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Joanna Orwin
- Name of author: Joanna Orwin
Where do you currently live? Christchurch
What inspired you to write your first book?
Becoming involved in writing originally was chance and
opportunity. I was
unemployed, home with a young baby, two children at primary school,
and
have never been good at not having mental occupation. I hadn’t
intended becoming a
writer, but decided it would be fun to have a go!
How long does it take you to write a book?
Time varies, depending on the amount of research needed and
the
complexity of the book. The Tar Dragon took me 3 weeks, Owl took
me a
year (and I'd already spent time over quite a few years thinking
about it).
How has being a writer changed your life?
Writing has given me the chance to explore ideas and
happenings that
interest me then create something new from the results – that process
means life is
full of the intriguing and unexpected.
If you weren’t a writer, what would have been your
occupation?
I've only been a full -time writer for the past five years. Before
that I
worked as a scientist and scientific editor in environmental sciences.
If I was starting again, I think
I would like to have been an anthropologist.
Any tips on how others can become writers?
If you have the passion to write, sit down and write, then write
some
more, and when you're not writing, read - and read lots. The only way
to learn to write is to do it.
What are some of the pitfalls you have experienced as a writer?
Mainly the angst of waiting to hear whether a book will be
published.
This can be a long wait - up to a year. It's easy to lose confidence and
can make it hard to work on a new
story. Writing can be lonely too,
and when you're in the middle of a story, the rest of your life
goes on hold.
What was the best thing that happened in your writing career?
Finding that my stories can sometimes have a life-changing effect
on readers.
I have been told of children who were first turned on to reading or writing
by my
books, and children who acknowledged their Maori heritage for
the first time as a result
of being read one of my books – that is special
and humbling.
Can you give an example from one of your books of how you found
your characters?
Characters are an amalgam of physical and personality traits that
will suit
the role they need to fill in the story. In Owl, Hamish needed to suit the
nickname Owl
so that he could 'fit' the Maori legend. Both his bookish
personality and his round face and tufty hair as
well as his glasses reflect
that need.
Did you base any of your books on a real life experience?
Real life experience is part of all my books in many ways. Being
taken
to see a moahunter quarry site on the Whangamoa Hill (Nelson) when I
was about 10 or so had a
huge imaginative impact on me – a thousand
years of history. The people who had worked
there and their lifestyle
were what I wanted to learn about and then write about. The two Ihaka
books
were the result.
Do you start your stories with the aim of making a social
statement
or do the stories grow on their own as you write them?
Heaven forbid! Social statements are not the aim of a good story
– or
shouldn't be. I start with a landscape, a situation, a dilemma, and the story
evolves from how the
characters respond. Inevitably, the story turns
out to have an underlying theme, but that is also something that
evolves
and far more subconsciously than the story itself. In telling stories all writers
are attempting to
explore the human condition.
Who is your favourite author?
I don't really have favourite authors as such because there are so
many
wonderful writers out there - I read a lot and enjoy many different styles
of writing, both
adult and children's writing.
What was the last book you read?
Life of Pi by Yann Martel - a wonderful book! And for
children, Alchemy
by Margaret Mahy – a deserving winner.
Do you have children? (Since you write children’s stories)
My three children are now grown up – but I started writing when
they
were small.
What writing awards have you received?
For children's books: Owl 2001 Senior Fiction Winner - NZ Post
Children's Book Awards 2002
What books have you written?
For children books:
Watcher in the Forest 1987 Short-listed
Children’s Book of the Year 1988
The Guardian of the Land 1985 Children’s
Book of the Year 1986
Ihaka and the Prophecy 1984 Short-listed
Children’s Book of the Year 1985
For adult books:
The Story of Kauri (current project) 2003 Award in History
Four Generations from Maoridom 1992 Award in History
(Syd Cormack as told to Joanna Orwin) 1997
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