Always Take Notes #169: Helen Macdonald, nature writer and novelist
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Sep 19, 2023 Rachel and Simon speak with Helen Macdonald, nature writer and novelist, about her success with 'H is for Hawk', her new sci-fi novel 'Profit', and writing about the natural world. They discuss collaborative writing, grief, training a hawk, exploring Midway Atoll, and the evolution of nature writing with diverse voices.
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Lockdown Novel Written Over Twitter
- Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché wrote Prophet during lockdown by trading scraps and whole chapters over Twitter DMs and Google Docs in real time.
- They never met until the book was nearly finished, yielding a seamless 50/50 collaboration built on vulnerability and instant edits.
Edit Paragraphs Until They 'Click'
- Treat prose like poetry: edit constantly until each paragraph 'clicks' and feels finished before moving on.
- Macdonald starts sections by rereading from the beginning to hold the book's arc in mind while composing.
Insisting On A True 50 50 Collaboration
- From the start Macdonald and Sin insisted Prophet be a true 50/50 collaboration, including splitting the advance equally and having shared representation.
- Bill Clegg represents both authors for the deal, and they agreed ownership and credit openly early on.