One of 21 children,
Bridget Knight was born in southern Ireland and lived there until the age of
fourteen when she moved to England.
Despite the difficulties of living in poverty - “I do wonder to
myself how in God’s name did we ever muster up the energy or the will to get
out of bed to face another day of hunger” - she has some very good memories of her childhood.
In January 2013, Bridget published her autobiography The Long Lane – Lost Child.
What
made you write The Long Lane – Lost Child ?
It
wasn’t a conscious decision, how could it have been as I could hardly read or
write.
Was
it difficult to write?
Yes in more ways than one. When you are in conversation with people
that are no longer with you, it is very difficult. I cried buckets when I was
writing about my brother Michael; who incidentally died at the young age of
27years old. I remember sitting down beside him on the pavement one day on his
way back from school. The tears were streaming down his face as he was telling
me about the events of that morning; what he had to say
was just unbelievable about the Christian brothers. They kicked him into a
weakness on to the floor at school for no real good reason other than the fact
that he was late getting in to school that morning, and there was blood on the
classroom floor from his bare feet. He had stood down on a lump of glass on his
way to school; he told me that he was in agony sitting on the pavement trying
to pull out the glass from his foot and that was the reason why he was late for
school bearing in mind he would not have had any breakfast that morning.
How long did it take to
write?
It took ten years in total to write, the reason it took ten
years to write, from the initial conception to publishing the book was because
I felt the need to express how I felt about my upbringing burning away in a
corner of my mind. I would approach trying to get ideas down on
paper.That would then bring on a strong feeling that would make me put it to
one side and hide it from my mind until I had the courage to start again on the
project. The whole scenario took approximately ten years until I had completed,
what then became the finished book. I think my thoughts were that if it never got
published I was quite happy that I had got it down on paper.
How
did you feel when you finished?
Drained, totally drained.
Why did you decide to self-publish?
The answer to that question is self explanatory - getting a book
publisher to notice you in the commercial world is practically impossible.
What
does writing mean to you?
When you are barely able to read and write and you discover that you
are capable of writing a book I can tell you it is an amazing feeling of
achievement.
I’m glad I took Jeffrey Archer's advice to writers. He said “Writing a
book is not about writing it is about been able to tell a story”. I don’t know how I got through this life without been able to read or
write. I can’t imagine where I would be now without the written word.
How, if at all, has
your life changed since publishing your autobiography?
Physically I have
not changed, what has changed is my self esteem. I now believe I can
achieve almost anything when it comes to putting my thoughts down on paper.
Who has supported
you most in your writing?
My husband, from the moment he
recognised that I was going to achieve what was for me the impossible he gave
me his moral support, and actively got involved.
What
advice would you give someone wanting to become a writer?
Trust in yourself and just
go for it.
What
are you currently working on?
The sequence to, “The Long
Lane- Lost Child”.
How
can readers connect with you?
Facebook, B.W.Knight
Twitter @knightwalsh
LinkedIn Bridget Knight
The Long Lane - Lost Child can be purchased from Amazon in Kindle or paperback formats.
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