We now have 202 interviews on the site with leading writers, publishers and leading figures from the writing industry. If my maths is up to it I think that makes an average of 40 a year, or just under one a week since ww first launched.

What do you think of our interviews? Do you like the questions we ask? The people we ask them to? Anywhere there is room for improvement?

Well, i'm probably in the minority here, and a lot of the writers on the site will groan, but i'd like to see more interviews with your average Joe, people who have no background in writing, aren't impressively well read, fell into writing eg like me when eg the kids started school or they retired, and don't write books which are nominated for prizes. Not that there is anything wrong with that!

But you get the picture. Just to give me hope, i suppose, that it could be moi next.

Like i say though, i'm probably in a minority.

Casey

<Added>

I did like the Jae Watson interview

Sorry, slow, as ever - I like the interviews a lot. I've no useful feedback on how you could improve them, but I really enjoy them.

Yes, I do think they're good - I enjoy them. Many thanks for sorting them out so regularly!

A
xxx

Maybe you could ask the those successful enough to land a publisihng deal if they'll share their winning submission with us? Take us through some more technical aspects of what they had to go through to get their book ready.

I think the questions cover a lot of what people want to know. What is useful is having links to publishers/agents websites in the interview so you can read what they say and then go to the site. Perhaps one more question might be 'have you ever rejected an author and then watched them become sucessful elsewhere, what does that feel like?' A slightly naughty question?
Becca.

It would be interesting to know which writers had studied their craft as such, and what they thought to the supposed 'rules', eg show don't tell.

Casey

Perhaps one more question might be 'have you ever rejected an author and then watched them become sucessful elsewhere, what does that feel like?' A slightly naughty question?

I'm sure they'd all say yes, though they might not tell you who!

What would be interesting would be what they thought, seeing that author meet success:

a) Well, there's no accounting for tastes - I thought it was badly written/run-of-the-mill/load of bullshit

b) I knew someone would, it was very, very good, but I just can't get enthusiastic about dragons.

c) Damn! What did I miss about that book?

d) You what? Right, that's it, how can you be an agent's assistant if you reject books like that without even showing me? Here's your P45.

Emma

I think any (most) successful writers will have studied their craft, Casey. The degree to which they have'll vary though. I don't have a degree or even A levels and I've never been on a writing course (it probably shows). I've just worked bloody hard for a bloody long time and read a lot. I don't think there's any secret, just hard work and talent (more hard work though). And luck. I think the more you know about something the better you'll be at it. How you obtain that knowledge is up to you.

I think there'll be a few who 'fell into writing' but, like you, they'll have worked bloody hard at it over, I imagine, a considerable period of time. Nothing comes easily, especially in this game.

That's what I think anyway.

Nik.

Oh and lol Emma.

<Added>

PS I've enjoyed the interviews too!

disagree with Casey a bit, as I think a lot of your interviews ARE with the 'average Joe', ie people like myself, still learning, maybe published, yes, but still not won a major prize etc. I think you've got the blend of WWers and industry professionals just right. Looking forward to the next batch!

I think most writers 'fall into' writing, don't they? In the sense that it's not something the careers mistress is ever going to tell you to do. Whether that'll change with the advent of BA degrees I don't know.

Emma

Good points. And to add that I don't think it matters how many books you've had published or how many awards you've won, as writers we're always learning, or looking to.

Nik.

I think any (most) successful writers will have studied their craft, Casey.

We've been discussing this on the various 'rules' thread, Nik.

Kate, for example, knew nothing of the various rules we discuss on this site until after she was published.
I was flabbergasted by that - i'd always assumed that most writers, at some point, would need to study their craft, before managing to be good enough to get published.

That's why this question interested me - how many writers have consciously studied the art of writing, and how many have just read and read and written and written - i would be interested to know...

Casey

Ah, I see what you mean.

I studied writing, but certainly not in an academic sense - if that helps.

Nik

Do you consciously follow the rules, Nik? eg show, POv?

Oh dear, this is turning into another rules thread...

Casey