Ask the Author: Joan Fallon
Answered Questions (5)
Joan Fallon
Many things inspire me to write, a conversation with a friend, an article in a newspaper a visit to somewhere I have never been before, events in my own life, even extreme changes in the weather. My novel The Only Blue Door was inspired by an article in the newspaper about the children sent to Australia during WW2, believing that they were orphans.
Joan Fallon
My advice for aspiring writers is to read as much and as widely as you can. Courses are useful and will give you the structure but nothing will ever be as useful as reading other people's books, especially established authors.
Joan Fallon
Ten years ago we visited an exhibition of Umayyad art at the ruins of Madinat al Zahra, just outside Cordoba, in Spain. I was very taken with the place and amazed that the palace had lasted no more than 75 years. Many years later I decided to write a novel, The Shining City, set in this ancient palace-city and had as my hero a young artisan who falls in love with the Caliph's concubine. To learn of the consequences you need to read the book.
Joan Fallon
Creating a world of your own choosing and inventing the characters who live in it - it's almost like being a child again. However it can become a form of escapism if you spend too much time living in the mind of your characters.
Joan Fallon
I don't really suffer from writer's block. Occasionally I wonder exactly where the story is going but I just leave it and spend a few hours clarifying my thoughts before starting again. My problem is finding enough time to do all the writing I have in my head.
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