Interview with Jan Goldie

I was watching Derek Murphy the other day and he always used mermaid stories as his go to for examples. So when I found Jan Goldie I had to chuckle to myself. Here was the person that Derek Murphy was talking about all along.

So Jan tell us about your latest novel or project:

A sequel to Brave’s Journey, at the moment unnamed

What got you started writing?

I won an essay competition at school and the prize was a book. I thought anything that would win you a book must be worth doing.

Amazing how some so innocent can have such a massive impact further on in life.

What challenges did you face when you first started writing?

I thought I was a good writer already. Once you get over that, you can start learning from other writers, learning techniques, learning how to edit and so on. There is always something new to learn when it comes to writing.

Yeah, the first time I joined an online writing community I had to face that hurdle myself.

Do you ever get the opportunity to travel for your writing?

I’ve written a couple of travel articles. I write web content, communications and marketing for a living as I’m trained as a journalist. Occasionally the opportunity to write about an activity or location comes up. Would love to do more!

Who in your life is your greatest cheerleader or support in your writing?

My children. My 12 year old is writing her own book this year and constantly shows me up with her determination to write every day. My partner. He brainstorms ideas with me and constantly believes in my ability to put words on paper even when I don’t.

What is it like writing in New Zealand that would be different if you lived anywhere else?

Our distance from the rest of the world creates an interesting dynamic in many New Zealand stories. Sometimes the distance is like a character itself, a kind of lurking presence, helping us observe ourselves or others. This physical opportunity or limitation (depending on how you look at it) can shape the story and often the characters in a unique way. On a more practical note, I think NZ writers often have more of an opportunity to easily get away from it all and write outside the hustle and bustle. Or at least, should I say, they have the choice to write amidst it all, or to distance themselves and look in.

My favourite place is the top of Ruapehu to write.

Who is your favourite New Zealand author and why?

I very much like Brian Falkner who wrote Northwood and many YA novels. While I love the fantasy/sci fi elements of these books, it’s the authentic characters that grab me. I like that he embues most of his characters with a sense of hope and true grit.

What advice would you give for other writers in New Zealand?

Join writers groups, go to writing classes, read in the genre you are writing but also read widely, outside of that genre. Go to theatre, movies, music, dance and be inspired by other arts.

Do you get to network or meet up with other New Zealand authors?

Yes, I belong to SpecFicNZ www.specficnz.co.nz and meet with them every couple of months and this year I was involved in organising the LexiCon 2017 New Zealand national science fiction and fantasy convention in Taupo, where must was organised for writers of the genre.

I love SpecFicNZ. They are marvellous.

How long does it take you to write a book? Do you have any secrets to productivity?

My novella A MerTale was written on a writing retreat and was put together relatively quickly over 6 months. My first novel however took at least two years to write as a part time writer. I wrote far too many words and had to cut them all back. I do not have any secrets. What I’ve realised is that if you wait until you’re ‘in the mood’ to write, nothing will get done. Glue your butt to the seat in those few hours you can scrape from your busy life and create.

Do you have any writing rituals?

Coffee. Tea. Snacks. Lots of them. Writing down ideas on my phone or paper at any time I get them, whether that’s in the car (pull over) or in the middle of the night.

What is your best experience meeting a fan?

The best part of being an author for children is talking to the kids about your book. I’ve always really enjoyed the reviews kids give me and more often than not they’ll tell me how I should have written the story or how the next one should go. Kids have some great ideas and aren’t afraid to tell you about them! I visit schools too and that’s always very inspiring.

Do you have any book you have written that won’t ever see the light of day and why?

I have two romantic comedy/chick flick manuscripts percolating and doubt they will see the light of day. But who knows!

Many authors have a word or a phrase they automatically use too often. Do you have one?

Yes! I have several. In my first full length novel my editor took out over 300 uses of the word up! She looked up, let’s go up, etc etc I also now avoid the use of the word ‘just’.

At least that is an easy one to fix. Thank you for sharing some of your story with us and good luck with your project.