Val McDermid on Writing: A Falmouth University Event

Following her Falmouth Book Festival event on 15th October, Queen of Crime Val McDermid visited Falmouth campus to give a talk about writing, her career and crime novels on the 16th.

There was a big turnout for McDermid’s event as was anticipated, as she is one of the biggest literary stars to give a talk at the university for a long time. Interviewed by Adrian Markle, she was a warm and friendly presence who kept the room laughing with anecdotes from her past. Despite selling over nineteen million copies, McDermid remains down to earth and has a clear wish to help others who want to improve. Above all, it’s obvious that even decades into a successful career, she maintains a love for books and writing that shines through as she speaks about her craft.

Perhaps the most encouraging take away from the talk was that there is no right way to write, sell novels, or to be a successful writer. McDermid was insistent that each writer should find what works for them as an individual and should not be tied down to what others suggest is best. She also spoke about how this can change over time. In her early career as a novelist, McDermid was a planner; plotting out every chapter of a book before writing in order to know where her story was going. Now, she takes a more laid-back approach: one she calls ‘driving at night’ writing. This means she knows what she’ll write for the next few scenes but nothing ahead of that, giving her more freedom to figure out the plot as she goes.

McDermid was not always a full-time author. In the talk, she spoke of writing her first four novels on Monday afternoons while she was employed as a journalist. Not only does this show dedication to her novels as each one would take around two years to complete, but it also shows an ability to make the best of the situation she was in at the time. She stressed that wanting to be a writer made her carve out time for her craft. She even said that the week-long gaps in between writing sessions gave her the opportunity to think about her next steps. When she sat down to write again, she had solutions to any problems she was facing the week before and could get straight to the next chapter.

McDermid took as many questions from the audience as she could before the hour was up and answered with the same enthusiasm and sincerity she had shown for the entirety of the talk. As the session concluded, the lecture theatre emptied, and she headed outside for a group photo with both students and lecturers.

To keep up to date on future events held by the Writing and Journalism department, look out for emails from course leaders and lecturers.