Ask the Author: Justin Newland
Answered Questions (7)
Justin Newland
The iconic romantic couple, Romeo and Juliet. They completely allowed their hearts to rule their heads, in defiance of all prevailing conditions. Even unto death. Their story also showed that you don't choose with whom you fall in love.
Justin Newland
I get inspired to write about things that everyone knows about, or thinks they know about, and then through the writing get them to look at those same things in a different way or from a new perspective. That's why I write historical fiction. We think they 'know' about history, but do we, really, know not only what happened but why it happened? History is really a series of fragmented facts joined by pieces of string by modern historians. And there's more hiatus than series, since there are so many gaps. That's why history is so fascinating to me as an author, because you can point your imagination at the gaps, and allow it to fill them in.
Justin Newland
That's a curious one. One day, I got to wondering why there are so many walls in the world, from boundary walls to fences, to frontier posts, to hedgerows, to natural barriers, to garden walls, etc.. That led me to write a short story about a fairly local wall, Hadrian's Wall, a story called Vallum Hadriani, which can be found in this anthology. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3.... In turn, that led me to research the Great Wall of China, and to discover the Laolongtou.
Justin Newland
I'm working on a novel featuring the Great Wall, set in Ming Dynasty China. The Chinese envisage the wall as a great serpent sprawled across the land, slaking its thirst at the far eastern end in the waters of the Bohai Sea at a place called The Old Dragon's Head, the book's working title. The Chinese culture has a long association with the supernatural and this novel fits perfectly into my current writing paradigm.
Justin Newland
Three things. The first is summed up in a saying I saw on Facebook, which goes something like 'There are two kinds of writers, those who gave up, and those who didn't.' I think dedication and discipline are two essential ingredients of success - in anything. The second is the support structures - from being part of some great writing groups, going to Cons, being on panels, meeting other writers, working with editors, giving readings, going on courses, getting short stories published, being around other creative people. the third is that writing is a craft that needs many skills. You have to be able to hold many strands and characters in your mind at the same time, and pull together many threads - and you have to be good at them all, from writing to editing, to planning, to research. I also realised along the way is that I was no good at editing and the reason was that I didn't like it. That was a vicious circle, feeding itself. So I determined to get good at editing, which now I have achieved to some degree. Work in progress, of course.
Three things. The first is summed up in a saying I saw on Facebook, which goes something like 'There are two kinds of writers, those who gave up, and those who didn't.' I think dedication and discipline are two essential ingredients of success - in anything. The second is the support structures - from being part of some great writing groups, going to Cons, being on panels, meeting other writers, working with editors, giving readings, going on courses, getting short stories published, being around other creative people. the third is that writing is a craft that needs many skills. You have to be able to hold many strands and characters in your mind at the same time, and pull together many threads - and you have to be good at them all, from writing to editing, to planning, to research. I also realised along the way is that I was no good at editing and the reason was that I didn't like it. That was a vicious circle, feeding itself. So I determined to get good at editing, which now I have achieved to some degree. Work in progress, of course.
Justin Newland
First of all, it's the surprises that the imagination springs on you. I tend to plot the novel before writing it, and then when I write it, I love the deviations and tangents that my imagination takes me down, completely different to where I expected to end up. The second thing I love about being a writer is that you learn new stuff all the time, not just about the craft and art of writing, but about life, people, just odd and curious facts. Third thing is, I know from the sheer complexity if the art of writing, that I'll never produce a perfect story or novel. Which means you can always develop and improve.
Justin Newland
It's a question of re-linking to the sense of the novel and the characters. One way that works for me is to delve into the backstory of the novel, by talking to the characters, drawing pictures of what they look like, drawing plans of the town or city or room the features (helps to envisage the narrative better). I also research different aspects of the plot (I tend to write historical fiction, so there's always more research to be done). The imagination is the author's muse, and, like a muscle, needs the right kind or regular exercise and rest. Sometimes I'll try and conjure all aspects of the problem, where I'm stuck in the plot or with the characters, and - as Stephen King so aptly puts it - let the 'boys in the basement' sort it out. Imagination is a semi-conscious process, so the help of the unconscious is crucial to coming up with off-the-wall solutions.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more