Today’s guest is Greg Bastian a writer and teacher of adult and childrens fiction. His latest novel The Goldseekers was published by Harper Collins in June 2006. Greg’s work has received critical acclaim in the literary press and he has been awarded grants by the Australia Council and the Asialink Foundation. He is currently teaching Genre Writing at UTS and his popular Story Design Workshops are a regular feature of the NSW Writers Centre program. He also runs a manuscript assessment and editing service. Goldseekers cover
Greg has sent through the “text of a recent interview I did for the Newcastle Writers Centre newsletter. The interview was used to promote a weekend writing workshop and must have hit the spot as all places were taken and everyone finished up having a rollicking good time. I really enjoy these weekends with aspiring writers, particularly at regional centres.”
Q : Greg, you have been giving workshops and appraising manuscripts for over twenty years. What is the most common problem you come across?
A: Definitely narrational voice – the way a story is told. Other elements may impress – characters, dialogue, perspective, etc – but if the voice doesn’t grab the reader from the first sentence, the story will suffer. Writer’s voice is developed through writing practice, analytical reading, feedback, tailoring the voice to the story.
Q: What do you look for in a manuscript? What makes it publishable?
A: That’s a hard one. How many great stories have been rejected by jittery publishers? Sometimes the most unlikely candidates for publication achieve great success. If a story is technically sound – paragraphing, punctuation, spelling, syntax, structure, etc, then it stands a chance in the market place.
Q: What are your top three presentation tips for writers who have manuscripts that they want to get published?
A: If a writer feels their work is ready for submission, best to make a shortlist of likely publishers from library or bookshop shelves. Note publishers of comparable work and try them first. Initial email contact is recommended as some publishers don’t take unsolicited manuscripts. Most have submission guidelines on their websites. Get the manuscript into the best shape possible, even if it means paying an editor/proofreader. Nothing puts an assessor off more quickly than basic errors. Finally, don’t get hung up on one manuscript, particularly if its the first one. It should serve as an apprenticeship, a scratching post, part of the learning process.
I hope that inspires some of your readers Nicole to get started on their stories. For anyone interested, there are further notes and links on my website at www.gregbastian.com.au
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