Muriel Spark dies. Tributes rightfully abound, concentrating on The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, but I prefer A Far Cry From Kensington, with its depiction of 1950s Highgate. And most of all, for the following priceless piece of advice to budding novelists (which I feel also applies to public diarists). I was alerted to it by John Mortimer’s Where There’s A Will.
“[When you write, you must feel like] you are writing a letter to a friend… Write without fear or timidity. What you have to say will come out more spontaneously and honestly than if you are thinking of numerous readers. Before starting, rehearse in your mind what you are going to tell. But don’t do too much, the story will develop as you go along, especially if you write to make your reading friend smile or laugh or cry. Remember not to think of the reading public, it will put you off.”
