1. There are not many authors who can write compelling
stories that both adults and children can both love. John
Boyne, who wrote 'The Boy in Striped Pyjamas' is one such
author. He says himself that it's not a matter of writing
books for children that adults will like; it is all about good
story telling. John Boyne did a degree in literature at
Trinity College in Dublin after which he took and year out
and then went on the Malcolm Bradbury's creative writing
course at the University of East Anglia. Here he won the
Curtis Brown award and never looked back.
2. Another great children's and adult author is Roald Dahl
who was born in Cardiff in 1916. He didn't get much praise
for his writing and was even told by his English teach he
would never succeed in writing. This put him off going to
university. After a stint in the Royal Air Force he rose to
fame in the 1940's and went on to become one of the
world's bestselling authors. In 2008 the Times places Dahl
sixteenth in its lit of 'The 50 great British Writers since
1945'. His books are known for their un-expecting and
surprising endings, often using very dark humor. He
worked at Cadbury the chocolate company which is where
he got his inspiration for writing Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory which he wrote in 1964 and made in a film 1971
but renamed Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory.
Apparently he dreamed of inventing a new chocolate
3. JK Rowling is probably the most recent author of childrens
and adults books who is on everyone's radar thanks to the
great success of the Harry Potter Series. She has won
numerous awards including an OBE in 2001, in 2010 was
voted the most influential women in the UK by leading
magazine editors. According to the Sunday Times Rich List
J K Rowling is now worth an estimated £530million.
Joanne Rowling which is her real name is also just as
famous for her 'rags to riches' life story. She went from
living on benefits as a single mum to become a multi
millionaire within 5 years.
4. The Harry Potter books are a great example of stories that
appeal to people of all ages. From the research I did for
this article I found out some useful tips on writing great
children's and adult stories. For a start you shouldn't write
for a specific age group, just write your book and let its
market find it. Build a believable world and write about
universal themes. J K Rowling does this cleverly in the
Harry Potter series. She manages to incorporate the classic
causes of bullying, racism, snobbery and jealousy into her
magical world of Hogwarts. This gives readers a chance to
identify the characters regardless of the actual setting.
