Linda Olsson on writing in New Zealand and Sweden.

Linda Olsson on writing in NZ and Sweden.

Imagine an existence with no concept of time or place, with no clear distinction between reality and fiction. Welcome to my world. Here, imagined characters seamlessly mix with family and friends, and dreams are as vivid as – sometimes more vivid than – real life.

According to my mother, who sometimes tells the truth, I was a nocturnal creature from the beginning. Perhaps there was something wrong with the setting of my biological clock. As I now try to live in two places at the same time, Auckland and Stockholm, it has become even harder to manage my sense of time.

Adding to the confusion, I write in two languages – my native Swedish and English. I often discover that I have written long passages in Swedish in an English manuscript and vice versa.

For many years, this handicap of mine was masked by a strict work environment which forced me to adopt routines and develop awareness of time and sense of place.

I am certain that the ideal existence would be if I could combine creativity and sensible work habits. I haven’t found a way of doing this yet, and I suspect it may be too late. So, here I am, adrift in a hazy otherworld, only occasionally colliding with reality. My days have no pattern, no shape or form. There are no typical days. I have no work habits, no routines.

I wake up when I wake up, which is any time between 4am and 9am. I sometimes have breakfast, sometimes not. I rarely do anything that resembles work until early evening. I am not sure what I do between waking up in the morning and sitting down to write in the afternoon. And if I do know, it is not something that I would like to share with anybody. And certainly not recommend.

Ihave read many handbooks on writing. They all stress the importance of routines and good work habits. But knowing is not the same as doing. I might produce more if I were able to organise my life better. All those lost hours of nothing could be filled with creative output. Theoretically. I am not entirely convinced it would work for me.

Writing at night, when the words magically flow, is the most extraordinary experience. More powerful than any drug. Conjuring up whole worlds and entering them, living in them. I can be anywhere, I

I can be anywhere, I can create the people I want to meet. I am omniscient, and my power is absolute.