Nathan -
The Author
Where do you get your ideas?
Everywhere! The trick is to be open to ideas, wherever they can be found. Whether it’s a brief snippet of overheard conversation or watching a squirrel running along a fence, lightening can strike at the drop of a hat and you just have to be ready to capture it. The only constant source of inspiration has been the things we get up to together as a family. When there are children around there’s always something going on. Lots of these moments have made their way into my stories and they come frequently enough that I’ve based a whole series around family life.
How long does it take to write a picture book?
Not as long as it does to illustrate it I can tell you! Usually the idea for the story has been rattling around my head for a while before I bother picking up a pen and paper (yeah that’s right I still use a pen and paper!). After a few weeks/months/years bubbling away in the background of my brain, unconsciously working out the finer details, one day I’ll just feel like writing it. A sunny day and a bit of peace and quiet are often the things I need to prod me into action. At this point it doesn’t take very long, I’d say a few days on average, with my record being a whole story in one day. But it all starts with the idea and once it’s fully fleshed out, you’re good to go!
What’s your favourite children’s book?
Tough question, but I can narrow it down to three favourites. When I was a boy I loved second hand book shops. I loved the smell of them (old and musty), the sense of mystery lurking between all of those wildly different front covers* and the overwhelming feeling of being utterly SURROUNDED by books. When I was on holiday in Devon in the late 80’s, I was bought three illustrated books from the 1960’s, Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe and The Three Musketeers. I still have them, here they are.
There’s action, adventure and excitement spilling off of every page. There are bloodthirsty pirates, buried treasure, hungry cannibals and dashing heroes with very sharp swords wherever you look! In fact, the only dull moment in any of those stories arrives when you reach the words THE END, at which point I would simply return to the start and do it all over again!
* Apart from the oil splattered Haynes Manuals and the disturbingly large section of the shop dedicated to Barbara Cartland. Somehow I knew they weren’t for me.
When did you start writing stories?
I dabbled a bit when I was very young, but I can’t remember anything about them, which probably tells you all need to know! I think they were mostly copies of whatever I was into at the time, so I imagine that bloodthirsty pirates, buried treasure, hungry cannibals and dashing heroes with very sharp swords featured prominently!
I’ve always enjoyed reviewing films and music and that sort of thing, so I did a fair bit of that before I had children. And then my youngest daughter came along and as I read her picture book after picture book, I thought to myself I think I could do that! My Friend Alan was the first.
How many stories have you written?
Quite a number now, more than 20 I’d say. I have a couple of different series that I occasionally add more to and also some one-offs. The important thing for me is that each new story needs a reason to exist. I never write anything just to say I’ve written something. I’m always trying to do find different ways of telling a story, even within a series where certain elements are necessarily familiar and there’s a formula of sorts. The ingredients might be pretty similar, but you can always come up with a new recipe for them. If it isn’t interesting to me as a writer, it certainly isn’t going to be interesting to a reader.
What do you enjoy about writing
That’s easy! Making something from nothing. It’s the only magic trick I can do, taking a blank piece of paper and somehow filling it up with words. If I’m lucky sometimes they might even sound good together! Rather like Frankenstein reanimating his monster, you’re basically bringing a story to life with every word that makes the journey from your head to the page, every fresh stroke of your pen represents a little more flesh on the bones. By the time I’ve fully emptied my brain of whatever happens to be on it and I’ve got a new story on my hands, my little monster is ready to leave home and toddle off on his own two legs!
How do you know if anyone will like your stories?
I don’t really, you sort of live in hope! I only know that I like them and that’s as good a place as any to start from. In the words of the great Ricky Nelson and his marvellous song Garden Party, “you can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself.” That’s half the battle I think. I’m very lucky to have Annie here with me, along with our nine year daughter who’s an absolute beast when it comes to reading. I’ll show them my stuff once I’m happy with it and they’re not afraid to give me their full and frank opinion, which is mostly constructive and always kind. They generally seem to laugh in the right places!
How hard is it to be an author?
Easier than you might think. All you need is a pen and paper and an idea of some description.
I expect you’ve at least got the pen and paper situation covered, now all you need is an idea and that’s the hardest part! But once you’ve got that and you know the sort of thing you’d like to say, it’s just a question of finding the best way of saying it.
Have you ever wanted to illustrate your own stories?
Oh I can’t draw for toffee and I’m very envious of anyone who can. I’m lucky to have a wonderful artist living in the same house as me! I can see it all in my head and it looks great, I just can’t get the drawings out of my head and onto the page like I can with the words. I do odd little pictures underneath each section of writing which indicate what I’d like to see in the finished version. Annie will then take my sketches and make them a million times better with her super art skills. My drawings are famously peculiar and they get a lot of laughs from Poppy (which is something at least) and I do enjoy doing them. I’ve done all my stuff this way.
What’s it like working with Annie?
Terrific! I’m lucky to live in the same house as a very talented artist and also a great person. I can’t imagine working with anyone else, there’s no-one better suited to bringing my words to life. She’s lived with me long enough to know what I’m getting at without even asking, she’s not afraid to make suggestions if she thinks something can be improved upon and she brings lots of fantastic ideas of her own to the party. She’s also not afraid to make her share of coffee! Annie is very inspiring to be around. Without her (and Poppy) there wouldn’t be a My Friend Alan, or any of the other stories I’ve written featuring the two of them.
5 tips for a budding writer
1. Be open to ideas, they can often be found in the most unlikely places and as a writer you’re nothing without them!
2. Perseverance. If at first you don’t succeed…
3. Understand what success means to you. For me, a success is first and foremost about producing something I’m proud of. Anything else is a lovely bonus.
4. Don’t be afraid of failure. If you try something and it doesn’t work out, there’s always another angle to approach it from. Look at it for long and hard enough and eventually the right angle will present itself.
5. Remember it’s supposed to be fun - take it seriously, but for goodness sakes have fun!