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G P Taylor: A Writer's Journey

The article summarizes the career of writer G.P. Taylor. It discusses how Taylor was inspired to write a novel after seeing the success of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Taylor self-published his first fantasy novel Shadowmancer in 2002, which later became a bestseller. Though his novels involve dark supernatural themes, Taylor describes himself and his writing process in practical terms. He distances himself from ideas of being a literary novelist and sees himself more as an entertainer and storyteller. The article notes Taylor's unconventional approach to writing and his view that visual media like movies are more exciting than books in the current age.

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Edgar Schultz
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565 views1 page

G P Taylor: A Writer's Journey

The article summarizes the career of writer G.P. Taylor. It discusses how Taylor was inspired to write a novel after seeing the success of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Taylor self-published his first fantasy novel Shadowmancer in 2002, which later became a bestseller. Though his novels involve dark supernatural themes, Taylor describes himself and his writing process in practical terms. He distances himself from ideas of being a literary novelist and sees himself more as an entertainer and storyteller. The article notes Taylor's unconventional approach to writing and his view that visual media like movies are more exciting than books in the current age.

Uploaded by

Edgar Schultz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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A good story
(Reading and
Use of English )
Multiple choice
Part 5
1 You are going to read a newspaper article about a writer. For questions 1-6, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the article.

A writer's life: G P Taylor


J K Rowling may be Shadounnancer is a simple and uncomplicated
responsible for the fantasy — and Taylor, who is his own most
revival of fantasy fiction, effective critic, makes few further claims for the
but her contemporary novel. 'It's a great story, but if I'd written it now,
rivals, many of whom it would be a completely different book. In many
have benefited from ways, it's a clumsy classic. There are a lot of
her success, seem things in there that I would get rid of. And yet. I
reluctant to give her think that's the big attraction. It's because it's an
credit for starting a incredible adventure story, written by a non-
trend. Philip Pullman, writer, just a storyteller:
for example, points Taylor returns to this distinction between writing
out that Northern and storytelling a number of times, distancing
Lights, the first himself from grand and lofty ideas of the
volume in his novelist's purpose. He describes himself as a 'fairly
trilogy His Dark uneducated, council-house kid' who ran away
Materials, was to London as a teenager. 'a bit of a chancer, with
published a year ideas above his station'. He read Dickens, lots
r. Harry Potter's of Orwell 'they were trendy books to read' —
adventures began. So it comes as a surprise and Kerouac. But he is uncomfortable talking at
when G P Taylor concedes that he only wrote any length about favourite novels or influences
a novel because of the enormous popularity of beyond Rowling:1 have not read all that many
Harry Potter. books. I'm not, you know, a very literate person:
Taylor is the Yorkshire vicar who sold his Taylor was a rock-music promoter in his twenties
motorbike to self-publish 2,000 copies of and remains a showman, happiest in front of
his first novel, Shadowmatwer, a book that was a crowd. He describes the talks he gives in
subsequently picked up by publishers Faber schools and at book festivals, dressed up as a sea
& Faber and got to number one in the New captain or as an 18th-century highwayman in a
York Times bestseller list. His novels conjure up long black coat. 'You're using your face, you're
dark, chilling worlds in which the supernatural using your body, you're acting out what you're
threatens to take over, yet he describes his life as doing: The business of putting his thoughts in
a writer in flatly functional terms. For example, writing can be problematic in comparison. As
he is able to name the exact day that he became a storyteller, in order to demonstrate shock or
a novelist: March 21, 2002.'It was one of those alarm to an audience he will 'pause between
seminal moments in my life. Harry Potter was sentences and show a wide-eyed, staring face.
becoming very popular. And I thought, "This But to describe that in English ...'Taylor breaks
woman's written a book. I might write one?" off and begins an imaginary dictation. 'Then he
'I got a copy of Harry Potter, counted the [Link] was a long silence. Da da da da
number of words that were on the page, da da: He laughs. 'Well, I can get that effect in a
measured the width of the margin, counted the second by breathing in deeply:
number of chapters in the book, how many It is unusual to hear a writer speak in such a
pages were in the book and set my computer dismissive way of his craft. 'Movies excite more
screen up so that it would have 468 words on the people than books,' he explains. 'We're living in
page. My chapters were the same length as the a visual age and I think, as we go on, books will
Harry Potter chapters; 1 thought, "This must be have lesser importance:
how you write a book?''

28

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