Knife novel wins Guardian youngsters's fiction prize.

How to Write a Book

Kasey Cleveland

25 September 2008

Patrick Ness's first novel for teens has won this year's Guardian children's fiction prize. "It's challenging but not bleak - an excitingly different book," she explained. The Knife of Never Letting Go traces the journey of 12-year-old Todd Hewitt after he is forced to escape the stifling male-only environs of Prentisstown, where the thoughts of each inhabitant, man and beast, are a unending swell of Noise.

"I think it appeared to be a super-strong shortlist. Before I Die is a massive hit, Frank is a great writer, and I am reading Siobhan Dowd now, it's actually great and I sort of thought she would win.". He turned to kids's fiction after he had the concept of a world where info overload is inescapable, and knew it was regarded as a book for youths. "The thing a teen audience will do for you write a novel is if you do not insult their intelligence, they may frequently follow you to weird places, so you can truly actually go for it. "In its most simple form it's about info overload, the way that the world is so extremely extremely loud. Then I took the following logical step of what if you could not get away.". The novel tackles tricky issues ; Todd struggles with himself over irrespective of whether he will use his knife, a "big ratchety one with the bone handle and the serrated edge that cuts most everything in the world", to murder. But Ness is not worried about courting discussion.

"I was more concerned with telling a honest story," he claimed. "If you're writing a book that doesn't reflect what youths are seeing each day, then why would they bother reading it? If you are enlightening them how it should be instead of how it is, why should they trust you to inform a honest story? The solution is they won't.". He "really wanted to show what it is like having a knife in your hand". Once used it changes you, and in tactics you may not want and can't change back.". The Knife of Never Letting Go, released by Hiker Books, is the 1st book of a trilogy, Chaos Walking, and ends on a cliffhanger. Ness has written the second, out next May, and is working on the 3rd ; his adult writing is taking a sideline for the moment. I should write whatever's next in the queue," he announced. The Guardian youngsters's fiction prize, the sole youngsters's book award judged by children's writers, has been running since 1967.

davidmathew said:
Imam in possession of a firm grasp on what is good in English , and I think that allows you to pen what is bad in. ?
25 September 2008 04:46:20

Jaquan Zimmerman said:
Closing this window without pressing "Report" will result in your words being lost. !
27 September 2008 05:35:17

Adam said:
Gray, who once admitted smoking sixty five cigarettes a day, was considered with prostate cancr in 2002.
05 October 2008 12:48:00

write a novel said:
Im no fan but you were going to rip write a novel off which isn't alright for a site like yours !
07 October 2008 05:14:54

Ulises Hooper said:
They havent written anything on write - I do not get dont really get the fuss about write
08 October 2008 00:22:05

Isaias said:
i agree totally ?
14 October 2008 03:12:23

Wyatt said:
"What rOally pleased me bout the book is there is an enthusiasm in each personality that could be a result of decades of struggle, victories, love and emotional remains that each of us has experienced" Paoletti claims.
14 October 2008 07:01:26

Kai said:
id like to say Correct the real write a novel thread is worthless
28 October 2008 23:34:02

Khalil said:
I really ought to comment that Youve raised some engaging facts ?
02 November 2008 00:45:39

Alijah said:
I was absolutely positive that this could have been correct
04 December 2008 18:28:21

Mitchell said:
Yup write a novel is completely bananas 'Pornography' Random House's call just came to light this week afte rThe WSJ published a column by Muslim writer and scholar Asra Nomani, announcing she was "saddened" by the turn of events.
29 December 2008 00:36:54

Osvaldo said:
The headline should say "write a novel" and nobody ever asked about write a novel either .
07 January 2009 20:47:12

Nasir said:
I try to put the violence into per'pective and have a moral framework, but by setting urricane in a distant location like the Caribbean I should get away with a little bit more. !
28 January 2009 14:42:52

Nathan Hartman said:
In some ways, "Slumberland" is an imperfect novel.
27 February 2009 17:16:03

Jorden Jefferson said:
why isnt it contribute anything to the argument about write a novel .
12 March 2009 12:26:38

lpparker said:
you have a new regular
13 August 2009 04:17:04

gman07 said:
Im hellish happy I didn't waste my Saturday night reading about write a novel
07 September 2009 22:45:34

Soren Moss said:
I have been hanging on for this article a long time
31 October 2009 09:14:11

Father Fred said:
Very well put together post. As I’m building my knowledge in the field you helped fill up a couple of gaps I've got problems with .
02 January 2010 06:07:32