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Interview
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NEWSROUND -
30/sep/2005 |
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interviewer:
??? |
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Darren Shan
is the author of
many horror
books for kids.
His dark
tales include
Cirque Du Freak
and Lord Loss.
What was
your
favourite
book when
you were a
child?
The Secret
Garden by
Frances Hodgson
Burnett. I read
it many times
and always found
something new to
excite me.
How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a writer?
Five or six
years old!! I
used to daydream
about being all
sorts of things
at that time,
but being a
writer was what
I wanted more
than anything
else.
Any tips for kids who want to get started as an aspiring author?
Just keep
writing!!! There
really aren't
any secret
formulas or
shortcuts. The
more you
practise, the
more you learn
and the better
you get. Write
the sort of
stories you'd
like to read,
and keep looking
for ways to
improve. If you
stick with it,
you WILL
succeed. It
won't happen
overnight, but
the struggle and
long period of
time involved is
largely what
makes it so
enjoyable and
rewarding in the
end!
What makes books so special?
They're
personal. At the
cinema, museum,
arcade or a
concert, you're
part of a crowd.
Reading's
something you
always do alone.
You're the one
who decides what
the characters
look like, and
how elaborate or
simple the
settings are.
You can set your
own pace and
read as much or
as little as you
like, spreading
a good book out
or devouring it
all in one quick
go. And there
are no limits -
a good book will
spark off as
many ideas and
stories as your
imagination is
capable of
processing.
How do you get your inspiration for your writing?
I just think
about stories a
lot. Ideas
aren't something
you can control,
and, in all
honesty, they're
not the most
important part
of the process.
I had loads of
great ideas for
books when I was
a kid, but of
course I wasn't
able to turn
them into novels
because I lacked
the experience.
My advice is to
work hard at
improving your
writing, at
learning to
plot, to develop
characters, to
handle dialogue,
to pace a story
strongly. The
ideas will come
by themselves.
The trick is to
be prepared to
make the most of
them when they
come!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4290000/newsid_4297800/4297826.stm |
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