Q&A: with Sky Thieves author Dan Walker

Children's author Dan Walker joined us on Wednesday the 29th of November at 7pm for a live Q&A in the Books Channel on Campus Society. We discussed anything and everything about the creative writing process, as well as what to expect when trying to get published. Questions w/Time stamps: 0:35 - Introduction 1:57 - Where do you get your inspiration from when writing books? 3:50 - What was your journey in order to become a successful writer? 6:28 - What comes first: The character or the story? 8:07 - What is the hardest part about writing for children? 9:14 - You mentioned translating... how do you know for sure that the meaning of your story came through? 10:22 - Out of all the characters you've created, which one are you most proud of? 11:40 - Following on Oonagh's question, are there any that you dislike? 13:11 - If you weren’t an author what would you like to be? 14:45 - What is a well-rounded character for you? 16:20 - Do you have a favourite author? 18:04 - Who is your favourite children's author/one you admire? 19:10 - You mention being interested in Japanese stories, do you have any recommendations? 20:22 - Also wondering whether your work with people with autism influences your writing at all? 21:12 - One of my good friends wants to be a children's author. His dissertation is about Christianity in children's books. Do you have any advice for him about pursuing his dream? 23:31 - What is your favourite word or quote? 24:44 - Are there any major misconceptions about authors? 25:39 - Necessary: Are you a fan of Harry Potter? 26:56 - Do you think the religious references in the Dark Materials series and The Chronicles of Narnia are manipulative or quite clever? Interested to hear your thoughts 27:56 - What is the most frequently asked question you get when people find out you're an author? 28:49 - How long does it take for you to write a book? 30:20 - Do you have to be careful about the messages/content of your work for fear of encouraging vices in children? 31:50 - A lot of children's books at the moment are promoting equality, such as female scientists and other feminist works. Do you think that children's literature has experienced an evolution for encouraging liberal ideas? 33:54 - Do you like audio books and would you ever narrate your own? 36:17 - Ever read The Kite Runner? 37:01 - What was your favourite book in your childhood? 39:39 - Do you have a favourite mystery author? 41:34 - Ever read the Skulduggery Pleasant books? 42:37 - Talking Agatha Christie, did you read or watch the BBC drama 'And Then There Were None'? 43:07 - Would you ever write a play/screenplay for children? 44:14 - Do you ever judge a book by it's cover? 45:19 - What other genre of writing would you like to do? 46:40 - How do you structure your stories? Do you think of a scene/character and work from there? 48:42 - What has been your career highlight so far? 49:48 - Have you read Angela Carters the Bloody Chamber? 50:06 - Do you lose the excitement reading your own books once you've finished writing them? 51:33 - Did you think it (The Bloody Chamber) was a good subversion of fairy tales? Campus Society Books: https://www.campussociety.com/channel/17 Website: http://danwalkerauthor.weebly.com/ Twitter: ​@sky_thieves —————————————————— Subscribe: http://bit.ly/SubToCampus and ring the bell to stay in the know 🔔 —————————————————— Join the biggest student community in the world: http://www.CampusSociety.com Follow us: ‣ Facebook -   / campussociety   ‣ Twitter -   / campussociety   ‣ Instagram -   / campussociety   —————————————————— For all the best in student news, student tips, student guides, uni memes, dating, gaming, film, tv, budgeting, revision and more. —————————————————— #DanWalker #SkyThieves #QandA