MY WRITING DAY
ELIZA MORTON
The saga author tells Lynne Hackles about walking, writing, and using modern tech to bring the past to life
Eliza Morton is a saga writer who has also written for BBC Radio 4, Channel 4, ITV and BBC films but, under the name of Elizabeth Morton, she is also an actress, and played Madeline Bassett in Jeeves and Wooster. She is married to Peter Davison, known for Dr Who, and is the stepmother-in-law of another famous Doctor.
‘I write early in the morning,’ she says. ‘When the house is quiet and everyone else is sleeping I can really immerse myself. I don’t really work set hours, but I do write every day. Lately I’ve found that when I’m out walking, talking into my phone is a really great place to start with a new book. Maybe because I’ve worked as an actress, it’s almost like I’m improvising all the characters to try and get a sense of what works. Once home, after my walk, I copy and paste my words into a document and then I can begin to shape a new chapter.