The method of work is usually to write the entire novel, with these last two novels, write the entire novel morning by morning. The first draft, at the rate of, if possible, 1000 to 1500 words a day, but that’s not always possible.
I’m always having blackouts, losses of confidence, losses of vital energy. However, I’m convinced that the writing of a novel is not an inspirational business and can be done efficiently, and in fact must be done efficiently, by applying yourself to it every morning. I therefore attempt to write about at least 1000 words a morning. I write all morning – this is for the past two years – write all morning, go to school in the afternoon, come home, generally write again. I still am plagued by the good old Irish Catholic guilt and feel that I should work every night. But night work is usually ineffectual, disastrous, hard to settle to, not worth much when it is done. Of course, there’s no one way – I’ve found this out by questioning, asking other novelists as I do shamelessly, specially to overseas visitors – there’s no one way of writing a novel. And some people do, like myself, feel that once they’ve got that first draft done in totality, then they’ve got some chance of fixing the thing up and even adding extra material.
