African Fiction - What's that?

Nestling with Rachel Zadok

What is it with the “African Fiction” section in SA bookshops? It’s such an arbitrary categorisation. There are no “Australian Fiction” or “Icelandic Fiction” sections. SA writers produce such diverse work that classifying it by their country of birth makes about as much sense as classifying books by the colours of their covers or the typefaces of their titles.

What’s it actually saying other than “Here are some books that may not be very good”? May as well stick biohazard icons all over the shelves and hang them with garlic.
 
The only good thing is that as my surname starts with “W”, my book is rubbing shoulders with Sister, Sister, a book I’m enjoying very much.

So what's it like having your first novel published? people ask. Well (as Chris Hayes would say), it's a little like walking around with no trousers on. You're not sure whether anybody will notice, and if they do, whether they're going to be impressed, burst into laughter, or ask why it hangs a little to the left.

It's been rejected seventeen times, rescued once (thank you Nelleke - once is all it took),  relieved of thirty thousand words (that's a good thing, really it is), rewritten half a dozen times, and sharpened by an editor who I thought might have better things to do with her time than fiddle about with the dabblings of first-time authors.

How do you write a book? Stamina. If I'd never ridden a few Argus tours or run a few Two Oceans (okay, just the half, but over the years they add up to a full one), I'd never have got there. My advice to other wannabe authors: plan, plan, plan. And then put one foot in front of the other until you hit the finish line.