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BIRTH OF A FREAK
SHOW
Darren Shan lets
us in on the
creation of his
first book for
children
Writing for kids
- it's a doddle.
Everyone knows
that. Short
books, simple
words, aimed at
readers who
aren't as
demanding as
adults. Anyone
could do it.
Children's
writers aren't
real writers.
They serve a
purpose, they
keep the young
ones amused, but
no one takes
them seriously,
and nobody
actually thinks
that they set
about their work
with diligence
and thought, or
that they suffer
in the process
of creation. Hey
- these are kids
books we're
talking about!
It's a doddle!
Here's how I
"doddled" my way
through my first
children's book,
called Cirque
Du Freak,
in the shops
now.
8/5/1997:
I'd been writing
adult-orientated
books for
several years
and was in the
process of
selling what
would be my
first published
book,
Ayuamarca
(that came
out in February
1999). I was
working on a
long,
complicated
novel, and
wasn't enjoying
it. In my diary
for this date I
noted: 'I had an
idea for a new
book tonight: a
kid's one! I
don't know if
it'll lead
anywhere…'
9/5/1997:
I decided to
make a start on
the kid's book,
working on it at
night, after I'd
laboured with my
adult's book by
day. It was
supposed to
serve as light
relief, a way to
unwind at the
end of a busy
day, but I noted
in my diary, on
the very first
day: 'It's fun,
though not as
easy to write as
I imagined.'
24/16/1997:
I finished
the first draft
and modestly
wrote: 'I think
it's good
stuff.' I
enjoyed writing
it, but also
found it quite
demanding: there
was no
'coasting' on
this book; it
didn't write
itself; getting
the right
narrative tone
proved
difficult. Maybe
there was more
to this kid's
lark than I
thought!
17-24/7/1997:
I
ploughed through
my first edit of
the book, taking
into account
some suggestions
of my agent's,
focusing on the
latter chapters,
bringing them
into line with
the earlier
sections (they
were a little
too mature as
they were).
Managed to
whittle it down
quite a bit.
Editing involves
a lot of
whittling: I
always like to
write more than
I need to begin
with, then slice
away at it
later. It's
far easier to
cut a few lines
out than add new
ones on!
26/11-3/12/1997:
After a
meeting with an
editor at
HarperCollins
(Domenica De
Rosa) I went
through the book
a third
time. Focused on
the early
chapters (they
were too
immature: I was
beginning to
learn that in
children's
fiction, if you
don't tread the
line exactly
right,
you're going to
fall one way or
the other; it's
a delicate
balancing act
which you have
to grapple with
every
time out).
22-25/10/1998:
Another
round of
editing. By this
stage I'd sold
the book to HC
and written the
early drafts of
a couple of
sequels (along
with more adult
books). As more
unnecessary
lines and
paragraphs fell
by the wayside,
I wryly noted:
'A few more
re-writes and
it'll be a
@*!@$*! short
story!!!'
16-18/7/1999:
The final
edit!! Domenica
had been
replaced by a
new editor,
Gillie Russell,
who had some
recommendations
of her own to
make, and I now
found myself
tinkering with
the middle
section of the
book, tightening
it up. Breathed
a sigh of relief
when I was
finished, looked
back over the
two years plus
which had passed
since I started
my 'little
side-project',
and promptly
fainted!
And here we are.
Cirque
is in the
shops; I'm
getting used to
giving
interviews and
facing
menacing-looking
cameras
(photo-shoots
are killers: I
don't know how
models cope!!).
As for the
future ...
Well, along the
way my
experimental
one-off story
about a couple
of boys who go
to a freak show
turned into a 24
book series
(approximately),
the second of
which, The
Vampire's
Assistant,
debuts this
June. What that
means is I've
got to repeat
the above
process 23 more
times or so,
building my
grand overall
story up piece
by piece, into a
4,000 page
monster epic.
I'll have to
juggle disparate
plot lines with
a huge cast of
characters;
remember
everything I've
previously
written, whilst
struggling to
work out the
problems of the
books ahead; try
not to go over
the heads of
younger readers
as the main
characters
mature, yet keep
the initial
readers who are
growing up as
the series
progresses.
You want me to
let you in on a
secret,
something I've
learned over the
last two and a
half years?
Writing for kids
- it's a bloody
nightmare!!!
Darren Shan —
16/01/2000 —
very shaken and
terribly
stirred. |
