Just 'crack on' with your story

“Every generation likes to think that children don't read as much as they used to when they were young! You listen to some adults saying they were going around reading 'Ulysses' when they were seven or eight! I think children are voracious readers if you give them the right books and if you make those books accessible to them.” – Darren Shan
 

Born in Ireland on this date in 1972, Darren O'Shaughnessy commonly writes for Tweens and Young Adults under the pen name Darren Shan.  He has been a successful author since the age of 15 when he published an award-winning TV script under his real name.

Darren adopted the name Shan after deciding it would be the name of one of his characters in The Saga of Darren Shan series in the UK and Ireland. The series has been a huge global success and by 2016 had been marketed in 39 countries, in 31 languages, and sold over 25 million copies.  He writes a “mix” of things, noting, “I think you can spread yourself across any number of genres when you're a writer as long as you have           a deep, abiding love for each of them.”

                     Shan has had more than 30 books published – including some for adults – and said he has a couple dozen more written in “at least” draft form.   “Many people think that it is important to have a title before you begin writing the book, but I think you should never sit around waiting for the right title to strike before you start writing,” he said.   “Crack on with the story, put in the hard work, and the title will come eventually.”

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