Colin Ward interview
A little introduction:
I am an author and self-publisher with many years' experience in writing, design, and the arts. I write novels, poetry, plays and any kind of professional copy for websites. As a qualified and experienced teacher, I also give editorial advice and critique, especially to new writers.
When did your love of books begin?
I have always loved reading and learning. But after my degree in theatre I stopped reading for pleasure for almost ten years. Academic reading had put me off so badly. Then I picked up "Deadline" by Simon Kernick, purely by chance, and read it front to back in a couple of days. I was blown away by how fast paced and action packed a book could be. After that, I consumed his entire series, then found Mark Billingham, Michael Robotham, and so many more. These days I am a huge Audio Book fan and chomp through so many of those. A great narrator is needed, though.
When did you start to have the wish to become an author?
I have written in many forms for well over twenty years, mostly in theatre and plays, and musicals, for a long time. It was only when getting into Crime Fiction that my love for story pushed me to go big and write a whole novel. So, in 2014, I spent the whole of October planning my first book and jumped into NaNoWriMo for the first time. A very rough draft of my first novel came out the other end. Sure, it took a long time to finally have it ready to publish, but still it existed.
How have you found the process for becoming an author?
I enjoy writing stories. I had serious problems with my second novel because I hit a major writers block with it for various personal reasons. But I am not publishing that (literally THIS MONTH) and writing my third of the trilogy. The first book was a steep learning curve as I also had to learn how to self-publish. I had grown tired of writing for theatre where you spend a year or two writing a play, then spend years trying to get people to stage it. I wanted my story out there for people to read. I had to design the book, the cover, get it edited and learn a lot of new technical stuff. Nowadays, I help other self published authors learn those basics.
What would you say to those wanting to become an author?
Read. Read. Read, and read some more. You need to learn the craft of story - it is not something "anyone" can do. It takes practise and skill, just like learning photography. Just having a camera won't make you a good photographer. Just like having paints and canvas doesn't make you a painter. And so just having a pen and paper, or your laptop, does not make you a good writer. It's worth seeking out some bloody awful books, too. So you can hear the difference. My background is in theatre, and I have always been a strong writer, but even I still look to improve. To hone my skills, iron out bad habits. One has to know the "rules" and be able to perform them before you can claim to intelligently break them. Learn the difference between feedback and critique, and between "Opinion" and critique.
Tell us about your book/books:
My heftiest books are my crime fictions. I tend to dive into the deep end with challenging issues. I don't do it to be gratutous, I do it out of a passion for catharsis - give one's reader the opportunity to explore issues that might be too frightening in real life, and put them sqaure and centre on the page. My second novel, Innocent Lies, (Due out 18th November 2021) opens with a fifteen-year-old girl taking her own life having just given birth. My first novel, "To Die For" pushes the boundaries of depravity when it comes to the way the serial killer does his deed. And my third novel...well, time shall tell. My play "No Smoke" is also about the complex world of child abuse and false allegations (it was due to be staged again in 2020, but had to be cancelled. It might see the stage in 2022.)
I also write poetry, too. I have two collections out and will be getting back to more of that now that "Innocent Lies" is off my shoulders.
What do you love about the writing/reading community?
The writing and reading community is a great way to meet like-minded people. I also found out about Swanwick Summer School for writers - which runs in August. In fact, on my first year there I ran a workshop for delegates on writing plot twists. Making good contacts is vital, especially in Indie writing, because we don't have the vast publishers behind us to market our books. But also, do get in touch with well-known authors - they are great people. At the heart of it, most good writers just love spinning a damned good yarn, and we love reading, too. Currently I am working through Peter May's books - I so wish I could write such compelling fiction as him.
If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?
My readers? Well, firstly, huge thanks for reading - I hope you enjoyed the stories and got hooked in by all the twists and turns. Shot out about the books, get people to read them, come back and tell me about other writers you'd loved: I love to read, too. If you want to write, the do it. But tell us a story - it doesn't need to be a brand new story, either. Tell us an old one in your way. Find your own voice, and that doesn't mean tell us "your" story, because I promise you, a well crafted fiction is so much better than a mirky half-remembered "you had to be there" memoire or biographical book.
Where can people connect with you?
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment