When Writers Confess Their Darkest Secrets

Posted on September 6, 2006

A Bravo Canada show promises to reveal working writers' deepest, darkest secrets about their profession. The show, alled Writers' Confessions (which we admit we had never heard of) begins its second season tonight and will run for 13 weeks in Canada. This season will feature 55 international writers, including London writers Joan Barfoot and Emma Donoghue.

Airing Thursday nights on Bravo, beginning tomorrow, Writers' Confessions gives viewers a glimpse of what it's like to make a living writing fiction. Barfoot and Donoghue are seen in one episode, talking about subjects such as rewriting and the relationships with their editors. Barfoot discusses the narrative voice in her novels.

"Finding the voice is at first easy," Barfoot says on the show. "Holding onto that voice for several years and several hundred pages is a challenge, an interesting challenge." Donoghue shares with the viewer her thoughts on rewriting and reveals all of her novel-writing goes through at least three drafts. "I find the editing almost more pleasurable (than the writing)," Donoghue says.

Producer and director Michael Glassbourg of TickleScratch Productions, says Barfoot is in almost every segment, while Donoghue is in about half. But now that he's signed for a third season, Glassbourg says he'd like to work again with Donoghue. Glassbourg says the half-hour show appeals not only to literary types, but channel surfers because of its quick, witty dialogue. "It appeals to people who are watching mainstream television and who are also interested in the creative process," he says. "Of course writers love it because they get exposure."

But Glassbourg says his program doesn't promote books -- it examines the creative process. "I find it totally inspiring," he says. Writers' Confessions features 55 authors from Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, India and the U.S. Writers include Alistair MacLeod, Miriam Toews, David Gilmour, Ian Rankin, Russell Bands and Margaret Drabble.

Now why can't they show this on Bravo U.S.? Because we'd definitely tune in. You know what suckers we are for witty dialogue.

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