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Jeffrey Archer: On track to end 'Clifton Chronicles'
Peculiar habits and traits may have made British author Jeffrey Archer one of a kind in the literary world
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Peculiar habits and traits may have made British author Jeffrey Archer one of a kind in the literary world.
In a recent interview with his fans, the writer of the best-selling novel series, The Clifton Chronicles, revealed that he has never had writer's block. Previous interviews show that the 74-year-old still writes all his drafts longhand. Adding to this uncanny list is his rigid writing schedule.
The man always wakes up early in the morning every day to start writing for two hours at a time, starting from 6 a.m.
Having recently released Mightier Than The Sword, the fifth installment of the chronicles, Archer spoke with The Jakarta Post during his morning break.
His response to the release is relief, saying that everything has been 'worthwhile' as the book has risen to be the number one bestseller all over the world.
Like for previous books, it took him 1,000 hours of work to get the book done, thanks to his strict schedule.
'[It is] exactly the same system, writing early in the morning, working from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. So it continues to be the same,' he said over the phone.
He said that the content of his last book was getting more exciting, with new conflicts and many unexpected twists and turns.
During the interview, he gave some hints on what will happen to the main characters in Mightier Than The Sword.
'Harry [Clifton] is fighting for the release of Babakov [a fellow author, who is imprisoned in Siberia], yet Harry gets arrested and ends up in jail himself. Emma [Harry's wife] continues to be the chairman of the company and doing a very good job, while Sebastian [Harry's son] is having trouble with his love-life [and] Virginia [the antagonist] is being wicked as always,' he explained.
During the interview, he also confirmed previous reports saying that he would end the chronicles in the seventh book.
'The seventh book will indeed be the end,' he stated.
Archer started The Clifton Chronicles in 2011 as a challenge for his 70th birthday.
'When I was 70 years old, I needed something to focus on, something to drive me, and I realized if I set the task of writing a series of books called The Clifton Chronicles ['¦] I would be working flat-out for at least five years so that was the original purpose,' he said in a video posted in his Facebook page.
The chronicles follow the life of Clifton from when he was born in 1920 until the present era. The series has become a huge hit with each copy becoming a bestseller.
Now that he finishes the fifth book, thus ending the five-year challenge, he realizes that the book is far from over.
'At the end of the fifth book, Harry is only 51 years old and Virginia 49 years old and I could not kill them all off, so I have to extend to the seventh book,' he said.
With all his writing habits and tight schedules, the last two novels are expected to be released in two years.
Archer said he was now focusing on finishing the sixth book, which would hopefully be published in March next year.
'I have never missed a schedule,' he said.
Archer began writing in the 1970s, but it was not until he published Kane and Abel in the late 1970s did he become famous. The book is still one the biggest bestsellers of all time and is in its 93rd reprint.
Apart from being a popular author, Archer was a famous politician with the Conservative Party in the UK. It is said that Archer was one of Margaret Thatcher's favorite politicians. The former prime minister even made him a lord.
After the chronicles, Archer said he was planning to write a set of short stories.
'Twelve short stories because a lot of my readers around the world have been waiting for the next set of stories,' he said.
Apart from being busy writing, it seems that Archer never forgets to indulge himself during spare time.
'I go to the theater a lot and I do charity auctions for major charities in this country and I love my sport,' he said.
Archer is a big fan of cricket and his favorite team is England, even though he admits that they are 'a disaster'.
The man, who has sold more than 250 million books during his four-decade writing career, said he also liked exercising to keep fit.
In 2013, the author was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he made a full recovery after being treated in a hospital in Cambridge, UK.
This shows that illness does not seem to disturb Archer's writing, as all his novels have been published on time.
So fans and readers may not need to worry, as Archer will most likely end the chronicles on schedule. Never experiencing writer's block is surely an advantage for Archer.
When asked about his recipe, he said he was clueless.
'I think that it is a God-given gift and I am just very lucky.'
