16. Where Do Ideas Come From? A World Book Day special with writer Abi Elphinstone & writer and illustrator Rob Biddulph.

Full Episode description

It’s World Book Day! To celebrate, this week we’ve got three answers to a great question, from Bonnie, which is…

‘Where do Ideas Come From?’

Our first answer is from children’s book writer Abi Elphinstone. Abi is a 2019 World Book Day author and you can get her new book, Everdark on World Book Day with your WBD tokens! She talks about how adventures, daydreaming and looking at the sky out of her writing shed inspired her big ideas and tells us about how she came up with the stories and characters in Everdark.

There’s also a chance to win a very special copy of Everdark, signed by Abi and with a message in it just for you! To find out how to WIN this fab copy of the brilliant book with a note from Abi have a listen to the show.

Next up is Rob Biddulph, a writer and the official World Book Day illustrator. If you look at your World Book Day tokens, or posters at school, or in the library and local bookshops you’ll see Rob’s colourful drawings of bookmarks all over them. Rob answers Bonnie’s question too, but because everyone creates differently he has other ways that ideas come to him. Rob says ideas come to him all the time in all kinds of different places, so he thinks its really important to but make a note of ideas, as soon as they arrive so they don’t disappear and get forgotten! Rob tells us the story of how his daughter Kitty’s imaginary friend Kevin gave him the idea for one of his first picture books!

Find out how Roald Dahl wrote ideas in his ‘Masterpiece’ notebooks and where those notebooks are now, how his wonderful children’s book The BFG began as well as how Matilda started.

You’ll also find out where the idea to start this very podcast came from, and how it took lots of friends to help make it a real. Friends, lots of hard work, and a sprinkling of magic! 

Happy World Book Day everyone! 

If you would like to find out more:

Abi Elphinstone is @moonrug on twitter

Rob Biddulph is @RobBiddulph

I am @mollyoldfield 

Instagram @mollyoldfieldwrites

World Book Day’s website is here: https://www.worldbookday.com

My website, which has information about The Secret Museum, which has the story of Roald Dahl’s notebooks in it is www.mollyoldfield.com

The podcast website is www.everythingunderthesun.co.uk

With thanks to Tyler Simmons Dale, Ash Gardner @houseofstrange

and Billy Colours. 

If you like the show please do rate and review and tell all your friends. 

Of course, if you have a question you would like answered on the show do record yourself asking it on an adult’s smartphone and email it into me at molly@everythingunderthesun.co.uk

Thank you and enjoy this book filled week!

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.