20 Val McDermid Quotes for You to Enjoy

Val McDermid

Scottish Writer

Born: Jun 4, 1955

Books Crime Think Time World You

Related authors: Alexander McCall Smith Armando Iannucci Frances Wright Grant Morrison Henry Drummond John Burnside Robert Louis Stevenson Steven Moffat

I am the despair of my accountant; I am the plastic bags of receipts. Val McDermid

Despair Bags Am Accountant Plastic Receipts

I spent a lot of time at my grandparents in the school holidays, and the only books in the house were a copy of the Bible and Agatha Christie's 'Murder at the Vicarage.' I developed a taste for murder mysteries and then later discovered libraries, second-hand bookshops, and jumble sales. Val McDermid

I've never wanted to live in a ghetto or write in a ghetto. I want to write about a world that reflects the one most people live in. Gay people are just one aspect of that. Val McDermid

Gay People World Live Ghetto One Aspect About Write Never Most Reflects Just Want Wanted Just One Aspect

I was thinking things had changed: that the next generation of men weren't as institutionally misogynist as the previous were. And then, suddenly, the Internet came along and gave them a platform to voice their feelings anonymously. And boy, did the bile come out. Val McDermid

Generation Internet Men Feelings Thinking Changed Gave Out Voice Previous Had Along Come Anonymously Boy Came Were Did Them Then Next Next Generation Platform Suddenly Things

There is still a funny notion that women should not write violent fiction. Val McDermid

Funny Women Write Still Fiction Should Notion Violent

I'd like to be more spontaneous. Val McDermid

More Like Spontaneous

I have a vernacular house on the seaside in Northumberland and an Edwardian semi in south Manchester. They're both exactly as big as they need to be. I can't be doing with an ostentatious, big house - you can only be in one room at a time. Val McDermid

Time You Big Exactly Only Both House Doing Vernacular South Edwardian Big House Manchester Room Need Ostentatious

I won't be attempting to write Jane Austen-style prose - that would be suicidal. But I will attempt to bring the highest level of my own prose, and to make it sparkle. Val McDermid

Will Own Would Would-Be My Own Write Attempt Attempting Highest Highest Level Prose Make Jane Sparkle Level Bring Suicidal

I think Jane Austen builds suspense well in a couple of places, but she squanders it, and she gets to the endgame too quickly. So I will be working on those things. Val McDermid

Will Think Too Those Couple She Well Builds Austen Quickly Endgame Gets Suspense Jane Jane Austen Places Working Things

The contemporary crime novel is, at its best, a novel of character. That's where the suspense comes from. Val McDermid

Best Character Crime Contemporary Suspense Where Novel

It seems to me that one of the things that happened with a lot of literary fiction in the 1980s and 1990s was that it became very concerned with the academy and less with how people live their lives. We got to a point where the crime novel stepped into the breach. It was also a time when the crime novel stopped being so metropolitan. Val McDermid

Time Me People Crime Live One Of The Things Seems Point Stepped Academy Also Concerned Became Got How Lot Metropolitan Very Stopped Being Where Breach Fiction Literary Happened Literary Fiction Less Novel Lives Things

I was always writing the books that I wanted to write, books that demanded to be written at the time. But, like most writers, you start off feeling your way. Val McDermid

Time You Writing Feeling Books Way Write Writers Written Demanded Like Most Always Off Wanted Your Start

If you don't make the best-seller list, if you don't get shortlisted for any prizes, it's goodbye. Val McDermid

You Best-Seller Goodbye Make Prizes Get List Any

I don't think many of us launched ourselves into the world of writing books fully formed. Val McDermid

Writing World Think Books Ourselves Formed Us Fully Many

Walking by water frees your creativity. I don't know how it works - there's something about it that's liberating. Val McDermid

Creativity Water Liberating About Something Know How Walking Your Works

Sometimes fear is used as a way to control. Val McDermid

Fear Sometimes Control Way Used

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