Patrick Gale

Rose Tremain

C. Read the article taken from a newspaper and do the exercises that follow.

B. Read the sentences and give their Russian equivalents paying attention to the underlined words and phrases.

1 He longed to see her again. 2. He watches the older kids, just taking it all in. 3. I write in longhand with …pencils on recycled paper. 4. Play around with the ingredients if you like. 5. We still have to get together and thrash out the details. 6. The illness demoralized him and recovery took several weeks. 7. Our neighbours have just done a loft conversion (=changed the loft into bedrooms). 8. I mostly use my computer for word processing. 9. I finally managed to tease the truth out of her. 10. The elevator was broken, so we had to trek up six flights of stairs. 11. Carol slumped back in her chair, defeated. 12. He was seething with anger. 13. Sorry, we got waylaid at the bar. 14. … jumbo-sized hot dogs. 15. Even with three top films on the go, Michelle is reluctant to talk about herself. 16. She found it difficult to sustain the children's interest.

How and where do writers write? With coffee and cacophony or in austere silence? In warm kitchens or in lonely attics? Joanna Trollop follows the muse of successful novelists.

I've got the study I've always longed for. It looks out onto a big sloping lawn, and as soon as I go into it in the morning, it just takes me in. I like to start the day slowly, giving external attention to breakfast but some internal attention to the writing day ahead. I'm at my desk by ten. I like to be alone then and I like silence. I hate winter. My study has to be at least 70 degrees or I can't concentrate. I write in longhand with Berol Mirado pencils on recycled paper. I'm aware of the need to be fit and well so I eat conscientiously at lunchtime. I stop at 5.30, do exactly 35 minutes of yoga, put on some Mozart or Haydn, and play around with food, which is a wonderful way of engaging other senses than the ones I use all day.

One of the joys of being a writer is that you don't have to have a routine, but when I've got a book on the boil I really don't do anything else. My brain only works until lunchtime and food is vital to keep me going: digestive biscuits are a must and I do confess to the odd chocolate crisis. I work until I'm really hungry and then I take the dog out to thrash out any problems. After lunch, I'll read - mostly novels by dead authors so as not to get too demoralized. If it's warm, I work in a summerhouse I built, which has a view of the garden. If it's very cold, I shut myself into the loft. I have to confess I work better there. It's where the word processor lives, although I like to work with pencil and exercise book first, to tease ideas out. The evenings are for the box. I love it. I video old films. That's my treat.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-23