Write

In his lifetime, Roald Dahl wrote screenplays, poems, pamphlets, introductions, speeches and, of course, stories. His output consists of more than 20 novels or longer stories, two sets of autobiographical memoirs, countless short stories for adults, and several completed screenplays. And that's just what was published. 

Each story or piece of work went through different drafts. He wrote letters - lots of letters, to lots of people, beginning with his mother - a habit begun at boarding school and one he kept up throughout his life. He also wrote down every single idea that popped into his head, recording them in his Ideas Books. Some of those single sentences went on to become short stories, like William and Mary, or longer novels, like Fantastic Mr Fox. Some he didn't use, some he started but didn't finish, and some he finished but didn't publish.

In short, Roald Dahl wrote a lot. 

But how did he write?

In the pages here, we'll take you through some of Roald's own tips on how to write. You'll hear from the man himself about his work routine and his inspiration. And because there is no one perfect way to write, you'll also find lots of other tips from some of our other favourite creative types.