Julia Donaldson |
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Julia Donaldson lives in Glasgow, Scotland.
PLACE AND DATE OF BIRTH:
London, 16 September 1948
FAVOURITE BOOK:
Watership Down by Richard Adams
MOST TREASURED POSSESSION
All my old diaries
FAVOURITE SONG:
Après Un Rêve by Fauré
FAVOURITE FILM:
Annie Hall by Woody Allen
When did you start writing?
As a child I loved writing stories and plays, and putting on shows. Later, when I was a penniless student, I went busking and starting writing songs. That led to a career in songwriting for children’s television. In 1993 one of my songs (A Squash and a Squeeze) was made into a book, and that’s how all the books started.
Where do you get your ideas?
Memories, observations, things that happen to my children, things people say, traditional stories, proverbs … Once you’re open to ideas they can come from anywhere – it’s like being a photographer or artist with an eye always open for a good picture. For me, the hard part is the next step – developing the ideas.
Can you give your top three tips to becoming a successful author?
1 Always be open to ideas, and jot them down, but give them time to grow inside you, like seeds. Don’t force them!
2 Scribble furiously when you’re in the mood. Then take time later to criticise and change things.
3 If you want to get published, don’t take NO for an answer. Nearly everyone gets rejection letters, so keep writing.
Favourite memory?
Playing hide and seek in a huge old house full of statues and secret passageways.
Favourite place in the world and why?
A footpath in the Cotswold hills – I love rolling countryside, trees, villages, and the ancient feeling of footpaths.
What are your hobbies?
Playing the piano, singing, reading, walking, wild flowers and fungi.
If you hadn't been a writer, what do you think you would have been?
An actress. That’s what I always wanted to be – but in a way I am because I do a lot of author visits where I act out my own stories.
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