Joshua Mowll

by Colin

I had attended a previous lecture given by a successful writer who had worked down a mine.Writing he had said was like working in the pit, the pen was a shovel, you had to keep digging, it was bloody hard work.

Joshua Mowll brought the same candour to his talk. Writing is obviously less Daphne De Maurier,lanquid afternoons engaged in light repartee and more like bloody hard work. Having worked bloody hard in life so far, I don't subscribe to the view. I do agree with Joshua however that dedication and focus is needed to succeed and that literature is a can of beans, it needs presentation, marketing and selling.

I enjoyed his thoughts on dedication,planning and action. Although I do think that you have to be brave to write and then discard perhaps a third of your book, now that takes courage.

It was an interesting and informative demonstration by Joshua on how to put together and sell a book.

A valuable lesson indeed.

‘Why would you be a writer? It’s quite an odd career.’- Joshua Mowll

By Georgia N.

Admittedly, I have never read Joshua Mowll’s books (sorry!) but he struck a chord when I discovered he was from the same town as me. Finally, I thought, a kindred spirit. Refreshingly honest, if not a tad pessimistic, he gave some valuable tips about writing a novel-

1. Plot is very important- plan the book chapter by chapter.

2. The appearance of the novel is crucial too so spend some time on this.

3. Don’t be frightened of editing- at the end of the day it can improve your novel. Joshua Mowll quotes-‘Writing is rewriting and editing. Cut cut cut all the time.’

4. Agents know within 30 pages whether they like your book so pack it full of action.

5. A book is like a toaster therefore you have to do market research. Publishers would rather have a book that can sell extensively than a crossover from children's to adult fiction.

6. Books over 50,000 words are generally disliked by publishers (unless you are J K Rowling).

7. Leading on from this, keep chapters short.

8. Payment is irregular and the hours are long- basically being a writer is quite solitary if not dull.

I hope this helps all budding writers- thank you Joshua Mowll for all those tips :)

Joshua Mowll

By PJH

Time for me to get real. No more dreaming of easily achieved fame and fortune (well, not too much anyway) and back to reality. Joshua Mowll spoke thoughtfully and realistically about the perils and pitfalls of being a writer of children's books / graphic artist for the Mail on Sunday.

His down-to-Earth manner was refreshing, telling of his first inspiration from doing solely illustrative work to story writing as well. This came about by his boredom in drawing, of all things, dog training graphics. The idea of a Tin Tin style adventure came to him through these canine diagrams and he decided he should really start writing his ideas down. Hey presto, a writer is born - well, after several million hours of gruelling hard work and, apparently, screen-staring related sciatica into the bargain. What a lot to look forward to.

He also spoke more seriously about his career, starting with 'The Guild of Specialists', his series of illustrated children's novels with Walker Books and, also, about his forthcoming book 'The Great Space Race' - set in the 1920s and very much in Indiana Jones mode. I looked carefully at some of these books after the lecture and I thought they were amazing. To have the writing talent alone is wonderful enough - but to be able to draw so brilliantly as well? Mind blowing.

Next on the agenda was the presention of tips for budding writers and warnings of what not to present to prospective publishers / agents. His tales of editing woes worried me mercilessly - regurgitating scary memories of creative writing workshops, being told "no, cut it, scrap that, start again!" Is this really what I have to do? Ouch. All this is true said Mr.Mowll. He added, with a wry grin, that cutting a 70 000 word novel down to only 40 000 is just a case of, 'well, you gotta do what you gotta do'. Scary indeed.

So - has this put me off being a writer? Well - it did for a moment, possibly for as long as half a minute. But being the glutton for punishment that I am, I walked out of that lecture theatre inspired rather than depressed. What is wrong with me?

The Unspoken Craft

by tira

I have been inspired by accomplished graphic artist, children's author and nice-guy extraordinaire, Joshua Mowll. His lecture about the technicalities of the writing process was engaging, insightful and very refreshing.

There is a balance, he explained, between free creativity and disciplined focus. A serious writer should invite months of solitary confinement with a brain full of ideas and a bin full of redrafts. Also necessary is a realistic understanding of the impatient publishing market... apparently, it isn't as sweet and fluffy as I always hoped.

The lecture encouraged me to think about writing from a serious and determined viewpoint. In this way, Joshua invited everybody to consider themselves as serious and determined writers, which was a rather special feeling.

Celebrity Status

by tira

Trevor Nelson, Charles Dance, Billy Bragg. When else will loan-ridden university students see these giants within one week, in one building, for free (or very cheap)? Welcome to Cultural Exchanges, our humble opportunity to share breathing space with stars and learn their trade secrets.

Of course, celebrity status is subjective. I'll admit that some of the most famous names in the Cultural Exchanges brochure were unfamiliar to me. Reading descriptions of “major” and “award-winning” artistes did not resonate.

However, my eyes did spot the names of intriguing people whose interests and purposes relate to mine. I found the right celebrity for me, a man whose name is hitherto unmentioned in the pre-Cultural Exchanges excitement: Joshua Mowll. A writer talking about children’s adventure books... Ah, yes, now that resonates!

There is undoubtedly something for everybody in Cultural Exchanges 2009. Who will your celebrity be?