Interview with What the Dickens? magazine
for Issue #3 (1st April 2012)
Have you got previous? What is your writing background?
I started my professional writing career in 1987 by founding the small press writers’ magazine, Quartos, which ran for nine years until its merger with Acclaim to create The New Writer, of which I remain editor along with publisher Merric Davidson. In addition to acting as a judge for several national writing competitions, I have tutored at writers’ workshops including The Annual Writers’ Conference (Winchester College), Writers’ Holiday (University of Wales), Horncastle College (Lincolnshire) and the Cheltenham Literature Festival. I am also the author over 30 books on spiritual, country and self-help matters (including two novels), and contributed articles to a variety of publications as diverse as The Lady, The Countryman, Prediction and the Funeral Director’s Journal.
How did you come to write the book Life-Writes?
When I wrote my first writing guide I was editing a magazine, and with one published book to my name, the aim being to produce a practical nuts and bolts guide to starting a writing career, with plenty of additional advice from other tutors, editors, authors and freelance writers. The second guide was written to support the increasing number of writers’ workshops I was tutoring; as the first book had passed its sell-by date and was out of print, another completely different book was required. Life-Writes, is my third writers’ guide, and has been written to coincide with my appointment as commissioning editor for Compass Books, so that as an author I always have something new on offer and not stuck in the time-warp of constantly regurgitating previously published material.
How long did it take you to write and did you have to research a lot?
It probably took about six months but most of the material was in my head and back issues of The New Writer. Having said that, another book currently in its final proofing stage has taken 10 years to finish and a considerable amount of research time.
The road to publication? Rough or smooth?
I’m extremely fortunate that it’s been relatively smooth but, like David Bowie, I’m constantly re-inventing myself! Writers can’t afford to stagnate and we must always be on the lookout for new ideas.
What inspires you?
My environment. I’m at my most prolific when in close proximity to woods, the sea, or mountains. At present I am living in Ireland with a magnificent view of the Galtee Mountains. When I live in an urban environment I really have to work hard at getting the old creative energies to flow.
Which books have influenced you the most and why?
Writers rather than actual books have influenced my style of writing in terms of delivery and the clever use of language – Noel Coward, Simon Raven, Colette, Francoise Sagan, to name but a few.
Where and when do you write?
I write better in the mornings and have a book-lined study/office that overlooks the mountains. I prefer to work for several hours at a stretch rather than ‘an hour a day’, and if the brain starts to slow down, I take our seven greyhounds out for a walk to recharge the batteries.
What are your plans now and what’s coming up next?
There are two more books in the pipeline: Fact Finding Mission and How To Write for the How-To Market. After that there’s the first draft of a novel to work on, plus several other ideas that are still in note-form.
What words of wisdom can you leave us with?
All editors are looking for an element of action, drama or surprise, even in non-fiction. It’s what catches their attention and makes them pause to read further; and the key to any editor’s heart is originality. Not necessarily a new departure in style or genre, but a refreshing and original slant on a popular theme. The writers whose work has been accepted for publication, managed to spark the editor’s interest because those particular typescripts stood out from the rest on a dull, wet Monday morning due to the originality of the writing.
See www.facebook.com/JHPCompassBooks
