Sarah's writing journal

I was lucky enough to share one of my first readings with Mil Millington and despite being so nervous I could hardly speak, it ended up being a happy time, not least because Mil is genuinely funny and generous. Anyway, that time in Newcastle has set the tone for others, because it made me see readings aren't there to punish the writer - in fact, you can actually enjoy them yourself! I find Mil just as funny on the page - see here, and his new book, Love and Other Near Death Experiences. He says himself it's a 'divisive' book, and looking at the Amazon reviews makes me think he's not exaggerating. What is it about some books that do this? The Sea by John Banville comes to mind. I loved it, loved the language, got swept away by it in fact, and then read some of the reviews and couldn't help thinking they'd picked up a different book.