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The
question that every writer is asked the most is 'where do
you get your ideas from' and I think the best answer to
this is 'everywhere'. Everything that happens to you and
the people around you can give you an idea for a story.
That's not to say it's easy. Thinking up ideas can be very
hard work and for me it's the hardest part of writing a
story. It takes about a year to write my collections of
short stories and the part that takes the longest is actually
thinking up the ideas.
It's
great when I eventually think of a plot that I know is good.
I have to write down any new ideas straight away, because
if I don't I might forget it. I keep an 'ideas book' and
I always write my story plans in it. I only type it up when
I know exactly how the story ends and what I want to write.
Not all writers work in this way - some just start writing
and see where it leads them. It's a good job that we're
not all the same. That would be boring.
When
I finish a story I send it to my editor, Julie. I read it
through several times first to make sure there are no mistakes
(I don't like doing that very much). It's a nice feeling
when Julie rings and tells me she likes the story (she mostly
does).
After
that it has to be edited and then there may be more work
for me to do - parts of the story might need changing to
make it sound better, or I might change the names in the
story. All those sorts of things. This part of the process
is very important. It's the part I like the least of all,
because once I've finished a story I hate to keep going
back through it all again. I just want to move on to the
next story.
While
all these things are going on, someone like Keith
McEwan, Peter Gouldthorpe or Craig
Smith have been working on the illustrations. I really
look forward to seeing their first sketches for the covers.
And then, there's the best bit of all - picking up the very
first copy of the book. When I get that first copy I just
can't put it down for ages. It's a very special sort of
feeling.
Here
are a few ideas which might help with your writing.
One of the things you need is raw material. Jokes, little
stories, places, people and the sorts of words we use. You
also need feelings. You know -sadness, joy, anger, fear,
embarrassment and worry. Where do you find this raw material?
In your own life, that's where.
People
say to me "You must have an interesting life, Paul
Jennings". Well, yes I do, but so do you. Everyone
has something worth writing about. If you think hard, you'll
find there are countless stories in your life. What your
dog did. The time you ran away from home. How adults don't
understand what it's like to be a kid sometimes. How you
hated speaking in front of the class.
All your experiences are fantastic raw material. Remember,
if it made you cry it will make someone else cry. If you
are embarrassed, other people will be too. You take these
feelings and exaggerate them a bit - make them larger than
they really were.
Once,
I was embarrassed because I forgot to change out of my old
painty trousers into clean ones when I went to a posh dinner.
Embarrassing - but not good enough for a story. I changed
it to a boy who is embarrassed because his head got
stuck in a toilet seat and he can't get it off. That would
make people in the restaurant sit up and look.
I am
nearly always the main character in my stories. Lots of
the events are straight from my own childhood and others
are things that I wish could happen. Like, being able to
fly or read people's thoughts.
Before
you write the first line, think. Is it interesting? I never
start my stories with ‘It was a sunny day and the sun
peeped out from behind the clouds’. That's no good.
The reader has already closed the book or fallen asleep.
Go for an unusual start. How about ‘I did not eat your
jeans. Well, not on purpose anyway’. Or ‘My cat
laughs every time I sneeze’. Or maybe ‘Is this
the way to the Hell's Angels Flower Show?’. You can
probably do better. Why not try?
Another
very important thing is the title. It may be the best story
every, but if the title is so boring that people don't even
start to read it, they will never know. So a lot of thought
has to go into the title. I don't usually choose a title
until my story or book is finished.
How
did I choose my book titles?
Well, unreal is a word my children often used, so that's
how my first book got its name. Then I realised how many
'UN' words there are and thought it would be fun to use
them for all my collections of short stories (apart from
Quirky Tails).
When
it's all finished there is one more thing - the dedication.
I usually dedicate my books to members of my family and
very special friends.
My first
stories were terrible. I can't bear to read them any more.
If you keep practising you get better. Read, read, read.
If you're not a reader you won't be a writer.
Don't
let anyone tell you that you are just a kid - your life
is as important as anyone else's. When you tell your own
stories they are real. Add a bit of fantasy and you have
magic.
From
writing part time on my own, life has changed a lot. Now
that I am so busy I can't do everything myself, so Deidre
and Linda work in my office; helping with correspondence,
paying bills, answering the phone and doing all the things
which make everything run smoothly, so that I can concentrate
on what I like doing best - writing.
I have
kept all the photos from people who have written to me over
the years and placed them on the walls in my office. Everyone
who walks in to the office stops to look at the huge collection
of photos, it now looks like wallpaper and it's rapidly
spreading all over the building!
Sometimes
I look at the photos on my wall and say to myself,
‘that’s who I’m writing for’.
Information
supplied by Paul Jennings 2001
Thanks to Lyndu
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