Simon Toyne Quotes

When you're writing fiction or poetry... it really comes down to this: indifference to everything except what you're doing... A young writer could do worse than follow the advice given in those lines.

To be a novelist, all I need is a pen and a piece of paper.

Part of a writer's job is just spacing out, looking into the air and imagining things.

My books always begin with a sentence and an image - not necessarily connected.

When I write, I imagine places more than people.

When you're writing, it's a very solitary job. It's you and your word processor and a cup of tea.

To write fiction, one needs a whole series of inspirations about people in an actual environment, and then a whole lot of work on the basis of those inspirations.

There is no lighter burden, nor more agreeable, than a pen.

Readers would email me and say, 'Please write a novel about so-and-so,' but it has to come from yourself and not so much from your readership.

Read a lot. Write a lot. Have fun.

There's no game plan when it comes to thinking up new characters; inspiration can come from anything - from a wig I've seen to an expression I've heard someone use.

You can't write if you don't read.

I've always been a history buff. It was one of the few subjects at school that really, really caught me. I think you'll find a lot of actors will be interested in history because it sparks your imagination so much. When you enter a period of history, your imagination just goes wild in creating the world, which is really what acting is.

Writing novels preserves you in a state of innocence - a lot passes you by - simply because your attention is otherwise diverted.

You have to have heart's passion to write a novel.

Writing for children is my... that's my medium, you know, and the medium is the picture book, which is a very particular kind of book. I try to give children what I would give anybody, you know. I become interested in something. I find something fascinating. It has to fascinate me, and then I want to give it to them.

Everyone has early fiction fantasies, but it wasn't until my second child Betsy was born that I allowed the urge to write a novel bubble up.

I am in total silence when I write - I don't even like the sound of the dryer going - I like the quiet.

Part of my job as Children's Laureate is to visit schools and talk about my love of books and stories and encourage them all to do it as well - to read, to write, to never be afraid of their own voice. Because we all have something to say.

I just want to sit in my room and write books.

I get so much inspiration from my travels, but I also started an exercise where I write down so many words every week. Then I begin crossing them off. We create a grid of words and also images, but words for me are more ample because you can interpret them your own way.

Imagination is the key to my lyrics. The rest is painted with a little science fiction.

I like writing historical fiction.

I don't actually have a one wellspring of inspiration. Though I'm most often inspired while reading - both fiction and nonfiction.

I loved the world of imagination.