I’ve
just got back from a week of touring schools and bookshops to promote my latest
book, The Clockill and the Thief.
One of my favourite parts of presenting to
kids is the questions section at the end of the talk. You always get a certain
number of questions that are the same but then you also get the weird,
wonderful and insightful.
Here are a few of them, with a completely
unscientific indication of how frequently they occur.
How long did it take to write your book? (Always
asked)
It
took me about a year to get the manuscript submission ready and then it was
about another three months back and forth with the editors.
What do you do when you get writer’s block?
(Frequently asked)
I
don’t get writers block. If I don’t know what to write I just write anything. I
don’t care if it’s rubbish because if I just keep writing the good stuff will
come, and it’s all going to be pruned and re-worked anyway. An editor once said
to me ‘you can’t edit a blank page’ and that has stuck with me.
Who would you most like to co-author a book
with? (Asked once only)
J.K.
Rowling. I love the Harry Potter stories and who wouldn’t want to write
something with the most famous children’s author ever?
Who are your inspirations?(Occasionally asked)
If
we are talking about authors, it has to be Philip Pullman. When I read his
writing it makes me want to cry because it’s so good. I also love Jonathan
Stroud’s Lockwood & Co series. As for my own books, my children are an
inspiration to me.
How much do you get paid? (Frequently asked)
Many
authors I know dodge this question, but I feel it’s important to answer it because
I sometimes think there is a misconception that if you have a book published
you somehow automatically become rich. Most authors get about a 10% royalty on
the sale price of a book, and many books will only sell a few thousand copies,
so not a great return for something that took you a year to complete. In the
end you write because it is a passion and anything else is a bonus.
How do you think of names for your characters?
(Frequently asked)
Names
are hard. Naming your characters is a bit like naming your children. There are
so many names that you can’t use for various reasons such as you went to school
with someone of that name and they were a complete horror. Mostly the names I
use just pop into my head, quite often when I am walking my dog. Sometimes I
will try and craft a name to a character, but I tend to find the organic
approach works best.
Do you plot your entire book out before hand?
(Occasionally asked)
Writers
often refer to plotters, who plot their story out beforehand, and pantsers, who
fly by the seat of their pants and make their story up as they go along. I tend
to be more of a pantser than a plotter, but I always know the start of my
story, the end of my story and the three key plot points. For new writers I
strongly recommend plotting your story out beforehand.
Why do you write Steampunk? (Frequently asked)
Steampunk
is a great genre in which to write. It has the rich backdrop of the Victorian
period, which is hugely interesting from a historic point of view, and then I
can just let my imagination run wild with my own worldbuilding and fantastic
scientific creations.
How old are you? (Frequently asked)
I
think this is often asked because as part of my presentation I perform a magic
trick and claim it’s based on a true event that happened to me a hundred years
ago. Most of the kids know I’m joshing but sometimes they just want to make
sure. And in case you’re interested, I’m fifty-one.
There
are many other questions I get asked, most of which are specific to the talk I
give about how my life has inspired my writing, however there is always a
chance of getting that weird question that blind-sides me. My favourite to date
is,'Are you actually dead?'To which the answer is of course…
GarethWard is the author of the multi-award winning The Traitor and the Thief and
has just launched the sequel The Clockill and the Thief. Both books are
published by Walker Books Australia and available in bookshops and online. He
can be contacted via his website garethwardauthor.com
