Coffee Talks

With Glyn Hockey

Hi, Owain, thank you for taking the time to get involved with Coffee Community. It's great to hear from authors like yourself and get to know a little bit about what motivates you to write longer works of fiction.

It is a pleasure to be here and I do hope that your readers find some of what I say to be of interest.

So, to begin, tell us a little bit about yourself as an author on Wattpad. For anyone who hasn't met you before, how would you describe your fiction?

I joined Wattpad a little over five years ago after a life in commerce. I had done some writing at University but life, work, and family, took over when I retired in 2010. My younger son introduced me to Wattpad and suggested I start writing again. I think it was his plan to stop the 'old man' going senile!

My main medium is poetry, many people think it is not possible to write fictional poetry, I heartily disagree. Among my collections on Wattpad are at least three fictional tales. 'Marta' is a fictional tale of a young girl's life as a slave in her own country in Africa. This took a fair bit of research and was emotionally a very difficult write. It was well received.

'I'm not frightened (Really) is a fictional tale of a very dysfunctional family, where the main character, Marie, is searching for the love of her life, with some input from her relatives.

'Whumplethump and the Magic Forest' is a poetic tale of a young boy who finds a magical place to play with some comical results. I guess in some ways I have a mission; many people avoid poetry because it is considered hi-brow and difficult to understand. I try to write in such a way to make poetry accessible to all. I am fortunate to have quite a large following on Wattpad and my reads have been in the millions! So I hope I am converting quite a few people!

Writing for sustained periods is a hurdle that every writer, beginner or experienced, faces from time to time. What powers you through those longer bursts of creativity and keeps you focussed?

I tend to write most days and I do not find it a chore, I love it. I always write my first drafts by hand. I put them aside for a few days, then, if they still make sense, I will edit and fine tune until I am happy that they are ready to publish. I read a great deal, both on and off Wattpad, so I am rarely short of ideas.

What top tips would you advise for getting a novella or a longer piece of fiction off the starting line? What kind of story developments motivate you to see it through to the end?

This one is difficult for me to answer as I have not, to date, published any prose, although I am writing a book offline. I would say that preparation is everything. Plot construction, pace, and a cogent storyline are vital, never, ever, publish a piece until you are entirely satisfied, grammar and spelling are especially important.

How much do you edit on the fly? Or do you prefer to edit after you've finished the initial draft?

I tend not to edit on the fly, if you are not satisfied, don't publish. Nothing turns a reader off more than shoddy work, and if you lose them, they tend never to return.

Personally, what kind of novella -- be it any style, theme, or genre -- would you like to see emerge from the Open Novella Contest?

I love these types of programmes, encouraging writers is vital. I have a very catholic taste in literature, so I would be happy to read most of what people produce.

Lastly, because we're always curious... What was your ever first experience with the power of the written language?

Wow, that's a difficult one. I am fairly ancient, and during my formative years we did not have the luxury of a television but my father regularly read to us. I grew to love the sound of words, I still do, I also loved that they took me to new and different worlds.

It's been great hearing from you, Owain, and thank you for sharing your valuable knowledge in storytelling.

Thank you, for taking up your time to listen to my ramblings. :))))))

Best wishes for your future endeavours from Coffee Community.

Our goal is to bring you many more exclusive interviews with people who aren't just Wattpad Stars or Staff, but also some pretty awesome authors.
In that quest, next we will be talking to Jennifer Farwell, so stick around for more fun!