Sophie Dahl is the bestselling author of four books for adults, and two for children. She is a monthly columnist at House & Garden magazine, and has written essays for Vogue, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and Conde Nast Traveller. She has served as a judge on the Orange Prize for Fiction, and Vogue’s Young Talent contest and is an ambassador for Place 2 Be. Sophie lives in the countryside with her family, rescue dog, cats and tortoise. She won an award when she was five for being her swimming club’s “Most Enthusiastic Swimmer”. Her new book is called The Worst Sleepover in the World.
Today, Sophie Dahl is on the blog to take on our Ten Terrifying Questions! Read on …
Sophie Dahl
1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?
I was born in London, and raised all over the place. I had quite a peripatetic childhood, my mother was always on the move, and I went to thirteen schools.
2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?
At twelve, an actress or writer. At eighteen an actress or writer. At thirty: a writer. I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember. I loved writing stories, exploring the grey areas, and having been in a few films and plays in my twenties, realised I am too much of a control freak to surrender to what’s required from a good actor. I like the self-sufficiency of writing, you’re not reliant on anyone else; you can just do it. The imagination is one of the most potent tools we have.
3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you don’t have now?
I thought I was invincible. Now, not so much!
4. What are three works of art – this could be a book, painting, piece of music, film, etc – that influenced your development as a writer?
Reading Astrid Lindgren was a revelation for me as a kid. In particular, her book, Ronia The Robber’s Daughter. Her protagonists are so human, flawed, brave, vulnerable, funny and sparky. I’m obsessed by the poet, Mary Oliver, how she is such a witness to life and its wonder and frailty, so probably her poem, ‘The Summer Day’. Likewise the poet Lucille Clifton, who is full of wisdom and fire and truth. ‘Blessing The Boats’ is is a powerhouse of a poem: “May you in your innocence sail through this to that.”
5. Considering the many artistic forms out there, what appeals to you about writing a children’s book?
I don’t think I have a preference for writing adult books over children’s books, I’ve written both, along with food books, I just love a good story, and I write what comes to me – it normally starts with a sentence or a picture. Why writing? That was the medium I found, I think through reading and loving words. I write a monthly essay on design for House and Garden too, which I get real pleasure from writing. It’s a funny thing, I get the same pleasure from cooking that I do from writing, I find it as fulfilling cooking a feast and watching people I love around my kitchen table eating it. Somehow it’s the same thing for me, the execution of a story, the rituals around making it happen.
‘I like the self-sufficiency of writing, you’re not reliant on anyone else; you can just do it. The imagination is one of the most potent tools we have.’
6. Please tell us about your latest book!
It’s a comedy of manners, about children’s expectations versus the reality. Gracie comes to stay the night with Ruby and Ramona, and it’s their first ever sleepover. They’ve planned it with military precision, and guess what, it doesn’t go according to plan! It’s about navigating first friendships and being able to forgive people in the morning.
7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?
That stories don’t need resolution or a tidy ending. Life doesn’t, it’s full of frayed bits and loose ends. I’m interested in those grey areas.
8. Who do you most admire in the writing world and why?
Oh gosh, so many people, Douglas Stuart for his tenderness, his craftsmanship, Philip Pullman for the wisdom and humanity in his books, Zadie Smith for her crisp smartness. I love the longing in Rumer Godden’s novels, the shape shifting in her coming of age stories, for modern YA, I’m a big fan of Malorie Blackman, Patrick Ness, Michael Morpurgo. They are all artists.
9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?
I don’t think my goals are hugely ambitious; it’s more about chipping away at it. Coming back to a story, finding the discipline to keep going when you feel dispirited. I think so much of our culture celebrates and fetishizes the extraordinary; for me I think the plugging away at it is the work, the mundane bit.
10. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Read. If you finding reading a challenge, listen to audio books. Get a sense of how great writers write. And then write and keep writing. Read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr. Keep editing. The novel Shuggie Bain was rejected by thirty publishers. It’s an absolute masterpiece and last year it won the Booker Price. Its author Douglas Stuart, kept plugging away. It takes my breath away, that grit and determination. That was a story that had to be told. And it was.
Thank you for playing!
—The Worst Sleepover in the World by Sophie Dahl and illustrated by Luciano Lozano (Walker Books Australia) is out now.
The Worst Sleepover in the World
Ramona is having her best friend Gracie to stay the night. It’s their first ever sleepover and she wants to make a den, read stories, dance like a wild thing, stay up all night and have a midnight feast. It'll be the BEST SLEEPOVER IN HISTORY. But nothing quite goes to plan...
Learning To Read With The School Of Monsters by Sally Rippin 
Ten Terrifying Questions with the creators of Wylah the Koorie Warrior! 
Let’s make ice blocks with Bluey and Bingo!
Comments
No comments