Bigger is better for S F Said
By Lauren Billings
The Smarties Award winning author of Varjak Paw, tells us how he achieved his dream of becoming a writer.
Dreams are something S F Said is fascinated by and uses a lot in his writing. Varjak Paw is a cat who has strange visions, and Phoenix is about a boy who finds great power through his unusual dreams. But Said reminds us that not all dreams are so unlikely.
“Dreams are all possible to achieve,” says Said. “I know because I achieved mine.”
Said dreamt of becoming a published author from a young age. He says his major inspirations were The Cat in the Hat, Watership Down, and Star Wars.
“After seeing Star Wars in the cinema for the first time, I wanted to make a story so big it could fill an entire galaxy!”
So, Said set out to do just that, and didn’t let his first failed attempts deter him. After being rejected by publishers for a second time, he realised he needed to do some research – something he stresses the importance of when trying to achieve anything. In doing so he learnt about the importance of drafts and started work on his beloved Varjak Paw.
“Varjak Paw was 17 drafts!” he says. “But it helped me to become a better writer.”
Now with three books under his belt, Said hasn’t forgotten his ambition to create something big.
“Phoenix was bigger than Varjak Paw, and my next book, Tyger, will be even bigger than that!”
Though Tyger is still in its crucial draft stage, Said is aiming for it to be completed by the end of 2019. So, look out for Said’s biggest book yet, in 2020!
