This interview with Sian
Pattenden was first published in February 2006. To find out even more about the
author, you can visit our Sian Pattenden page.
Where were you born and raised?
Born in Hammersmith, West
London. Raised in Twickenham, Mddx.
What was it that first got you into writing and when did you start writing?
I have always written. My parents
were witness to a great many plays, musicals, poems and stories I penned whilst
they were in the pub. Mostly about lonely heiresses standing on hilltops. I was
quite annoying.
Which writers have influenced
you the most?
I used to watch Beckett’s "Happy
Days" on the Open University as a child, again highly irritating, and
liked the thought of a woman up to her neck in sand. Maybe I liked the
silliness, rather than having lofty pretentions.
There are a lot of courses teaching creative writing nowadays, but do you think that good writing can be taught?
I think teachers can pass on a
bit of enthusiasm, but you’ve either got it or you ain't.
Have you entered writing competitions? If so, have you won any prizes?
When I was 16 I entered the
opening three scenes of a play to the Soho Poly theatre [I think] Young Writers
course and it ended up on the Edinburgh fringe. Rather clumsily titled
"Steven Newman Doesn’t Eat Quiche", it’s about a boy who decides to
become a feminist. It had lots of stupid jokes in it.
What kind of things do you
write?
Books for children wot I hope
are funny. I illustrate too. Sometimes, hrgh, I do a bit of journalism.
What, for you, is the best
piece of prose that you have ever written?
"The
Awful Tale Of Agatha Bilke". Perhaps.
What are you working on now?
The sequel. Very slowly, I
might add.
What is your writing day like?
Hm. I have a very young, if rather
large, baby so I have to fit it in around the times he is not trying to eat tin
openers etc.
Where would you like to be in
10 years time?
In a nice hotel.
What’s the most exciting thing
about writing for you?
The fact that the sheer hard work
of it is paired with a certain luxury – writing thousands of words over a few
days then spending an afternoon worrying about a comma.
What’s the most frustrating
thing about writing for you?
It’s badly paid.
What’s the best piece of feedback that you’ve had from your audience?
If anyone says they like what
you do, that’s not half bad.
Do you write for a particular audience, or is your first priority to satisfy your own creativity?
If you don’t consider yourself
to be creative you might as well go into market research.
Do you have a homepage? If so,
what’s the URL?
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