Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды. Пример ответа: 1 9. Why does Alyson believe that the scale of the first publication is not that important? 1) A smaller journal is preferable. 2) Getting a small fee is still better than nothing. 3) Your work could be noticed anywhere.

Presenter: Good afternoon, dear listeners, and welcome to our programme. We continue to interview writers for you, and today in our studio we have Alyson Gray, a young writer, and we are going to discuss her debut novel and the way she started her literary career. Hello, Alyson. Alyson: Good afternoon. Thank you for inviting me here. Presenter: You can now see your debut novel in every bookstore. How does it feel? Alyson: Honestly, it's sort of surreal. Everyone who wants to be a writer imagines the day they'll finally hold their finished book in their hands. Part of you believes it will never happen. So when that day finally arrives, it's a strange feeling. My sister jokingly asked if I was sleeping with the book under my pillow every night. I'm not quite that bad. But I do still keep picking it up, flipping through the pages and marveling at it. I don't think the reality has completely sunk in yet. Presenter: Have you always wanted to be a writer, and was there a particular moment you thought, I can do this? Alyson: I think my literary aspirations began when I was about ten years old. I had a teacher that year that used to give us an hour every week to write stories or poems. We were allowed to work on anything we wanted to, and I loved it. It was the highlight of my week. At the end of the hour, we had the opportunity to read our compositions in front of the class. I was a pretty shy kid who didn't get much attention, but when I got up in front of the class and read, everyone would get quiet, genuinely listen, and clap enthusiastically for me when I finished. I think they were particularly impressed by the fact that I could make up poems that rhymed. So I developed what was probably a very niche role for a fifth grader. I was the girl who could write. From that point on, writing was what I wanted to do. Presenter: Did you continue writing at college? Alyson: Of course, in my freshman year in college, I submitted a couple of short stories to a university-wide creative writing competition called the Hopwood Awards, and I won a cash prize. My university was a large one, so the prize was fairly competitive. That felt like the first serious evidence that I might actually have some sort of real knack for writing. My work has been recognized, not by my friends or an encouraging English teacher, but by complete strangers who'd picked my work out of a large pile of entries. Presenter: Do you have any advice for the yet-to-be-published writers listening to you right now? Alyson: Well, my major piece of advice is to learn how to steel yourself for criticism and rejection. Try not to turn it into something personal, because it's not personal, actually. It's not easy, but it will make your life better if you can. Taste in writing and literature is subjective. I always remind myself that there isn't one book out there so brilliantly written that it doesn't have its staunch detractors, people who are happy to detail for you exactly what they don't like about it. The other thing would be to make sure that you're getting your work out there where people can see it. It doesn't have to be a major publication. I have writer friends who have editors or agents contact them after reading their work in smaller journals. Opportunities can arrive from places you never expected. You want to give people the chance to find you. Presenter: Thank you, Alyson. It has been really interesting talking to you. Alyson: Thank you. The pleasure is all mine, I guess.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды. Пример ответа: 1 3. What do we learn about Judy White at the beginning of the interview? 1) She’s a successful playwright. 2) She’s written many bestsellers. 3) She dislikes living in New York.

Presenter: Hello everybody and welcome to our weekly programme 'The Writer's Workshop'. Today in our studio we are lucky to have Judy White, whose writing has appeared in the New York Times and News Day, and whose plays have been performed in NYC theatres and at major festivals. She has recently published her first novel 'If I Knew', which is already a number one bestseller worldwide. Hello, Judy. Judy White: Good afternoon. Thank you for inviting me here today. Presenter: Could you please tell us a bit more about the concept of your book? Judy White: With great pleasure. I think the book is so successful thanks to its concept of a collection of linked stories. On the one hand, the book doesn't quite build and develop its storylines the way a novel would. On the other hand, many of the stories do seem like chapters, with narrative arcs of their own and endings that seem incomplete, like the prelude to another story or chapter. Also, some of the chapters are almost character sketches, which is probably insufficient to drive a standalone story, but which, in the context of the book as a whole, are really probing and thoughtful. Presenter: How did you decide on the structure of the book? Judy White: The content and structure of 'If I Knew' almost had a life of its own. I wrote the last story first and knew it was going to be the last story, but really had no idea what would come before. I just started writing the stories pretty much out of sequence, and I would send them to my agent as they were completed. I was simultaneously working on another novel at the same time. I still didn't know if it was going to be a novel or a story collection until the manuscript was finished, and then the linked stories made the most sense, particularly within the location they have in common. I liked the idea of stories about these connected lives that didn't necessarily have neat conclusions and might haunt readers a little after they've finished reading. This seems to have been achieved, according to some of the reviews. Presenter: Your novel has wonderful dialogues, as well as exciting, long, uninterrupted monologues. How do you manage to make them so gripping? Is that the effect of your experience as a playwright? Judy White: I think whether writing dialogue for plays or narrative fiction, you have to pay attention to your characters, more so than to the rules of whatever medium in which you're writing. I like to picture my characters and imagine their speech patterns, the sound of their voices, conversations they might have. Sometimes I'll write snippets of dialogue and think: 'That's a nice couple of lines, but would this character really say that'? So for me, it's more about respecting the characters, trying to stay true to their voices. Presenter: There's a strong sense of belonging which is felt by the characters of your book. How much do you feel the same way? How has your sense of belonging to your community changed as you've grown as a person and an artist? Judy White: I think I've almost always felt like something of an outsider, no matter how much I appear to belong to a particular group. I've spoken to other writers who've experienced this kind of psychic detachment, where externally you are a part of the scene, but internally you might as well be alone, and on some level, you're always observing. It's an interesting paradox because most of the time, unless you tell them, nobody else knows how you're really feeling. I used to live in the place described in the book. I no longer live there, but I have some friends and colleagues who still live there. Presenter: Thank you, Judy. It has been very interesting talking to you. Judy White: Thank you.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды. Пример ответа: 1 4. Which of the following is TRUE about the structure of the book If I Knew…? 1) It was written in a random order. 2) It reminds the reader of a typical classic novel. 3) It is a part of a bigger collection of stories.

Presenter: Hello everybody and welcome to our weekly programme 'The Writer's Workshop'. Today in our studio we are lucky to have Judy White, whose writing has appeared in the New York Times and News Day, and whose plays have been performed in NYC theatres and at major festivals. She has recently published her first novel 'If I Knew', which is already a number one bestseller worldwide. Hello, Judy. Judy White: Good afternoon. Thank you for inviting me here today. Presenter: Could you please tell us a bit more about the concept of your book? Judy White: With great pleasure. I think the book is so successful thanks to its concept of a collection of linked stories. On the one hand, the book doesn't quite build and develop its storylines the way a novel would. On the other hand, many of the stories do seem like chapters, with narrative arcs of their own and endings that seem incomplete, like the prelude to another story or chapter. Also, some of the chapters are almost character sketches, which is probably insufficient to drive a standalone story, but which, in the context of the book as a whole, are really probing and thoughtful. Presenter: How did you decide on the structure of the book? Judy White: The content and structure of 'If I Knew' almost had a life of its own. I wrote the last story first and knew it was going to be the last story, but really had no idea what would come before. I just started writing the stories pretty much out of sequence, and I would send them to my agent as they were completed. I was simultaneously working on another novel at the same time. I still didn't know if it was going to be a novel or a story collection until the manuscript was finished, and then the linked stories made the most sense, particularly within the location they have in common. I liked the idea of stories about these connected lives that didn't necessarily have neat conclusions and might haunt readers a little after they've finished reading. This seems to have been achieved, according to some of the reviews. Presenter: Your novel has wonderful dialogues, as well as exciting, long, uninterrupted monologues. How do you manage to make them so gripping? Is that the effect of your experience as a playwright? Judy White: I think whether writing dialogue for plays or narrative fiction, you have to pay attention to your characters, more so than to the rules of whatever medium in which you're writing. I like to picture my characters and imagine their speech patterns, the sound of their voices, conversations they might have. Sometimes I'll write snippets of dialogue and think: 'That's a nice couple of lines, but would this character really say that'? So for me, it's more about respecting the characters, trying to stay true to their voices. Presenter: There's a strong sense of belonging which is felt by the characters of your book. How much do you feel the same way? How has your sense of belonging to your community changed as you've grown as a person and an artist? Judy White: I think I've almost always felt like something of an outsider, no matter how much I appear to belong to a particular group. I've spoken to other writers who've experienced this kind of psychic detachment, where externally you are a part of the scene, but internally you might as well be alone, and on some level, you're always observing. It's an interesting paradox because most of the time, unless you tell them, nobody else knows how you're really feeling. I used to live in the place described in the book. I no longer live there, but I have some friends and colleagues who still live there. Presenter: Thank you, Judy. It has been very interesting talking to you. Judy White: Thank you.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды. Пример ответа: 1 5. What unites stories in Judy’s book? 1) Common main characters. 2) The place where they happen. 3) Central ideas and messages.

Presenter: Hello everybody and welcome to our weekly programme 'The Writer's Workshop'. Today in our studio we are lucky to have Judy White, whose writing has appeared in the New York Times and News Day, and whose plays have been performed in NYC theatres and at major festivals. She has recently published her first novel 'If I Knew', which is already a number one bestseller worldwide. Hello, Judy. Judy White: Good afternoon. Thank you for inviting me here today. Presenter: Could you please tell us a bit more about the concept of your book? Judy White: With great pleasure. I think the book is so successful thanks to its concept of a collection of linked stories. On the one hand, the book doesn't quite build and develop its storylines the way a novel would. On the other hand, many of the stories do seem like chapters, with narrative arcs of their own and endings that seem incomplete, like the prelude to another story or chapter. Also, some of the chapters are almost character sketches, which is probably insufficient to drive a standalone story, but which, in the context of the book as a whole, are really probing and thoughtful. Presenter: How did you decide on the structure of the book? Judy White: The content and structure of 'If I Knew' almost had a life of its own. I wrote the last story first and knew it was going to be the last story, but really had no idea what would come before. I just started writing the stories pretty much out of sequence, and I would send them to my agent as they were completed. I was simultaneously working on another novel at the same time. I still didn't know if it was going to be a novel or a story collection until the manuscript was finished, and then the linked stories made the most sense, particularly within the location they have in common. I liked the idea of stories about these connected lives that didn't necessarily have neat conclusions and might haunt readers a little after they've finished reading. This seems to have been achieved, according to some of the reviews. Presenter: Your novel has wonderful dialogues, as well as exciting, long, uninterrupted monologues. How do you manage to make them so gripping? Is that the effect of your experience as a playwright? Judy White: I think whether writing dialogue for plays or narrative fiction, you have to pay attention to your characters, more so than to the rules of whatever medium in which you're writing. I like to picture my characters and imagine their speech patterns, the sound of their voices, conversations they might have. Sometimes I'll write snippets of dialogue and think: 'That's a nice couple of lines, but would this character really say that'? So for me, it's more about respecting the characters, trying to stay true to their voices. Presenter: There's a strong sense of belonging which is felt by the characters of your book. How much do you feel the same way? How has your sense of belonging to your community changed as you've grown as a person and an artist? Judy White: I think I've almost always felt like something of an outsider, no matter how much I appear to belong to a particular group. I've spoken to other writers who've experienced this kind of psychic detachment, where externally you are a part of the scene, but internally you might as well be alone, and on some level, you're always observing. It's an interesting paradox because most of the time, unless you tell them, nobody else knows how you're really feeling. I used to live in the place described in the book. I no longer live there, but I have some friends and colleagues who still live there. Presenter: Thank you, Judy. It has been very interesting talking to you. Judy White: Thank you.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды. Пример ответа: 1 6. The presenter characterizes the dialogues in the book as … 1) interesting. 2) theatrical. 3) unnatural.

Presenter: Hello everybody and welcome to our weekly programme 'The Writer's Workshop'. Today in our studio we are lucky to have Judy White, whose writing has appeared in the New York Times and News Day, and whose plays have been performed in NYC theatres and at major festivals. She has recently published her first novel 'If I Knew', which is already a number one bestseller worldwide. Hello, Judy. Judy White: Good afternoon. Thank you for inviting me here today. Presenter: Could you please tell us a bit more about the concept of your book? Judy White: With great pleasure. I think the book is so successful thanks to its concept of a collection of linked stories. On the one hand, the book doesn't quite build and develop its storylines the way a novel would. On the other hand, many of the stories do seem like chapters, with narrative arcs of their own and endings that seem incomplete, like the prelude to another story or chapter. Also, some of the chapters are almost character sketches, which is probably insufficient to drive a standalone story, but which, in the context of the book as a whole, are really probing and thoughtful. Presenter: How did you decide on the structure of the book? Judy White: The content and structure of 'If I Knew' almost had a life of its own. I wrote the last story first and knew it was going to be the last story, but really had no idea what would come before. I just started writing the stories pretty much out of sequence, and I would send them to my agent as they were completed. I was simultaneously working on another novel at the same time. I still didn't know if it was going to be a novel or a story collection until the manuscript was finished, and then the linked stories made the most sense, particularly within the location they have in common. I liked the idea of stories about these connected lives that didn't necessarily have neat conclusions and might haunt readers a little after they've finished reading. This seems to have been achieved, according to some of the reviews. Presenter: Your novel has wonderful dialogues, as well as exciting, long, uninterrupted monologues. How do you manage to make them so gripping? Is that the effect of your experience as a playwright? Judy White: I think whether writing dialogue for plays or narrative fiction, you have to pay attention to your characters, more so than to the rules of whatever medium in which you're writing. I like to picture my characters and imagine their speech patterns, the sound of their voices, conversations they might have. Sometimes I'll write snippets of dialogue and think: 'That's a nice couple of lines, but would this character really say that'? So for me, it's more about respecting the characters, trying to stay true to their voices. Presenter: There's a strong sense of belonging which is felt by the characters of your book. How much do you feel the same way? How has your sense of belonging to your community changed as you've grown as a person and an artist? Judy White: I think I've almost always felt like something of an outsider, no matter how much I appear to belong to a particular group. I've spoken to other writers who've experienced this kind of psychic detachment, where externally you are a part of the scene, but internally you might as well be alone, and on some level, you're always observing. It's an interesting paradox because most of the time, unless you tell them, nobody else knows how you're really feeling. I used to live in the place described in the book. I no longer live there, but I have some friends and colleagues who still live there. Presenter: Thank you, Judy. It has been very interesting talking to you. Judy White: Thank you.