Writers are Tarts

Tarts. That’s what we are, really, us writers. Not just in the general sense of loving attention – also in the more specific, ‘professional’ meaning of the word. Our living depends on how good we are at attracting people’s attention and, more importantly, their money. We deploy all sorts of tricks to achieve this, above and beyond the actual content of our books. They’re the literary equivalents of fishnet stockings and bright red lipstick. It was only chatting to a friend recently that I realised just how many tricks there are Writers are tarts

The assassin came to his home dressed as a postman. When the historian and journalist Lars Hedegaard opened his front door, the man — whom Lars describes as ‘looking like a typical Muslim immigrant’ in his mid-twenties — fired straight at his head. Though Hedegaard was a yard away, the bullet narrowly missed. The mild-mannered scholar (70 years old) then punched his assailant in the head. The man dropped the gun, picked it up and fired again. The gun jammed and the man ran off. More than a week later, he has yet to be found ‘I may be killed if I write this’

True Stories adopted to a movie: WEST of Memphis, which is co-produced by New Zealand director Peter Jackson's WingNut Films, is a 2 ½-hour documentary that examines in considerable detail a shocking case of multiple murders and miscarriage of justice that became a cause celebre in the US. Tragedy but where is the ring of truth; Damien Echols of the West Memphis 3 talks to the Big Mac Blog Post Film interview