How do readers grow into writers?

9 top Australian children's authors share their stories

Have you ever wondered what it is that turns a reader into a writer?

How do authors go from consuming stories (at frantic pace, in many cases) to creating our own for others to read?

It’s a question I often think about, so I decided to find out by asking a range of Australia’s best children’s authors to think about the building blocks of their journey into writing.

The questions I asked were not easy ones, requiring each author to dive deep into their earliest years as readers, and try to pinpoint that mysterious moment where the switch flicked over.

Was the love of reading there from the beginning or did it develop over time? Was there a particular book that inspired you to write? A particular person? Can you the moment you first thought about writing your own stories? What has been the key to developing your writing voice?

See what I mean? Not easy.

Fortunately for me, Alice Pung, Nova Weetman, Tristan Bancks, Zanni Louise, Katrina Nannestad, Belinda Murrell, Jacqueline Harvey, Emily Gale and Rebecca Lim have all taken up the challenge.

Given the astonishing, reflective and insightful answers I received, we might need a part two down the track. Either that, or I’d best be starting my PhD…