Ask the Author: J.P. Manning
Answered Questions (7)
J.P. Manning
The inspiration to write comes from meeting interesting people, finding yourself in interesting places or experiencing strange events. Characters, setting and plot are the ingredients and it only takes one to inspire the other elements. I think this is why so many stories can legitimately state, this story is based on actual events or a true story. I'd like to use 'based on a true story' for my next novel and I hope I can complete a documentary on the true story too.
J.P. Manning
Since completing my Guardians of the East trilogy, I've been working on something much closer to home. My next novel will be set in a rural town in Australia. I'm not ready to reveal the full plot but I can tell you that I first wrote the story as a screenplay. It involves a kangaroo, a butcher, a reporter and, by the end, the whole world.
J.P. Manning
I have 3 points of advice for aspiring writers. Number 1 is know the real problem you are writing about. Every novel needs a complication to create tension and this is your elevator pitch and plot focus. E.g. Kar’s village is decimated and he vows to fight the king responsible. Number 2 is rewrite to improve description of people and places. Number 3 is get an editor, not just a friend, and complete this process, including type setting in novel format, before sharing it with a publishing company or the world.
J.P. Manning
The best thing about being a writer is creation without boundaries. You can create worlds and characters. And you can explore worlds through characters that take on a life of their own. You know synergy is achieved when the characters direct the plot.
J.P. Manning
I’m not a full time writer so writer’s block is not a common problem for me. When I have the chance to write, I’m usually ready to spill. If I do get blocked, I like to re-read, distract myself with deeper-dive research or think about Bag of Bones, my favourite Stephen King novel. The protagonist in that novel had writers block and it changed my view of the term.
J.P. Manning
In 1985, when I was five years old, I was told to wait at the entrance to a school to be picked up by my mother. I waited into the night because there was road work happening and all traffic was directed to another entrance.
J.P. Manning
The year after I finished high school, I was working as a gardener and I thought I saw a friend from school. He was dropping someone off. I called out to him but he was too far away and he drove away before I got close. The next day, I saw this same friend dropping someone off at the same location. I asked him about the previous day and he told me that he had only arrived on this day after a long drive.
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