – February Grace A day in the life of… Joanne Harris – Joanne Harris Writing Fiction, Building blocks – Paula Daly The Great March of August 28, […]

By: fumiko agogo

fumiko agogo — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 08:04:16 +0000

i will re-read yr piece again, more slowly, to seek your approach to writer’s blockages and other challenges.
i took a sabbatical and ended up on the floor for five months with my cat, curled up, following patches of sunlight as the day progressed. i can’t say that was idyllic. a lack of imposed schedule can be debilitating for some. not to sound grim, but such is what some of us experience. fortunately, all things are impermanent, thus we do eventually get up, having squandered precious writing time…
maybe i was drinking the wrong kind of tea?!! 🙂

By: Donna Falcone

Donna Falcone — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 12:36:48 +0000

This is great! I too was a teacher, and so your words resonate deeply. And, it drives home, for me, that no matter the reason we leave one life for another the adjustment period is not what we expect it to be – until we finally learn that all of living is adjustment! Thank you for sharing your story, and for the last delicious line: “When I was a child, my teachers often told me that I wouldn’t amount to anything if all I did was dream all day. I wish I could tell them that dreaming is harder work than they think it is.”

By: Amy Mackin

Amy Mackin — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 11:50:17 +0000

I watch friends and neighbors live a “normal” life–not anxiously checking that inbox every morning hoping an agent has replied and feeling absolutely defeated when there’s nothing new. They get their kids off to school and talk about work or day-to-day events, while I’m always daydreaming, creating the next story. I sometimes envy their sense of contentment, as I am never complacent, never done with the work at hand, never really at peace come the end of each day. Even when I tell myself that I won’t worry about the writing this week but instead will focus on my kids–their education and sports and social lives–I can’t keep that promise. The need to create never stops.

“I wish I could tell them that dreaming is harder work than they think it is.”

Indeed.

By: Chris Allen

Chris Allen — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 07:30:46 +0000

I always knew about the shed, from what you tell us on twitter. But playing the bass guitar in a band as well!

By: Norah

Norah — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 13:47:07 +0000

What a lovely insight Joanne. Thank you for sharing. I have read and enjoyed so many of your wonderful books – believe me: you are a proper writer. That statement reminded me of the realisation I came to in my mid-forties: I wasn’t wise and mature. For some reason I had obviously expected to be by then, and since I wasn’t, thought I probably never would be, so decided I’d just stay young and enjoy myself for ever! I love the sound of your shed and can imagine the spurts of creativity, distraction and vigorous writing. Dream on! We need more of your stories!

By: Nettie Thomson

Nettie Thomson — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 11:46:09 +0000

Lovely, interesting interview. Thanks for sharing, Joanne.