Big 4 with Bec: Sean Williams

Sean Williams writes prolifically across the field of science fiction and fantasy, for adults, young adults and children, and enjoys the odd franchise, too, such as Star Wars and Doctor Who. His latest series is The Fixers, for 8-10 year-olds. His work has won awards, debuted at #1 on the New York Times hardback bestseller list, and been translated into numerous languages. He even writes the odd poem. Born in the dry, flat lands of South Australia, he still lives there with his wife and family, and DJs in his spare time.

Q. 1 You have a new children’s series, Troubletwisters, coming out soon, co-written with Garth Nix. I’ve seen the intriguing trailer on YouTube. Can you tell us more about it, and about the process of co-authoring this series? When we caught up with Garth, he said it was a lot of fun talking the story through over a Guinness or two with you!

The feeling is mutual!

Troubletwisters is about two young kids, Jack and Jaide, who are forced to move out into the country when their house explodes. They stay with their father’s mother, a woman they’ve never met, in a big old house and discover that their family has a secret history, a history that they’re about to become part of. There’s an evil force trying to take over the world–a force so evil it’s just called The Evil–and the only thing standing between it and ordinary people is a group called the Wardens. The twins might become Wardens one day, but first they have to survive The Evil and the unpredictable nature of their own powers. Young Wardens are called troubletwisters for a reason: you can never tell what will happen next.

So that’s the premise. Working out where the story goes from there has been an absolute blast. As well as the odd Guinness or Sea Breeze, Garth and I have whiled away many an hour on planes, in hotel rooms, in each other’s homes and offices, and over the phone, coming up with ideas and new adventures for our young heroes. We both grew up reading classic fantasy novels–Alan Garner, Susan Cooper, Le Guin, etc–so we’re trying to capture the same sense of fun and wonder those books generated in us. If we’re enjoying it, hopefully readers will, too.

As far as practicalities go: we develop a detailed outline together, then Garth writes the opening chapter. I write the first draft. He writes the second. From there, we bounce it back and forth until it’s looking pretty well-rounded. Then it goes in to our publishers and another round of editing. There are surprises at every stage, which is one of the great joys of collaborating.

Q. 2 You’ve done a lot of work based on Star Wars. When did you initially become interested in Star Wars and what makes it a phenomenon so worth continuing to contribute to? Which are your favourite Star Wars characters?

I was ten years old when the Star Wars movie came out, so I’ve been a fan since then. Not an uncritical fan; there are some stories I have enjoyed more than others. But that’s okay. The shared universe is so huge now that there’s always something going on somewhere that will interest me. And that, I think, is to a large degree why I like working there. There’s a lot to explore, lots to discover. There are plenty of talented minds adding to it every day. It’s awesome to be among them.

Then there are the interesting challenges. My last three Star Wars novels were based on computer games, and adapting them to the page has been utterly fascinating. I mean, I love writing my own books, and the books with Garth and other writers, but working this way demands an approach that’s totally different. I figure we’ve always got to try new things as artists to keep us fresh, even though it can be nerve-wracking at times. If it wasn’t scary, it wouldn’t be pushing us to new heights.

Favorite character? Obi-wan Kenobi, probably. He’s the only character I’ve never written any lines for. That’s a box I plan to tick, one day.

Q. 3 What are the best elements of being a writer, for you, and what are the most challenging?

To my mind, it’s the best job in the world. A lot of what people call negatives–like being alone a lot of the time–are things I actually enjoy. I love the hours I keep, the quiet life indoors, the language, and the daydreaming I get to do as part of my job. I’m not quite so fond of the waiting, the crappy pay (sometimes), the RSI, or the travel, but I can live with all that as long as I get to do the fun part.

Q. 4 Which of all your fictional characters Burns Brightest in your mind and why?

I have a character called Render in my Astropolis series who speaks solely in Gary Numan lyrics. He’s well over a million years old and quite mad, but despite that (or because of it) he’ll always burn brightly for me.

It’d be hard to single out just one person from Troubletwisters, as they’re all so much fun. One of the cats, maybe. Or The Evil itself: bad guys get all the best lines . . . .

Click here for Sean’s website!

MUSIC: Gary Numan – Cars