FROM HERE …
FEATURING Nigel Wild
WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE : THE THIRD SPACE
What brought you to France , when and from where ? My wife and I retired to France from Oxfordshire in 2013 . We ’ d both led very hectic lives and were looking for a more relaxed pace . For over 10 years , we viewed French property while on holiday and fell in love with a lovely but neglected old house converted from a barn .
What are the advantages of living in France for a writer ? Everyone has time for everyone else and as you gradually unwind from the oftenfraught pace of the UK , your head clears and you start to think . The peace and tranquillity are just so restful .
Has your writing output increased since you came to France ? Actually , it ' s decreased . My first novel Nightwalk was published in 2012 . I had regular features and deadlines for lifestyle and business magazines when I lived in UK and I often contributed to our regional newspapers and radio . I continued to write for the lifestyle magazine until my feature became a victim of budget cuts . Working seven days a week on renovating a house put a dampener on my writing activities ; now the renovations are all but complete .
Is there anything you find hard to cope with in France ? The language is difficult . I spoke good French before I moved and it ' s improved with practice , but fluency is hard to achieve unless you speak French on a daily basis . The accent here is tough , too . Our new French neighbours from Alsace can ' t understand a word ! The driving is bad , largely through inattention rather than aggression . Meat is generally succulent ; beef rarely is , because the French don ' t hang meat . Finding a decent steak is akin to winning the lottery .
What impact did France have on you emotionally , sensorally or intellectually and did you incorporate this into your writing ? The culture is markedly different , but in a good way . The people are so polite and also warm and welcoming . They ' re proud we ' ve chosen to live in France and have bent over backwards to help us integrate . Our French neighbours are simply wonderful and time and oft , knock at the door with gifts of vegetables or bread . They think Brexit is total lunacy . The scenery here in south-west France is breath-taking , with bastides ( fortified towns and villages ), often built from warm honey-coloured stone . Some of my writing is about the local culture .
What are local attitudes to writers ? There is a strong focus on literature and the arts , with regular events in towns and villages . The other day , we found a number of French authors having a book signing in the local Carrefour . We ' ve a well-attended English / French literary festival at nearby Parisot every October , which attracts well-known writers and
15 | NOVEMBER 2017