Writing in New Zealand is a tough business. I’ve recently started reading a lot more New Zealand fiction and as a country, we are producing some great work. I’ve discovered some talented authors in the Twitter writing community. These hard-working creatives should get more exposure. The idea for this segment grew from a desire to support New Zealand writers. It goes live on the 7th of each month.
My guest for this month is Gareth Ward, a writer of fantastical steampunk tales who is making his mark on the New Zealand youth literature scene.
The Interview
K: What is an early book / author that inspired you to write? What are you reading now?
GW: As far back as I can remember I’ve always loved stories. As a child, I remember reading the Hardy Boys adventure series and being so excited when a new book came out. I think the author that really inspired me to write was Sir Terry Pratchett. I loved the Disc World novels and Sir Terry’s sense of humour really struck a chord with me. I’m currently reading ‘The Name of the Wind’ by Patrick Rothfuss which everybody has been telling me for years that I must read – they were right.
K: What is your daily writing schedule like?
GW: I don’t have a writing schedule as such because my life tends to get quite complicated, I own two bookshops and have varying daily commitments with them. What works for me is to write a minimum of five hundred words a day. This is a target which is normally manageable whatever my commitments. On a good day, I may get up to 2000 words done, but those days are rare. If I have deadline for an edit or similar I will work on that. I normally have two novels on the go at once. One which is still in the first draft stage and one which I am re-writing.
K: What is your favourite remedy for ‘the dreaded block’?
GW: So far, I have been fortunate not to suffer from writer’s block. I just sit down and write and the words come. Some days they may be rubbish and I will end up getting rid of most of them but the important thing for me is to just write. If I have a specific plot point or issue I am struggling with, I find taking the dog for a walk to be quite inspirational.
K: What do you hope people get out of your books?
GW: I hope people enjoy my books. I’m a strong believer that reading should be fun. Like all good books there are some moral messages in my writing which I hope will make people think, or have greater empathy, but I try to make them subtle enough that they don’t get in the way of the story. I guess one of the underlying messages in The Traitor and the Thief is the waste of war. I have massive respect for professional soldiers, less so for the people who send them off to die so readily.
K: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
GW: I would tell myself to get professional help with my writing sooner – and listen to that advice. I feel my writing improved dramatically when I paid to get one of my manuscripts professionally assessed. This helped me alleviate a number of bad writing habits which would immediately result in my manuscripts being rejected. I also undertook a writing course where sections of my manuscript were assessed by a mentor and this again was incredibly useful in developing my craft.
K: And one from my son, who is 10 and loved The Traitor and the Thief: What inspired you to write the book?
GW: I was sitting at my writing desk and thought ‘Wouldn’t Sin be a great name for a character.’ Very soon I knew that Sin was an Orphan living rough on the streets of a Steampunk Victorian Oxford and the rest built from there. Also, please let your son know I have just signed the contract for the sequel so it should be coming out next year.
My book is available on the Book Depository but if you live in New Zealand or Australia I’d love it if you supported your local book store and ordered it from them. I feel strongly that bookshops can play a major part in our communities and have a massive positive influence in promoting a love of reading.
Author Bio
Gareth Ward, a.k.a. The Great Wardini is a magician, hypnotist, storyteller, bookseller and author. He has worked as a Royal Marine Commando, Police Officer, Evil Magician and Zombie. He basically likes jobs where you get to wear really cool hats.
His first novel ,The Traitor and the Thief, a rip-roaring young adult Steampunk adventure, won the 2016 Storylines Tessa Duder Award, the 2018 Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel, a 2018 Storylines Notable Book Award and was a finalist in two categories at the 2018 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Website: http://garethwardauthor.com