Terms

Subscribe with RSS

The BFG

April 14, 2008

So on Saturday morning I had to get the tube - if you've never been to London the tube is the underground transport system, which some people love, some people hate and some people try not to think about too much. On a good day it's quick, easy-to-use and really handy. On a bad day it's slow, hot, smelly, and makes people pull faces like this. Anyway I caught the tube on Saturday morning and I was looking around the carriage and just opposite me sat a nice looking lady, dressed in normal clothes, with average hair and plain shoes and perched on her head was a pair of swimming goggles.

An actual pair of swimming goggles.

This really made me smile because that's the kind of thing you can get away with here – wearing a pair of swimming goggles on a tube journey knowing no one will bat an eyelid, because there’s probably an even stranger sight to behold two carriages down.

It got me thinking about where she had been, where she was going and why she was dressed like this; if she was a character in a book what would she be called? What's her story? Maybe she does sound like a character from a book but I promise I'm not making her up. Isn't that just the best thing about writing stories though? All those blank pages to fill with your ideas and the most colourful parts of your imagination.

How great would it be to be an author? Being paid to live in a world of your own and bring it to life for your readers. Imagine the hours of fun Mr Dahl must have had with the Big Friendly Giant and the oh-so-gruesome Mr Twit, the endless daydreams Cathy Cassidy enjoyed before she let Scarlett or Mouse tell their stories, the excitement Eoin Colfer must have experienced whilst penning his wonderful swashbuckling adventure AIRMAN.

If you love writing and making stuff up I'm always told the best thing to do is write it all down, keep writing, write some more and then - keep writing. Apparently everyone has a book in them. It's just a question of whether you keep that book in your head just for you, or whether you let it out there. Well it’s time for me to get back to my blurbs, but a big thank you to Goggles Lady from Saturday for making an otherwise tedious tube journey that much more fun.

Sarah Kettle
Puffin Copywriter

Remember that by posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use. If you consider any content on this site to be inappropriate, please report it to Penguin Books by emailing reportabuse@penguin.co.uk

Posted at 10:17 AM in The BFG | Permalink | TrackBack (0)

© 1995 - 2008 Penguin Books LTD

Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy

Registered Number: 861590 England
Registered Office: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL