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| Wayne Jarman |
I was ‘drug up’ in a Wharf-side suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Fifty six years later, I haven’t moved very far. Lindi and I now live in the city of Lake Macquarie only a half hour drive from where I lived as a child. To put that in perspective for your non-Australian readers: I live about two hours north of Sydney, half an hour from the Pacific Ocean (and some of the best beaches in the world) and ten minutes from Australia’s largest salt-water lake. (No, I’m not a beach-goer or a sailor.)
When did you first feel like a writer?
I always loved writing. As a child, I was the one who didn’t really fit in. I drew, read and did a small amount of writing (mainly poetry). I enjoyed writing-related subjects at High School but didn’t start writing ‘the novel’ until 1988.
As a younger man, my level of self-confidence probably bordered on arrogance. Given the other option, I recommend extreme confidence to everyone, even if it is an act to start with. It has lead to some wonderful and unique experiences throughout my life. As soon as I started the first chapter, I immediately considered myself an Author.
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Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
I retired from being a self-employed contractor (of seventeen years) almost two years ago. Since that time my absolute focus has been on finalising the long-delayed books and screenplays. I belong to the Fellowship of Australian Writers and much of my reading has been involved with evaluating work for fellow members. Of those who are published, two names spring to mind: Garry Boyd (with his novels ‘Black Gold’ and ‘Billy Two’) and Bob Bush, who is a writer and performer of Australian Bush Poetry (His most recent book being ‘Legends, Lies & Larrikins’). I usually have at least a dozen books that I am reading at one time but most of them are non-fiction as part of my research for my historical screenplay. Consequently, I am currently fairly naïve as to the work of modern writers. I have recently downloaded a copy of Chasing Amanda (by Melissa Foster) onto my Kindle and I look forward to getting started on that (once my Theatre season is complete).
This year I have, so far, self-published two books: A personal development book titled ‘With a Mind to Achieve’ and my novel ‘To the Honour of the Kings’. I have hopes of finalising another novel this year but time is running short and marketing is taking up more and more of my writing time. The next novel is futuristic and looks at the world’s future, based on our current treatment of our environment. If I am honest with myself, that book is more likely to be published in 2012. (But let’s ignore that and carry on being optimistic for late 2011.) I am also writing a screenplay based on the life of Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson – an Australian poet and adventurer who lived 1865-1942. Amongst all of this, I am involved in live theatre and also doing some Corporate Video.
What do you consider to be your best accomplishment in writing?
Let’s see how many of your readers I can get to hit their head on the table: I think that both of my books (and my book in progress) are brilliant. I have to think that! If I didn’t, why would I continue to write? Why would I continue to ask readers to pay money to buy my books, to read them? Getting past this repulsive sounding answer, however, I would also say that I started writing in 1988. I have continued to write while I supported a family and, with my lovely Lindi, brought up our children. I continued to write while I pursued a career and ran a business (on occasion more than one at the same time). I have published my first two books and will publish more. What is my best accomplishment in writing? I PERSEVERED!!!
How do you prepare yourself to write?
I find the time. Once I have done that, nothing else is important. Writing comes easy to me. I have seen many articles written on ‘How to Overcome Writers’ Block’. I don’t waste my time reading them. I have never suffered from it. I don’t expect to ever suffer from it. My worry is that I will not live long enough to get out all of the writing that I have bottled up inside.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
I don’t like the term ‘writer,’ by the way. Why would someone call themselves a writer when they intend publishing a book? That person is not a writer …that person is an Author. The term ‘writer’ is something less than an Author. It is as if we are saying …’Oh, I’m just a writer.’ If you call yourself a writer, change your mental attitude. See how challenged you feel when you tell someone that you are an Author …and then deal with being challenged.
My personal development book (‘With a Mind to Achieve’) probably best shows what goes on inside Wayne Jarman. I believe that, if you want to achieve great things in this world, you must convince yourself that you are great (and you are!). You need to develop the mindset that you can do the task that you have chosen and be great at doing it. The negative thoughts in your mind have to be challenged and quelled.
And, great deeds take time. Get used to the term ‘Perseverence’. There will be obstacles. Overcome them and move on.
Thank you Wayne for your candid answers. To find out more about Wayne Jarman see the links below.
Thank you Wayne for your candid answers. To find out more about Wayne Jarman see the links below.
Great interview and nice to meet you, Wayne! I am a researcher extraordinaire and love that you are working on a historical piece. I am however, a writer. That is what I do. I am the author of several things, but what I do is write. I don't think you are an author until you have actually authored something, so in the process doesn't work for me. And I definitely disagree that writer is something less than an author. :)
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