Seven Questions

As an author/illustrator, especially in the field of books for children, we are often asked to go in to schools to talk about our work. It’s wonderful to be asked, and I have learnt so much from children on my visits to schools over the years ( not sure if it’s supposed to be that way round, I hope I give plenty back too).

Of late I have so many requests, and appart from the odd visit now and again, I am seeking solitude so that I can paint, dream, read, write. It’s not that I don’t want to come, just that there are only 24 hours in a day and I need the time at my drawing board for peace of mind.

When St. George’s School asked me to visit, and I explained I suggested the children send me seven questions, and that I would answer them, around paint drying, watching the birds, thinking. I wasn’t prepared for the questions they asked. Brilliant.

So, I decided to answer them with this blog post. I will be sending my answers to them by snail mail. They are hand written because writing is only drawing words and I do love to draw.

These are the questions I was sent:

Do any of your ideas for your books come from dreams that you have?

If you could read someone’s mind, who would you choose and why?

If you had to live your life as a creature, what would you become?

What makes you truly happy?

If you could read one book for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

If you were stranded on an island, what one thing would you wished you had with you?

If you could go back and re-live a moment from your past, what would it be?

These are my answers:

I asked a few other people if they might answer also. Our book The Lost Words was conceived as an idea in a few emails sent between myself and Robert Macfarlane. Once we had an idea of what we wanted to make Robert wrote a ‘synopsis’ which our agent then took to a publisher.  Hamish Hamilton published other books by Robert, but we weren’t expecting Simon, the editor, necessarily to take ours on. On his list of books he had mostly novels. Amazing novels yes, but nothing like this. When Simon saw Robert’s proposal he called a special editorial meeting and within 24 hours he said yes. At this stage we found it hard to describe the creature we were trying to make, so it was an act of faith and trust combined with wonderful enthusiasm that led to the growth of our book from an idea to a finished creature.

These are Simon’s answers.

Do any of your ideas for your books come from dreams that you have?

No – but I wouldn’t rule it out. One of the writers I publish dreamt the whole opening section of one of her novels, woke up and wrote it all down, word for word as it appears in the printed book.

If you could read someone’s mind, who would you choose and why?

My wife, Anya, whom I hate misunderstanding.

If you had to live your life as a creature, what would you become?

An owl.

What makes you truly happy?

To love and to feel loved.

If you could read one book for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

The Collected Works of Shakespeare – which contains everything.

If you were stranded on an island, what one thing would you wished you had with you?

Hard to choose between a multi-tool Swiss Army knife and The Collected Works of Shakespeare.

If you could go back and re-live a moment from your past, what would it be?

Age 4, seeing the sea for the first time.

It’s funny. Now he comes to mention it he does look a bit like an owl. And though I do not look like a dragon I sometimes behave a bit too much like one.

So, big thank you to the children of St George’s Junior School in Shropshire. Hope you don’t mind sharing your answers with others. I will get yours in the post to you today, tomorrow.

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