Words flow from Creek

John Fletcher Mole Creek Author

JUNE 2015 | Sara Fawcett

NOT ALL of us might consider writing a form of art but authors such as local novelist John Fletcher certainly do; it all depends on what we write and how we write it, with fiction being one of the more creative processes.

Being a creative writer, John’s sixteen published novels have received critical and popular acclaim in Australia, Germany and the UK.

He has also written numerous short stories and plays for radio and television.

John seems born with a talent to write, having started from quite a young age.

“I remember when I was about eight; waking up one fine morning and saying to myself that when I grew up, I would be a writer,” John said.

And indeed he is.

As with many artists, John’s work has always reflected his sights and encounters.

“I attempted my first creative work at eight; it was a play but didn’t get very far,” he shared.

“When we were being taught Roman history and the works of Shakespeare at school, I tried again: a play about the aftermath of the Roman defeat by Hannibal at the Battle of Cannae in 216BC.”

“(And) I wrote my first unpublished novel based on my experiences as a junior officer in tropical rainforest,” John added.

His writing has taken him beyond Australian shores too.“I lived in England for six years where I was writing plays for radio and television which were broadcast by the BBC,” John shares.

Wherever he went, he drew inspiration for his writings, describing their unique qualities.

He has, thus, regaled his readers of a house overlooking Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa and an apartment on the lower slopes of Singapore’s Mount Faber.

“I live with my memories of all the other places and use them as background in the books I write,” John elaborated.

As for Mole Creek, Tasmania, John has this to say, “I now live in a place that a friend of mine once described as the spot where God’s finger touched the earth.”

Indeed, as part of his creative practice, his life in Australia gets reflected in his books.

Often, it is the main setting.

In his forthcoming book, The ‘Governor’s House,’ the role of women in the pioneer age is celebrated by telling the story of one woman’s transportation to Australia for theft in the 1840s; leaving behind a mystery that her descendant had to try to resolve.

John says Australia’s well-developed pioneering tradition is so inspirational for his books and as for writing itself, “I didnot choose writing, writing chose me.”

Photo | Mike Moores