John Marsden – 1000 Words a Day Leads to Successful Writing Career
John Marsden is one of Australia’s most successful authors. Born in 1950, he had his first book – So Much to Tell You – published in 1987. Since then he has written or edited more than 40 books. His books have been translated into nine languages and he has sold more than five million worldwide.
Prior to succeeding as a writer, he had worked in a variety of jobs including pizza delivery and working in an abattoir.
His book So Much to Tell You won the "Book of the Year" as awarded by the Children's Book Council of Australia. He has also won various other awards including the 2006 Lloyd O'Neil Award for contributions to Australian publishing. In 2008 he was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world’s largest youth literature award and second largest literature prize on earth.
Probably his largest success has come from his ‘Tomorrow’ series. Tomorrow, When the War Began has sold more than two million copies worldwide and was recently made into a successful movie. It is the first book in a series of seven with a follow up trilogy entitled The Ellie Chronicles.
In this interview, John spoke about a typical writing day and how he saw the future of publishing now that ebooks have arrived.
Darrell - How did you become a writer?
John - When was I not a writer? I always loved stories, hearing them and telling them. I always enjoyed language. And for as long as I can remember, I've been an avid reader. Writing just came naturally to me.
Darrell - Can you describe a typical day of writing?
John - Many hours of procrastination, before I reluctantly sit at the desk and start rereading the last page or two of the book I'm currently working on.
Gradually I get drawn into the story again and almost unconsciously start writing. I try to do 1000 words a day.
Darrell - Do you plot your stories out or do you just start at page one and see where the novel takes you?
John - I totally just start at page 1 and see what happens. Of course I have some vague idea of where the book is likely to go, but it often goes in unexpected directions.
Darrell - You obviously have a love both of teaching and writing. What do you think are the most important things kids have to learn to realise their potential in life?
John - I don't think I can answer that. But the children whose lives are built on strong foundations are obviously in a much better position than the ones whose lives are built on chaos.
As a teacher, I try to add a bit of cement to the foundations of children whose lives are not well-based.
Darrell - What advice would you have for someone trying to succeed as a writer?
John - If you're writing non-fiction, make sure you have your own voice! If you're writing fiction, try to give each character an individual voice.
Darrell - What's your opinion of ebooks and what do you think will happen to hard copy books now that ebooks are here?
John - Hard copy books seem to be surviving quite well. I enjoy reading ebooks occasionally, but so far I don't find them a satisfactory substitute for the tactile interactions with paper and text that hardcopy books provide!
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