"I always told myself stories as a child, but I kept rather quiet about it at school," Wilson begins. "I was a huge fan of Noel Streatfeild's work, because she wrote about normal, ordinary, sometimes badly behaved children - I found other children's books in the 1950s rather colourless." A prolific writer, Wilson turns out two new works a year on average, often written on trains or planes. "I just get out my notebook and get on with it," she explains. She has been writing since she was a child, and speaks fondly of her first ever published work. One in a series of books called Nippers, it was aimed at very young children just beginning to read. In a pioneering move away from the safe world of Janet and John, the series instead featured inner-city children. Wilson first came across the books in her local library, and was inspired to write one herself.
 | | Tracy Beaker |
She didn't consider that there might be a 'proper way' of going about such things and had no idea that authors had to be commissioned to write a Nippers book. Instead, having made the decision to write a story, she explains that she researched the format, checked the style and length, and then produced her own version. She sent it off to the publisher, and hasn't looked back since! Just do it! In the 1970s, Wilson was one of the earliest editors of popular teen magazine, Jackie - there's still speculation that it may have been named after her! Speaking about her time as a journalist, Wilson says that it was terrific training and it taught her not to take herself too seriously. She came away from that job with an important lesson for all writers: "Journalists can never have writer's block - they just have to get on and write." | "I wanted children with real spirit in my stories" | | Jacqueline Wilson |
Her advice to would-be authors? "Basically, if you're writing a book, you really want people to read it, so it's important to check out what's happening in the part of publishing that you're interested in, and then try very hard - not to copy anyone else - but to do something that's going to fit into a particular series or a publishing style. Wilson versus Rowling? Asked how two giants of the children's literary world get on, Wilson says that she and JK Rowling have met each other a number of times, and get on well. She adds: "I got used to congratulating her! I so admire what she's done. She's turned an entire generation of children not only into avid readers, but she's made reading 'cool'. "She's the success story that even the most imaginative fiction writer could never have written: The JK Rowling Story. More power to her elbow!" Is Blyton bland?
 | | Jacqueline Wilson |
"Even if you struggled with reading at school, you could still glide into an Enid Blyton book," says Wilson. "She's a cosy, benign read. Her work doesn't stretch you, but she somehow or other made your imagination work. The characters - to adults - may seem a little 'cardboard', but the plots absolutely whiz along and she can be incredibly inventive - not to mention prolific. She wrote about 600 books!" Kids - you've gotta love 'em! "I really wish that writing for children was a complete doddle," Wilson muses. "How lovely that would be! But children are very discerning readers, and you can't fool them. You've really got to be on your toes all the time." You can listen to the full interview with Jacqueline Wilson using the link below. | 
