Q & A's

Latest Q & A's

I am privileged to have so many of you send through your questions about my work – thank you. I am afraid that I will not be able to answer all of them, but please still send your questions and I will do my very best to answer as many as I can.

Question:

You have been quoted as saying writers block is 'lot of howling nonsense.' But do you have any tricks or tactics to help things along when the words are not coming out as you want them?

Asked on 05/03/2009 16:37:22

Answer:

No tricks. I just sit there groaning.

Question:

Do you test out your stories on anyone while you¹re writing them?

Asked on 05/03/2009 16:36:13

Answer:

Never. My stories are none of the readers' business until I have finished them. The idea of asking people what they think is so bizarre as to be inconceivable to me; if these people know how a story should go, why aren't they writing stories of their own? I am a strong believer in the tyranny, the dictatorship, the absolute authority of the writer. On the other hand, when it comes to reading, the only thing that works is democracy.

Question:

The success of the His Dark Materials trilogy, the Harry Potter books and the re-newed interest in JRR Tolkien has seen fantasy dominate the children¹s market in recent years. Do you think it¹s important for aspiring children¹s writers to keep in mind current trends or should they in fact forget such considerations?

Asked on 05/03/2009 16:34:55

Answer:

What they should do is take no notice whatsoever, and write exactly what they want to write. Back in 1996, how many people did we hear saying "We want the first Harry Potter book! We wish someone would write a book about Harry Potter! When is the first Harry Potter book going to come out? We can't wait!" None, is the answer. It's silly to ask the public what it wants. The public doesn't know what it wants until it sees what you can offer. So follow the whole of your nature and write the book that only you can write, and see what happens.

Question:

Did you or your publisher have any inclination of how successful the His Dark Materials trilogy would be when you first came up with the idea?

Asked on 05/03/2009 16:34:10

Answer:

Absolutely none. I thought it would be read by about 500 people at most. But it was a book I wanted to write, and David Fickling wanted to publish. See the question and answer above!

Question:

Your books deal with many of life's big questions? God, the church, good and evil, love? and you are not afraid to challenge your young readers. Is that a conscious aim when you sit down in front of a blank sheet of paper? Do you think children's writing has a duty to pose difficult questions?

Asked on 05/03/2009 16:30:32

Answer:

No. The only duty it has is best expressed in the words of Dr Johnson: "The only aim of writing is to help the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it."