John Ryan
Darren Hasler - Stott
Darren and John have been friends for over twenty years. they met in a writing course in Loughton, Essex, England. Their writing styles are the opposite of their lives. Darren is a very tidy organised man who writes like he has been bumped on his head. John is messy and chaotic but writes as if he were a Prison Officer with rules and regulations. Tag Tinsel A Mission most Fowl is Part one of at least five adventures.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I never wanted to be a writer, I wanted to be a Lighthouse keeper. I didn’t live near the sea. I used to make up stories for my kids and then started writing them down. Its a great thing to be able to get your imagination onto paper.
How long does it take to write a book?
With Darren it takes ages because he always has to do things properly. He also drinks a lot of tea and that means biscuits which he has to choose. I am a fan of Ginger nuts whereas he likes digestives so we spend a lot of time arguing about which is the better biscuit. If I write on my own it is quicker as I can eat what I want. I write to a structure so I can start at 8 and finish at 4.
What is your interesting writing quirk?
I make notes in pen and then write on the computer. I don’t throw anything away so I have a lot of pieces of paper floating about. I take a break and stop even if I am in the middle of a great idea. Because I love facts everything has t make sense.
What is it like writing with someone else?
We spend a lot of time giggling and eating biscuits. I think that writing needs discipline and structure. I make a plan and refer back to it. Darren is like a small puppy chasing ideas. If he wrote Goldilocks she would never have got near any porridge because along the way she would have met a talking tree who told her about a multicoloured waterfall where unicorns play. I often marvel at his ideas as my brain is run on facts.
What is your favourite Book/Books?
As a kid I only read encyclopedias, poetry and books about facts. My favourite book was ‘The hunting of Wilberforce Pyke’ I think I liked it because there were a lot of words in the title. As an adult I read two books a month and will try anything.
How many books have you written and which is your favourite?
I have written a few books. I like to write anything I can – comedy, poetry, prose. I had a newspaper column where I could just write about what I had been doing. I mainly write about mens health as well as mental wellbeing. I am a writer and not an author. that was I can do more than books.
What did you want to do when you grew up?
I loved the idea of being a lighthouse keeper as I like staring into the distance and am quite happy being on my own. In life you have to be able to mix and be sociable and I wasn’t always comfortable around other people. I am the worlds best daydreamer and can happily spend hours in my own thoughts. It seems odd to other people so I learned that if I held a pencil while I do it people think I am writing something.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers.
Always have a pen and aper near you so you don’t forget your ideas. Just write anything and you will get better at it. Make sure you take regular breaks and drink lots of water. Be happy to be creative. Always have a supply of Ginger biscuits.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
With a love of books, comics and film, storytelling for me has always been about imagination. The possibilities of creating characters and worlds where anything is possible gave me as a child and as a grown up an incredible sense of freedom.
That feeling has always been there so I would say from the moment I started reading, well, anything! Comics at the beginning then anything I could get my hands on.
How long does it take to write a book?
The initial idea can be sketched out in a matter of minutes while other stories can evolve over time. John and I have different styles and ways of writing but more often than not its how much time we can devote to choosing the right biscuit that seems to be the over ridding factor.
What is your interesting writing quirk?
I love the idea that everything has its own agenda and that us humans aren’t as important as we think we are. There is a whole world of mayhem and drama out there that plays out on the edge of our everyday lives, without us even realizing it affects the world we live in. My love of characters can sometimes get in the way of a plot so I tend to overwrite everything and then edit it back (something that John finds quite funny as I have never quite mastered the art of less is more)
What is it like writing with someone else?
Awful if they don’t bring the right biscuits but a great process as long as you both bring something different to the table.
I love to create characters, worlds and the backstory often focusing on the mechanics of it (which I guess harks back to my practical background) John seems to concentrate on dialogue and the humour. However we will often switch over and he may write some characters that I I will have dialogue for or a scene where we can get the best out of them. Either way seems to suit us both as long as we think it will affect the plot and where it goes in a positive way.
What is your favourite Book/Books?
I was given a moth eaten copy of Dr Dolittle’s fantastic voyages when I was 6 or 7 and read it over and over again until the pages fell out. I also loved Astrix the Gaul and later on the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.
How many books have you written and which is your favourite?
I have several books that I have started but never finished, as I’m sure so many people who write would agree with. When my Dad passed away I wrote a story for his grandchildren and so “The legend of Les the Tunicorn” was born. I am currently writing another book in memory of my mother who died two years ago so hopefully “The Fragrance Fairies” will be with you soon
What did you want to do when you grew up?
Although I loved writing I was often told it wasn’t a proper job and often looked for alternative careers that would fuel my imagination.
When I was very young I became obsessed with finding Bigfoot (very difficult from 1970’s east London although the subject still fascinates me) I wanted to be a zoologist and later a crypto-zoologist but you had to go to university.
One of my fondest memories is writing the first draft of Tinsel in pencil while sitting on a beach in New Zealand many years ago. Of course John had to make sense of my ideas but I loved writing in such a beautiful part of the world as I put my ideas on paper.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers.
Try to do want your instinct tells you and do what you love while loving what you do. If it pays the bills then great but if it doesn’t then always try to hold on to the feeling you had when you created that very first character.
It really is a buzz that’s priceless….!
