Author Interview – Ben Westwood – Green Shoots

On The Table Read, “the best book magazine in the UK“, author Ben Westwood talks about the inspiration behind his eco-thriller novel, Green Shoots.

Written by JJ Barnes

www.jjbarnes.co.uk

I interviewed Ben Westwood about his life and career, what inspired him to write his debut novel, Green Shoots, and his creative writing process.

Tell me a bit about who you are.

I’m a university lecturer, journalist, travel writer and musician. I have been writing in various guises for many years, but Green Shoots is my first novel.

When did you first WANT to write a book?

I have long held an ambition to write a novel but I was missing the right story until the plot for Green Shoots began to form. I wanted to write a novel that encapsulates my passions, especially for ecology and challenging greed and corruption. I also wanted to write an emotional thriller with wider resonance, as I think readers are too often given a choice between action-packed and heartfelt. I wanted to do both.

When did you take a step to start writing?

I have been writing for newspapers and magazines for many years and have also authored several travel guidebooks, so the writing itself was not the challenge – it was the leap into fiction. I did a short fiction course at City University followed by a novel writing course at Curtis Brown Creative, both of which were extremely helpful in honing my skills and making the book better.

How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?

The plot began to form during lockdown in 2020. I started writing it in July that year and it took nine months, so it was a bit like bringing a child into the world but far less painful!

What made you want to write Green Shoots?

I believe that the destruction of the natural world is the biggest challenge we face and I wanted to find a way of documenting that without being preachy. Having lived in South America for several years, it felt fitting to make the focus of the novel on the rainforest, a place I love but also mourn in terms of how much forest we have lost. On a personal level, the main character in the novel is struggling to come to terms with the grief of his wife’s death, which unfortunately mirrors my own experience as a widower.

What were your biggest challenges with writing Green Shoots?

Getting so deep into a character’s grief was very challenging for me as I drew on my own experience. There were many times when I could have been writing about myself. It’s important to keep some distance from the characters but in many ways it was easier to write from my own heart, while taking a step to the side into another person’s world.

I have written about grief previously, both as a journalist and a songwriter. In fact, I have decided to release a ‘soundtrack’ of songs alongside the novel, which draw on my own experience of grief and healing. The soundtrack is available on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon and other music channels.

It was also a challenge to ensure the book is not preachy. I worked hard to present the tensions between capitalism and ecology without being judgmental. The book asks a central question: what if ecologists behaved with the same ruthlessness as the corporate world? It’s left to the reader to decide how to answer that.

Who or what inspired you when creating your Protagonist?

John is almost an avatar of myself in some ways – he is a journalist who fell in love in South America and then lost his wife. However, he’s quite different too and it was a deliberate decision not to make him an environmentalist, at least at the outset. He tries very hard to stay objective but this ends up impossible as the reality of what is going on unfolds. He is tenacious, resourceful and idealistic – a tribute to the essential role that investigative journalists play worldwide in holding power and corruption to account, often risking their safety in the process.

Who or what inspired you when creating your Antagonist?

There are two antagonists – the man responsible for John’s wife’s death and the man behind the Green Shoots killings. We don’t know who the antagonists are for much of the novel and these are the central mysteries.

One antagonist personifies the greed of corporations while the other is a vengeful killer on a mission – there is something of the vigilante killer Dexter in him, just as there is something of the Constant Gardner in John. Those are two stories that the novel has been compared with, although the tone of Green Shoots is very different to Dexter.

What is the inciting incident of Green Shoots?

This happens in the first chapter. John is about to take his own life but he receives a message and then a phone call telling him he needs to find out “what really happened” to his wife. That is his main mission during the novel.

What is the main conflict of Green Shoots?

The external conflict is between defenders and destroyers of nature, while John’s internal conflict is his struggle through grief.

Did you plot Green Shoots in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?

I plotted in advance. It changed as I wrote it but I found mapping out the broad story through five acts to be very helpful. I found the Save the Cat book series particularly useful to do this.

Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did Green Shoots need?

I asked my sister Lucinda to read the full first draft and received some helpful suggestions. The book was then edited by the publishers Cranthorpe Millner and I was pleased that only minor changes were needed.

What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a story?

Firstly, stop thinking about it and set it in motion! Work out what you need to do to make it happen. Buy books on plotting, read books similar to what you want to write, and analyse how they succeed. Most of all, write about what you know and what you are passionate about.

Can you give me a hint about any further books you are planning to write?

There is a follow-up in the pipeline but it’s only partially a sequel in that it contains two characters from Green Shoots, including John, but as secondary characters. It’s on a very different subject – an innocent man pursued by vigilantes, but the themes of corruption and injustice remain central.  

And, finally, are you proud of your accomplishment?

Yes I am. I have wanted to write a novel since I was a child and when lockdown happened and I had a lot of time on my hands, it presented an opportunity. I was surprised at how quickly things fell into place once I had the story mapped out. It’s been a hugely satisfying journey and I hope people find it both enjoyable and thought-provoking.

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