Fiction & Drama  |
| Workshops and Manuscripts |
| General Feature Journalism |
| Editing & Writing for Business |
| Reviews and Radio |
| Stage and Screen |
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Adult & Business As a fulltime freelance writer, author, and speaker since 1990, John Parker is able to work on the following:
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John Parker enjoys working in many genres: fiction and drama; life-style comment; general feature journalism, often supported by his own photography; writing and editing for businesses and educational institutes; concert and book reviews; and material for radio.
Fiction and Drama
John's fiction has appeared in Landfall and More and one of his adult plays, a one-act send-it-up melodrama entitled A Daughter's Love Triumphant or the Foiled Forger, has been published by Eldridge and performed in the United States.
Fiction and Drama
John's fiction has appeared in Landfall and More and one of his adult plays, a one-act send-it-up melodrama entitled A Daughter's Love Triumphant or the Foiled Forger, has been published by Eldridge and performed in the United States.
Workshops and Manuscript Evaluation
John Parker has facilitated a number of writing courses or workshops for adults who hope to turn their writing for children into success stories rather than rejection slips.
When time permits he also evaluates individual writer's manuscripts and judges writing competitions or awards.
John Parker has facilitated a number of writing courses or workshops for adults who hope to turn their writing for children into success stories rather than rejection slips.
When time permits he also evaluates individual writer's manuscripts and judges writing competitions or awards.
General Feature Journalism
About 400 of John Parker's articles, reviews, or stories have appeared in the following existing or former publications:
AA Directions, Adventure, Auckland Star, Australian Skier, Auto Age, Canadian, Heritage NZ, Hi Society, Horizon, Kiwi Adventure, Listener, Management, More, My Generation, Next Magazine, North and South, North Shore Times Advertiser, NZ Doctor, NZ Forest Industries, NZ Gardener, NZ Geographic, NZ Herald, NZ Skier, NZ Woman's Weekly, Pacific Way, Pharmacy Today, Press, Recycle Today, Signature, Snow Scene, Southern Skies, Traveller, and Wilderness.
Many are accompanied by his photography and arise from his travels or his enthusiasm for skiing, golfing and tramping. Many are trade-related. And many derive from the everyday. If, as the acting adage goes, there are no small parts but only small actors, then John Parker believes there is little under the sun (or moon) which is not useful material for the writer prepared to dig a little deeper into the moment. Though the experience might be commonplace, the observation needn't be.
About 400 of John Parker's articles, reviews, or stories have appeared in the following existing or former publications:
AA Directions, Adventure, Auckland Star, Australian Skier, Auto Age, Canadian, Heritage NZ, Hi Society, Horizon, Kiwi Adventure, Listener, Management, More, My Generation, Next Magazine, North and South, North Shore Times Advertiser, NZ Doctor, NZ Forest Industries, NZ Gardener, NZ Geographic, NZ Herald, NZ Skier, NZ Woman's Weekly, Pacific Way, Pharmacy Today, Press, Recycle Today, Signature, Snow Scene, Southern Skies, Traveller, and Wilderness.
Many are accompanied by his photography and arise from his travels or his enthusiasm for skiing, golfing and tramping. Many are trade-related. And many derive from the everyday. If, as the acting adage goes, there are no small parts but only small actors, then John Parker believes there is little under the sun (or moon) which is not useful material for the writer prepared to dig a little deeper into the moment. Though the experience might be commonplace, the observation needn't be.
A Driver in the Boot
When I was nosing round the local Toyota dealership about four years ago, a nuggety salesman called Bruce opened the boot of a Camry sedan. His extended right arm triumphantly indicated the yawning space within. "Room for three full-size golf-bags," he declaimed.
It seemed at the time a peculiar way of extolling the virtues of boot space – but since then the four-letter game has discovered me. I'm prone to leaping up between forkfuls of dinner to demonstrate the correct flat-wrist position at the top of the back-swing as advised by the immortal Ben Hogan. And I even pay for the occasional golf lessons, my coach skillfully providing just enough tips to allow me to make the errors that will have me back for more instruction.
Salesman Bruce may have got it right. But having got the wheels, in which direction do you point them in order to play?
A well-off friend likes to collect the prestige courses, probably framing the course receipts for display over the fireplace. He'll happily drive up to Northland to pay an eye-widening two or three hundred bucks for a high-season round at Kauri Cliffs. And he's talking of a grand South Island tour in his gleaming Nissan Maxima, taking in courses like our Sir Bob--designed Millbrook, at Queenstown – which will load around two hundred pingers on his Amex Gold Business credit card for a de-luxe summer round quicker than you can say Alan Bollard.
I prefer the other end of the golfing spectrum. For charm, peace, and a blithe wallet, my throttle-foot squirts for the quiet country courses. And I feel when I play there that my fees do a little something for the rural economy.
Typically, the course will be off a side-road from the main highway, the tarmac turning to metal after a couple of hundred metres. I'll ease to a gentle stop in a near-empty car-park, wind down the windows and sit for five minutes to tune in to rural rhythms and sylvan sounds.
Then it's an unhurried assembly of gear from the boot before strolling to the usually deserted club-house to drop in the required fifteen or so bucks in the honesty-box.
I like to imbibe the notice-board. Brenda has size-six Nike golf shoes for sale – in vgc. Full attendance is urged for next Saturday's working bee. Please remember to close the gate at the end of the twelve, otherwise the cows might get in. The cut wood beside the fifteenth is reserved for the secretary and NOT up for grabs by club members.
The score-card's always good for a leisurely perusal. I try to guess the story behind each hole's name. There'll be water and maybe a dog-leg at the par-four Ducks Drift. Let's hope the wind won't be blowing too much against the boundary line at the Mountain View par-five. Perhaps the club treasurer lost four balls in a row at Fred's Folly.
Then it's the ball on the tee. A fervent prayer to the patron saint of muscle memory. A deep breath. Then the driver with the driver swings for it – with the only comment on the quality of the shot coming from a couple of cynical mynahs.
Ever tried Taihape? I seem to recall paying ten bucks for a round – and the sheep on one fairway were thrown in for free. It was so uncrowded I had to talk to the livestock for company. ‘How ya goin', ewes?'
On one hole at Tirau - the second par-three, I think –my whopper slice skewed the ball irretrievably into literal cow country. One heavy-lidded Friesian lifted her tail and commented on the shot in the way cows do when they've been eating for a while. Fair enough. When I saw my tee-shot balloon to the right I'd thought of the word, too.
Waimarino, just south of Ohakune, is another country classic. After a morning's skiing at nearby Turoa, it's an ideal way to come back to earth: a course with empty fairways and stunning views of Mt Ruapehu.
Raglan's a little beauty. You encounter a few hills - but they give the golfer an aerobic workout along with great views of the harbour and estuary. Never mind that several of my golf-balls snuggled up to the mangroves.
No South Island courses so far – but I've driven past some at the top of the mainland so salivatingly beautiful that next time I'm down there the Subby's boot will have the right stuff.
Maybe I could have a lash in winter on a perma-frosted fairway on the modestly-priced Arrowtown course. If I smack it in the meat – my coach says I need to swing through to a full finish and that'll be forty dollars, please - the ball might bounce and skitter all the way to some hallowed green at Millbrook.
You can drive a long way in the country on a few bucks.
© John Parker. First published in AA Directions, 2002
When I was nosing round the local Toyota dealership about four years ago, a nuggety salesman called Bruce opened the boot of a Camry sedan. His extended right arm triumphantly indicated the yawning space within. "Room for three full-size golf-bags," he declaimed.
It seemed at the time a peculiar way of extolling the virtues of boot space – but since then the four-letter game has discovered me. I'm prone to leaping up between forkfuls of dinner to demonstrate the correct flat-wrist position at the top of the back-swing as advised by the immortal Ben Hogan. And I even pay for the occasional golf lessons, my coach skillfully providing just enough tips to allow me to make the errors that will have me back for more instruction.
Salesman Bruce may have got it right. But having got the wheels, in which direction do you point them in order to play?
A well-off friend likes to collect the prestige courses, probably framing the course receipts for display over the fireplace. He'll happily drive up to Northland to pay an eye-widening two or three hundred bucks for a high-season round at Kauri Cliffs. And he's talking of a grand South Island tour in his gleaming Nissan Maxima, taking in courses like our Sir Bob--designed Millbrook, at Queenstown – which will load around two hundred pingers on his Amex Gold Business credit card for a de-luxe summer round quicker than you can say Alan Bollard.
I prefer the other end of the golfing spectrum. For charm, peace, and a blithe wallet, my throttle-foot squirts for the quiet country courses. And I feel when I play there that my fees do a little something for the rural economy.
Typically, the course will be off a side-road from the main highway, the tarmac turning to metal after a couple of hundred metres. I'll ease to a gentle stop in a near-empty car-park, wind down the windows and sit for five minutes to tune in to rural rhythms and sylvan sounds.
Then it's an unhurried assembly of gear from the boot before strolling to the usually deserted club-house to drop in the required fifteen or so bucks in the honesty-box.
I like to imbibe the notice-board. Brenda has size-six Nike golf shoes for sale – in vgc. Full attendance is urged for next Saturday's working bee. Please remember to close the gate at the end of the twelve, otherwise the cows might get in. The cut wood beside the fifteenth is reserved for the secretary and NOT up for grabs by club members.
The score-card's always good for a leisurely perusal. I try to guess the story behind each hole's name. There'll be water and maybe a dog-leg at the par-four Ducks Drift. Let's hope the wind won't be blowing too much against the boundary line at the Mountain View par-five. Perhaps the club treasurer lost four balls in a row at Fred's Folly.
Then it's the ball on the tee. A fervent prayer to the patron saint of muscle memory. A deep breath. Then the driver with the driver swings for it – with the only comment on the quality of the shot coming from a couple of cynical mynahs.
Ever tried Taihape? I seem to recall paying ten bucks for a round – and the sheep on one fairway were thrown in for free. It was so uncrowded I had to talk to the livestock for company. ‘How ya goin', ewes?'
On one hole at Tirau - the second par-three, I think –my whopper slice skewed the ball irretrievably into literal cow country. One heavy-lidded Friesian lifted her tail and commented on the shot in the way cows do when they've been eating for a while. Fair enough. When I saw my tee-shot balloon to the right I'd thought of the word, too.
Waimarino, just south of Ohakune, is another country classic. After a morning's skiing at nearby Turoa, it's an ideal way to come back to earth: a course with empty fairways and stunning views of Mt Ruapehu.
Raglan's a little beauty. You encounter a few hills - but they give the golfer an aerobic workout along with great views of the harbour and estuary. Never mind that several of my golf-balls snuggled up to the mangroves.
No South Island courses so far – but I've driven past some at the top of the mainland so salivatingly beautiful that next time I'm down there the Subby's boot will have the right stuff.
Maybe I could have a lash in winter on a perma-frosted fairway on the modestly-priced Arrowtown course. If I smack it in the meat – my coach says I need to swing through to a full finish and that'll be forty dollars, please - the ball might bounce and skitter all the way to some hallowed green at Millbrook.
You can drive a long way in the country on a few bucks.
© John Parker. First published in AA Directions, 2002
Editing and Writing for Business
Do the words support and enhance the product, or do they distract and confuse? John finds that editing and writing for businesses, corporations, and educational institutes can be as satisfying and creative as work in other genres - especially when it achieves the desired clear and effective communication, whatever the register.
Among other things, he has worked on:
Do the words support and enhance the product, or do they distract and confuse? John finds that editing and writing for businesses, corporations, and educational institutes can be as satisfying and creative as work in other genres - especially when it achieves the desired clear and effective communication, whatever the register.
Among other things, he has worked on:
- prospectuses
- research, annual, and sustainability reports
- promotional material and brochures
- in-box leaflets
- product descriptions and other material, especially in the wine and food industries
- brand-names
- video scripts
- website text
Reviews and Radio
John Parker has written almost 70 classical music concert reviews for the former Auckland Star.
He has also written for, and spoken on, Radio New Zealand National on a number of occasions, including 15 contributions on the former Morning Comment slot and around 30 book reviews on Nine to Noon.
Two of his story series – which John also narrated - have appeared on RNZ National's Nine to Noon. Skiing With Father (1988) is a 20-episode account of one Arthur Anderson's trials and triumphs while sliding on the white stuff. And the 15-episode Use It or Lose It, (1990, repeated 1993) is about a Roger Ramsey's journey from fat to fit as he encounters gyms and their instructors, mountain-biking, rock-climbing, and other highly physical activities.
John Parker has written almost 70 classical music concert reviews for the former Auckland Star.
He has also written for, and spoken on, Radio New Zealand National on a number of occasions, including 15 contributions on the former Morning Comment slot and around 30 book reviews on Nine to Noon.
Two of his story series – which John also narrated - have appeared on RNZ National's Nine to Noon. Skiing With Father (1988) is a 20-episode account of one Arthur Anderson's trials and triumphs while sliding on the white stuff. And the 15-episode Use It or Lose It, (1990, repeated 1993) is about a Roger Ramsey's journey from fat to fit as he encounters gyms and their instructors, mountain-biking, rock-climbing, and other highly physical activities.
Stage and Screen
John Parker spent 1968-1972 in Europe pursuing a career as a professional bass-baritone in opera, oratorio, and recital. For many years he broadcast recitals as a National Artist with Radio NZ, was a soloist with choral societies and orchestras throughout New Zealand, and sang with NZ Opera.
As an actor he has done a number of voice-overs and has also appeared in almost 20 TV commercials, five films, in-house videos, and TV favourites such as Gloss and Hercules. Roles have ranged freely through the social and emotional spectrum: doctor, businessman, banker, security officer, farmer, yodelling Swiss professor tasting ice-cream (a yummy part), lawyer, policeman in a brothel, baker, car-park attendant, prisoner, Porsche owner, office-worker, veterinarian, card-player, golfer, bartender - and man with bad headache.
Highlights have included playing Labour Prime Minister Peter Fraser for an Anzac Day screening for Maori TV - and meeting four former All Black captains while filming an oil company ad.
John Parker spent 1968-1972 in Europe pursuing a career as a professional bass-baritone in opera, oratorio, and recital. For many years he broadcast recitals as a National Artist with Radio NZ, was a soloist with choral societies and orchestras throughout New Zealand, and sang with NZ Opera.
As an actor he has done a number of voice-overs and has also appeared in almost 20 TV commercials, five films, in-house videos, and TV favourites such as Gloss and Hercules. Roles have ranged freely through the social and emotional spectrum: doctor, businessman, banker, security officer, farmer, yodelling Swiss professor tasting ice-cream (a yummy part), lawyer, policeman in a brothel, baker, car-park attendant, prisoner, Porsche owner, office-worker, veterinarian, card-player, golfer, bartender - and man with bad headache.
Highlights have included playing Labour Prime Minister Peter Fraser for an Anzac Day screening for Maori TV - and meeting four former All Black captains while filming an oil company ad.
