Patrick Ness
Patrick Ness
Patrick Nessis an American author, journalist and lecturer who moved to London at age of 28 and now holds dual citizenship. He is best known for his books for young adults, including the Chaos Walking trilogy and A Monster Calls...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionYoung Adult Author
Date of Birth17 October 1971
CountryUnited States of America
somebody written
The books I like to read the most feel like they've been written by somebody who had to write them or go crazy. They had to get them out of their heads. I like that kind of urgency.
rewrite
I write 1,000-1,500 words. The next day, I rewrite it and add 1,000-1,500 words to the end of it.
films mobile puts
If you're 15 and you tell someone a secret, they can put it up on Facebook. If you make a mistake, someone films it on their mobile and puts it up on YouTube. When you're 15, you deserve privacy.
adjective allegiance mediocre setting
If you set out to write an adjective novel, you're setting out to write a mediocre novel; your allegiance is to the adjective, not to the story, and then that just sucks all the joy right out of it.
okay
Why can't we learn to live with how we are? And whatever anybody chooses is okay by the rest of us?
looks arms convinced
Francia don’t look too convinced. I never seen arms so crossed.
badly great perform sing theory writer
If you sing beautifully about nothing, no one will listen. If you sing badly about great stuff, no one will listen. Ideas are everywhere, but my theory is that a writer doesn't just think of an idea: they perform them.
books boy bunch comedies experience funny guys tired woman
I get tired of comedies where there are a bunch of funny guys and a beautiful woman who doesn't do anything funny. And I don't like books where there's a rough-and-tumble boy and a really clever, snotty girl. That's just not my experience with teenagers.
magical novel purely slightly somehow
The magical and fantastical isn't something I'm uncomfortable with in books, and I chafe slightly at the idea that a purely realist novel somehow has more value.
available few meet readers shock time
I meet blind and partially-sighted young readers all the time, and it's a shock that so few books are available to them.
anybody call express fan folk gives great heavy means people wants wonderful
Anything that anybody wants to give me is great! I've had folk songs, heavy metal songs, jewellery... I would never call anything any fan gives me weird, as it's how people express what they like about the books, what it means to them, and that's a wonderful thing.
avoid bring course describing people stuff
I try to avoid describing one interpretation of my books. Of course I have an opinion. I have things I want to say, but I don't ever want to limit anybody, to have them say, 'Oh, he said this, so that's what it's about.' I'm happy people bring their own stuff to it.
ideas good-ideas
... a good idea always attracts other good ideas.
dangerous knowledge-is-dangerous
Knowledge is dangerous." ~pg 53