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 With numerous awards to her name, a TV
series based on her popular ‘Tracy Beaker’ novels and having served a
spell as the UK Children’s Laureate, acclaimed author Jacqueline Wilson
is one of Britain’s most prolific children’s writers ever. Over 20
million copies of her books have been sold in the UK alone!
The LINC caught up with the author of The Bed and Breakfast Star, Double
Act, Candyfloss and a host of other children’s titles when she paid a
visit to the Wigan branch of Waterstones to talk about her life as a
writer.
Read on to the end of this interview to find out how you can win a copy
of Jacqueline’s latest book.
You’ve had lots of books published, but do you remember how you felt
when you found out your first book had been accepted by a publisher?
I was very thrilled. I tell you, I went out of the publishing house and
literally skipped down the street. Right from when I was about six years
old my biggest ambition was to write a book and get it published, and it
just meant the world to me.
Do you still get that same feeling when your books come out now, or is
it a feeling you get used to?
Now it’s very different [from when I was first published]. I think
publishing is very different, bookshops are very different, but it still
gives you a huge buzz. I’m on a book tour at the moment promoting my
latest books, and whenever we turn up at a bookshop and see lots of
excited looking little girls, I’m thrilled to bits.
You’ve won lots of awards for your books and even had a spell as the
Children’s Laureate. Do you still feel as though you have a lot to
achieve?
I have been lucky to win some, and obviously if any of my books are up
for award I’d like them to do well, but I don’t obsess over them.
I’ve been a judge on various award panels and doing that you realise
that, with books, it’s simply a matter of someone’s opinion, there isn’t
a ‘Best Book’ as such. So I don’t really psyche myself up and get over
excited if my book is short listed. However, if it wins I’m very happy!
I don’t think there’s anything that I think ‘Oh gosh, wouldn’t it be
wonderful if I won that?’ though.
What’s the most enjoyable thing about writing?
There are all kinds of enjoyable things, but one of the most enjoyable
is actually whilst I’m sat at the computer and suddenly a way to sort
something out or the right turn of phrase comes to me.
That always gives you a thrill, because when you’re a professional
writer, you write every day and yet just occasionally it all comes
together beautifully, it’s just like flying, there’s no other feeling
like it.
Unfortunately, there are many other times when you’re just stuck!
Is there anything about writing that you don’t enjoy all that much?
Sometimes it’s difficult in that you get held responsible for all sorts
of things and you have to be very careful about the content in your
books. I want to try and please myself, I want to try and please my
audience, and yet you know there might be one or two people who will
take exception to something you’ve written.
Just very occasionally I’ll get a cross letter from a parent or whatever
and I always treat it very seriously. There might have been something in
one of my books that has upset them, but for every letter like that
there are thousands of lovely ones, so that’s fine.
If you wrote something that didn’t cause any kind of fuss, I think it
would be incredibly bland.
You’re synonymous with children’s fiction, have you ever considered
writing adult fiction?
A long time ago, in the 1970s and 80s, I did write five novels for
adults. They were crime novels and dark, strange, peculiar novels and I
think I got it out of my system then. I don’t think I’d ever want to
write for adults now, I’m very happy writing for children and for
teenagers.
What is about writing for children and teenagers that you enjoy the
most?
I think it’s because children see things with fresh eyes and you can
write about all sorts of things.
I like writing for children because I feel you can more or less use any
kind of subject as long as your careful about the way you write about
things, and I think it gives you immense freedom. Also, when a book
comes out for children, you get immediate feedback and you know straight
away whether its working or not.
With all the subjects that you’ve written about in the past, do you ever
struggle to come up with an idea for your next book?
When I’m writing one book I always have two or three ideas stacked up,
knowing that I can go on to something else.
As I’ve written more, the ideas do take just a little bit longer to
arrive in the head, but I’m writing a book currently that will be coming
out in October 2008 and I’ve got a little glimmering of an idea for a
book that will be coming out after that so, touch wood, things are going
well.
Do you foresee a time when you might ever stop writing books?
Lots and lots of people ask me this, but the wonderful thing about being
a writer is that as long as you’ve still got all your marbles, you can
carry on writing for as long as you want.
My daughter is very supportive but also quite honest. She’s long since
an adult but she still reads my books and I have a pact with her. I say
‘if you think they’re getting weaker or if I’m just repeating myself,
tell me’.
I don’t want to just keep on writing something that isn’t as good as
something I wrote in my heyday. So if she thinks I’m loosing it I’ll
hang up my pen, but until she says that I shall keep on.
What advice might you give to young people interested in a career in
writing?
I would say that it’s one of the most rewarding things you can do, but
try very hard to get qualifications doing something else because it
takes such a long time to get there, to get published.
Even when you are published it takes a long time to get good sales and
become a success. So it’s always good to have some sort of actual job
whilst you’re establishing yourself as a writer.
Recommended link:
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http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/childrens/jacquelinewilson/home.htm
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