Literary Birthday – 7 December – Anne Fine

Happy Birthday, Anne Fine, born 7 December 1947.

Five Quotes

1. We did a lot creative writing at school. We were sat down to write a story, in quiet, at least twice a week. They don’t do creative writing in school now. It is an absolute tragedy.
2. I don’t do joy, but there is such satisfaction in getting a book right, every comma in place. The part I most enjoy is that ‘doing corrections,’ as we called it back in school (though I hated it then).
3. Read, read, read.
4. Decide what kind of author you are (or what sort of book you’re writing). If it’s commercial, do the research. Otherwise, take Philip Larkin’s advice: Write the book you would most like to read, but nobody’s bothered to write for you.
5. I sit there, like everybody else, chewing over the pencil and getting stuck and thinking, ‘How am I going to get out of this?’ Sometimes it comes in floods and then I go back and tinker with it for six weeks. It is satisfying and absorbing, but not easy.

Anne Fine is a British writer. She has written more than 50 children’s books including two winners of the annual Carnegie Medal. She also won the Guardian Prize, one Smarties Prize, two Whitbread Awards, and she was twice the Children’s Author of the Year. From 2001 to 2003 she was the second British Children’s Laureate. Her books include Madame Doubtfire, The Tulip Touch, and Flour Babies.

Source for Image

Author’s media page

https://www.annefine.co.uk/media/index.php

 by Amanda Patterson

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