Right then . . . the Roald Dahl thing, and Is It Ever Okay to Change a Dead Writer’s Text? I’m going to focus on the idea of the deceased writer, because living writers can change their own text if they want to, and if they don’t, they can fight their own corner. First, let me say that I…
People who take an interest in children’s books and comics learn to recognise individual illustrators by their distinct styles, but not many outside of the trade itself realise that illustrators can and do often work in more than one style. Nor do they understand how an illustrator chooses the styles they use most often – and how those choices…
If you spent much time in the world of publishing, you might at some point start to wonder if the people who work in children’s publishing had an inferiority complex. Or if they didn’t, they must surely be on their way to developing one. The main reason for this, in my opinion, is the perception that writing for children…
The lovely Sarah Webb and I will be flying by the seats of our respective pants as we hold an ‘Ideas Shop’ event for the Kilkenny Arts Festival – without the calming presence of Judi Curtin. The event takes place at 3pm on the 12th of August at the Barnstorm Theatre. In this show, we take a light-hearted approach…
This is a bit of a mental week (I’m in eight different places this week alone – more, if you count individual libraries in a county), but I wanted to post a few things before I forgot. First off, if you’re a budding new author – or indeed a frustrated old one – Irish PEN are hosting a panel…
For anyone interested in writing for kids, there are still a couple of places left on the online course I’ll be running for Creative Writing Ink in September-October. Here’s the outline of the course: I will cover the basics of storytelling and the specific aspects of writing for children and young adults. Areas that will be looked at include:…
Ireland is famously proud of the number of high profile writers it produces. But given the ease with which a web resource can be set up, there is a shortage of professional-level sites offering down-to-earth, practical information for people in Ireland who hope to write for a living. I helped to develop one aimed at people who want to…