Browsing Tag

chateau marmont

Dining out in LA

This morning I discovered that I had been the victim of fraud rather than a victim of my usual cavalier accounting methods.  Someone had dined out at my expense at Denny’s. Fortunately the bank spotted that this would not be my restaurant of choice and blocked the card. Now this is where being a writer comes in handy…everything is material. My head was racing… How do you spend a hundred dollars at Denny’s? I wondered. There’s a lack of creative imagination for you…they could have had such a lovely time at Chateau Marmont.  And this solved the dilemma of how to start my first blog, bringing me nicely around to the topic of my soon to be published novel ‘India’s Summer.’ I may have to repeat that. ‘My soon to be published novel’ where some of the action, yes you guessed, takes place at the aforementioned hotel.

Of course blogging is a completely different thing from writing a book. I feel a self -inflicted pressure to be pithy and witty and wise. But I’m getting over that because I’ve found my tribe. I am one of the few invited writers making a debut with The Fiction Studio. This is such a wonderful opportunity and I love the sense of community Lou has created.

Aaron Sorkin once told me that he never set out to be a writer. Well it worked out pretty well for him (West Wing and The Social Network not bad for starters.) At the time I was thumping away at my first novel: How to Stay Upwardly Mobile- When You’re Spinning Out of Control, which pretty much speaks for itself. But I had never set out to be a writer either. Who knew that once I started it would be my first and only drug of choice.  When I’m writing, time does peculiar things. I forget to eat. I become antisocial. I wake up at odd times of the night and scribble away for hours, (to greater or lesser effect.) I find myself highly amusing. The fridge stays empty. I take to reading things I’ve written out loud to the cat. Like take this blog (please)…I’m due at a reception with their Royal Highnesses, otherwise known as Will and Kate. I’ve  just seen the time. The car is coming in half an hour and I’m not even showered…. No doubt there will be something worth blogging about in the morning, but right now I have to dash…