T. 10. Interview with a ghostwriter

A: You’ve written many successful books as ghostwriter. Have you been tempted to stop ghostwriting and write books under your own name?

B: I have written books under my own name as well, but if I …I’m just a sucker for a story and if somebody rings me up, particularly if they have an interesting foreign accent and I think you know, I’m going to travel somewhere interesting and meet somebody that’s had a life I’ve … is going to be new and interesting to me, I just can’t resist.

A: What have you learnt from your experiences as a ghostwriter, as a writer and as an individual?

B; I think as a writer it is the capturing other people’s voices…erm, and learning how to structure a story so that it works in a book form. As an individual it has taught me a huge amount about how the rest of the world lives. Otherwise… like most writers I don’t go out that much and I wouldn’t go out at all if I could sit at home and write novels just from my imagination. So, it has forced me to go out and meet a far more diverse…erm, number of people than I would ever otherwise have come across. But at greater depth than if I’d done journalism which is the other option. As a journalist you get to do that, you get to meet a huge range of people, but as a journalist you’re there perhaps for ten minutes interviewing a film star before you’re shuffled out of the hotel room, or you’re there for an hour or two with somebody…erm and then you move onto the next story, which suits a lot of people. But I actually do quite like the intense in one person’s skin and, I’ve found that, um, I’ve learnt a lot about other people.

A; Thank you.

 

T. 11. Exam results

Journalist What subjects did you take?

Charlotte Physics, chemistry, maths, and biology.

Journalist Do you think you’ve passed?

Charlotte I’m sure I’ve passed, but I’m worried about what grades I’ll get.

Journalist Why?

Charlotte Because I want to study medicine at university – at Cambridge, and they won’t give me a place unless I get three As and B.

Journalist Do you think you’ll get them?

Charlotte I don’t know. I think I did OK, but I’m a bit worried about maths.

Journalist When will you get your results?

Charlotte Tomorrow, by post. I’m really nervous – and so are my parents! As soon as the post comes, I’ll take the letter upstairs and open it.

Journalist And how will you celebrate if you pass?

Charlotte I don’t want to plan any celebrations, until I get the results.

Journalist And what will you do if you don’t get the grades you need?

Charlotte I don’t want to think about it. If I don’t get into Cambridge, my parents will kill me. No, I’m joking. I suppose I’ll do another year at school and take the exams again.

Journalist Well good luck!

Charlotte Thanks.

T. 12. My deram house

1. When I retire, if l can afford it, I’d love to live in a cottage in a picturesque village somewhere in the country, not too remote. The most important things for me would be the garden- I’d like a traditional English garden, with fruit trees and lots of flowers – not too big, though. I’d spend my life in the garden, especially in the spring and summer. 2. My dream house would be on the coast, by the sea, on a beautiful unspoilt beach. It’d be modern and quite simple, with wooden floors and big windows, and from every window you’d be able to see the sea. I’d be quite isolated, with no neighbours for miles and miles. Can you imagine – just the sound of the wind and the sea? 3. I’d love to have a big old town house in the centre of London, maybe one of those beautiful terraced houses with big rooms and high ceilings, and a lovely staircase going down to the hall. But the bathrooms and kitchens would to have to be modern, because old ones are cold and a bit impractical. I’d need some help looking after it through, so ….

4. If I won the lottery, which of course I won’t, I’d buy a big penthouse flat near the river with a great view, a really hi- teach flat, you know, with one of those intelligent fridges which orders food from the supermarket all by itself when you’re running out and a huge TV and music system – but all very stylish and minimalist.

T.13. Friendship

1. I don't agree at all. I think it's much easier. Today you can text, you can email, you can chat online on Messenger and things like that. I'm still in touch with some friends who I met on holiday last year even though they live miles away.

2. Actually, I think it's probably true. Because I know a lot of men who are still friends with people they went to primary school with, but I don't know many women who are. For example my brother has a friend called Tim who he's known since they were three years old. But I think the reason why is because men's friendships are less intense, sort of less intimal than women's friendships. As men only ever talk about sport or superficial things, it doesn't matter if they've completely changed and don’t have much in common any more - they can s talk about football.

3. You definitely shouldn't. I mean that's the quickest way to lose a friendship. If you don't like a friend's girlfriend, you should just keep quiet. You have to wait until they break up, and of course then you can say how awful you thought she was and your friend will agree arthink you're being supportive. But if you say anything bad while they're still madly in love, a disaster. I know because it happened to me once with a friend of mine. I said something negative about his girlfriend. And now we aren’t friends any more.