GARRY Disher is one of Australia’s most prolific and respected writers. With more than sixty titles to his name across crime, children’s and literary fiction, his reputation stretches well beyond our shores.
He has won four German and three Australian awards for best crime novel of the year, been twice longlisted for the UK’s prestigious CWA Dagger award, and in 2018 received the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award. His latest release, ‘Mischance Creek’, is the fifth novel in the much-loved Hirsch series.
Ahead of his appearance at Tranquil Park in Maleny, Disher spoke with GC&M News about creativity, crime fiction, and the challenges of being a writer today.
Q: After decades of writing, award recognition and over sixty published books under your belt – what compels you to continue to write?
My head is full of ideas for stories and I’d feel lost if I wasn’t turning them into characters, incidents or even plotlines. As soon as I finish a book, I start the next. The ideas result from something fiction writers do: we recognise the potential in everything around us.
It could be a news story (not the mushroom murders, though!); a snatch of conversation – “Everything went wrong when Grandma came to live with us.”; people’s foibles – a man at a party paying for the cigarettes he was cadging; asking, “What if…” questions; or personal experiences. I developed a major subplot in ‘The Dragon Man’ after someone set fire to my letterbox overnight. Irritation gave way to speculation, and I conjured up a bored young vandal who realises he quite likes setting fires.
It’s important not to report these things as they really happened, but to spin our own stories out of them by asking: What led up to this? What might happen next? What if the outcome was different? What if it happened to someone else?
Q: Your books combine crime plots with deeper social commentary. How do you strike that balance?
Crime fiction is in a good position to reflect on the world we live in. We don’t live in a bubble, and the real police are usually at the sharp end when crimes are the fallout of prevailing social tensions – racism, the growth of the far right, and so on – so why not fictional police?
But I try to be subtle. I try not to preach. The story comes first.
Q: What advice would you give to writers determined to continue with their craft despite obstacles and challenges – whether crime writers or working in other genres?
It’s getting harder for new writers, and publishers are tightening their belts. But persistence is as important as creative talent, and the writer who springs onto the writing stage fully developed with a bestselling first book is rare. Most of us need to hone what talent we have.
That means sticking at it, never quite being satisfied, and trying not to be crippled by the opposing mindsets of an overdeveloped ego and a lack of confidence. Writing needs to be treated seriously.
Write, rather than say you’re going to write. Write every day rather than in a burst every six weeks. Rewrite. Know when you’re writing dishonestly or showing off. Read widely, read book reviews, join writers’ centres, attend festivals, and consider other publication avenues.
Q: You’ll be visiting Maleny in the coming weeks. What draws you to connect with regional communities, and what can readers expect from your visit?
I live in regional Victoria, and grew up on a wheat and wool farm in South Australia (Hirsch’s beat) and like to think I have an affinity with the bush. My touring in October will be a mix of festival appearances and, my favourite, meet-the-author talks.
Literary Lunch with Garry Disher will be held Saturday October 18, 12pm – 2pm at Tranquil Park, Maleny. Enjoy a two-course meal and hear from one of Australia’s most acclaimed crime writers. Tickets available via www.rosettabooks.com.au, bookings requested by Oct 10 for catering purposes.
