“As an obsessive communicator and dreamer up of stories, not writing wasn’t an option. The novels Backlash, Breakbeat and Burnout are published by Simon & Schuster UK. The Mentalist is published by Five Leaves Press. I also work with film, poetry and non-fiction as well as teaching creative writing.” – Rod Duncan.

I have been proming you Author Interviews for a while now, dear readers, and I’m pleased to finally be able to share one with you! Recently, the novelist Rod Duncan agreed to take part in an interview for I.Q. So here it is!

1) You mention on your website that you got a Geology degree, isn’t that a little different from wanting to be an author? What drew you to writing in the first place instead of carrying on in the scientific sphere?

“I am endlessly curious. Science is one outlet for that curiosity. It also manifests as a tendency to ask lots of questions of people I meet from day to day. And this – the question asking – is the fuel of novel writing.”

2) You’ve also done some work with films, how different is the process of script writing to novel writing?

“Script writing and novel writing are both story telling. So in essence thay are the same. They differ though in some important respects. A novel writer is in command of the story. A screenwriter is one who collaborates with numerous other story tellers – director, designers, the actors, the editor etc. Beautiful prose elevates a novel. No amount of beautiful language will disguise a lack of story in a screenplay.”

3) The first time we met was at a writing workshop at Leicester Uni, why do you do these, and how important do you think it is for authors to give guidance to the new generation of novelists?

“I enjoy sharing the journey with other writers. I don’t see it in terms of generations. We are all on the same journey.”

4) What’s your favourite aspect of novel writing?

“The moment when I suddenly understand where the story is going and why.”

5) You’ve currently written three novels…can your fans expect more in the future?

“Yes – though I am immersed in screenplay writing at present.”

6) One of the articles on Inspired-Quill talks about e-books and independent bookshops, what are your views on electronic books compared to their paper counterparts?

“This is a big question. e-publishing is here to stay and it is only going to grow as a proportion of the total market. However people do love the physicality of books and I don’t imagine them disappearing.

7) Any last comments you’d like to give to the readers of I.Q?

“Last comments? No writer wants to leave a last comment. It leaves no room for a sequel!”

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Click HERE to visit Rod Duncan’s website!

Posted in Interviews