HELEN H. DURRANT ON HER WRITING JOURNEY FOR THE WRONG WOMAN

We caught up with Helen to find out more about her journey towards the publication of The Wrong Woman — find out about her inspiration for the book below!

The hardest thing about writing

One problem I have is keeping the characters under control. They tend to go off and do their own thing, which can throw up interesting plot twists but it’s me who has to backtrack and make it all fit. The entire project can become a bit like a huge jigsaw and at the end I have to ensure everything is in the right place. Joking aside, anyone who writes will know that it’s a hard slog. Personally, I find that having a routine and sticking to it works well, otherwise I’d get nothing done. I write every day, what I turn out might be rubbish but at least then I have something to edit and work with.

The setting

The Wrong Woman is set in the fictional town of ‘Ryebridge’ but this is based on the real-life town of Stalybridge in Tameside, a place I know well. Being part of Greater Manchester means that it’s only a spit away from the Pennine hills on one side and the city of Manchester on the other. Stalybridge is an old cotton town and a few old mills still exist, although they’re apartments or workshops these days. Like a lot of North West towns, ‘Ryebridge’ has its problems and it offers up a host of possibilities for storylines.

An interesting thing that happened while I was writing the book.

The book was finished and ready for a cover. When I saw what was proposed I knew at once that it was right. But the narrow, cobbled lane looked familiar and for several days I struggled trying to recall where I knew it from. Then one night me and my hubby were talking about our younger days when we lived in Stalybridge, the pubs we went to, the long since closed cinema and the films we watched. We didn’t have a car and used to walk and he reminded me of our route and mentioned ‘Rassbottom Brow’. A steep, narrow walkway from the town up to where we lived. I realised that was it and wasn’t surprised that I’d forgotten as I’ve not walked along ‘Razzy Brew’ for years.

Distractions during the writing day.

These are legion. Social media, my phone and, of course, having a house to look after, plus the shopping and gardening etc. My husband helps … bless him but he doesn’t do shops and leaves the gardening to me. The outside space is important to us but also to the many birds who rely on us for food. Bird watching and photographing them, particularly the more exotic ones such as woodpeckers and bullfinches, is a hobby of mine. 
Another big distraction is the family. Four of our grandchildren are grown up but one is only nine and we take care of her during the school holidays. Then there is the newest addition to the family: our first great granddaughter. This pair are a delight to spend time with. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE WRONG WOMAN BY BESTSELLING AUTHOR HELEN H. DURRANT