Dorset adventures!

Nimue Brown

Apr 22

I'm delighted to announce that I'm going to be co-writing with David Bridger. Regular readers of the blog will know that I've reviewed several of David's books recently, and am really taken with his work. He's also read some of my scribbings, and the outcome was a conversation about co-writing. I'm very excited to be working with him, and feeling enthused about where this project is going.

I'm happiest when I'm co-writing. I don't do well with the author model of disappearing off, alone, for ages, to make something no reader will see for a couple of years. I need my creative processes to be much more interactive, so I thrive when I have someone to write for, and with. It's also why I put a lot of stuff out into the world - I need the feedback and the sense of involvement.

I expect I'm going to be fairly guarded with the content for this one, but that there will be interesting things to say about the process. One of the many things David and I have in common is that we're interested in tradition, and in the spirits of places. Which is how we get to a photo of me reading an excellent book of Dorset folklore. Cover by Katherine Soutar, who is a friend of mine. I don't know Tim Laycock personally, but I'm really enjoying his storytelling style. The History Press, who publish this, are local to me, so they were my go-to starting point.

I spent some time in Dorset as a child, which is an interesting thing to draw on. Those childhood memories have dreamlike qualities. I've also read some Thomas Hardy - Tess of the D'urbervilles and Jude the Obscure, neither of which I actually liked. However, in terms of fictional Dorset, Hardy is a force to be reckoned with, so I'm going to dig in and read a few more. He's also, according to the internet, a very good source for Dorset conjuring traditions. Hold that tantalising thought!

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