Bill Condon is a well-known
Australian children’s author whose books have been CBCA short-listed four times
and won numerous awards, including the inaugural Australian Prime Minister’s
Literary Award for Youth Literature. His last CBCA short-listing was his junior
novel, The Simple Things (Allen &
Unwin) in 2015. His most recent junior novel is All of Us Together (About Kids Books), a gentle and sometimes funny
family story set in the 1930s Australian Great Depression. Today he shares some of his writing journey.
I had my first book for children
published in the early 80s when I was just a boy of 30 something years. Now I’m
just a boy of 67, but I’m still hanging in there. I stumbled into writing,
probably because at school it was the only thing I showed any aptitude for.
When I was about 14 I wrote an essay that a teacher singled out for praise – a
rare thing for me in those days – and I think that’s what got me dreaming of
one day becoming a writer. My writing apprenticeship was simply living and
earning a crust, mowing lawns and working in factories, meeting people and
hearing about their lives, all the time subconsciously ‘growing’ my own
stories, which I’ve been plundering ever since.
What do you
enjoy most about being a writer?
I
love the freedom of being able to create my own little world and to play in it,
also to escape from real life and to not have a boss. Writing is the one thing
I can do well.
What
is the hardest aspect of being a writer?
Self-discipline, mainly the
pressure I put on myself, lots of negative messages. There are millions of
books so it’s extremely hard to come up with something original. There’s also
the stress of spending years writing something which might never be published.
Writers
are sometimes influenced by things that happen in their own lives. Are you?
Yes. There are autobiographical
aspects to most everything I write. I plunder my life including things I see in
day-to-day life. My writing is largely influenced by my environment and my
personal history, the people I meet and places I’ve been.Tell us about your publications.
I’ve had more than 100 children’s books published by publishers such as Allen & Unwin, Random House, and Queensland University Press et al – more recently a junior novel All of Us Together (About Kids Books http://www.aboutkidsbooks.com). My writing includes novels, short stories and non-fiction, and collections of plays and poetry.
Three of my YA novels, Dogs, No Worries, and A Straight Line to My Heart, were shortlisted in the Children’s
Book Council of Australia Awards. Dogs
won CBCA Honour Book of the Year (2001), No
Worries won CBCA Honour Book of the Year (2006), A Straight Line to My Heart was CBCA Honour Book of the Year
(2008), Daredevils was a CBCA Notable
Book (2007) and my junior novel, The
Simple Things (Allen & Unwin) was CBCA short-listed in 2015.
No Worries and A Straight Line to My Heart
were also shortlisted for the NSW Premier Awards.
I was very lucky to win inaugural Prime Minister’s Literary Award in
2010 for Young Adult Fiction for my book Confessions
of a Liar, Thief and Failed Sex God. My YA novel A Straight Line to My Heart was also short-listed for the PM’s
Literary Award in 2012.
Other
than writing what else do you love?
Playing Scrabble, reading, golf,
watering the garden, punting on horses and making meals
What
would your dream location for writing be?
My ideal location is where I live
currently, at Cordeaux Heights on the beautiful south coast. It is so quiet and
peaceful here. I can go to my office any time, even in the middle of the night,
and write without any hassles.
What
are five words that sum you up?
A very tall sexy bloke
How can we learn more?
I share my website http://www.enterprisingwords.com.au with my author wife, Dianne (Di) Bates. I have a
Facebook page, but I don’t do much social media.
Thanks for the interview Bill and all the very best with your exciting new release!
This is a really fun and friendly interview. Thanks, Melissa and congrats to Bill on all his achievements.
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