There are certainly times when my own everyday life seems to retreat so the life of the story can take me over. That is why a writer often needs space and time, so that he or she can abandon ordinary life and 'live' with the characters. Margaret Mahy abandoncharactereveryday share on social
I had to wait for a long time before I could support myself with writing. However, being a writer is what I have most wanted to be, from the time I was a child. Margaret Mahy childlongsupport Change image and share on social
New Zealand is the only country I know well enough to write about. It can sometimes lead to complications. Margaret Mahy complicationcountrylead Change image and share on social
Writing for young children I find I often use particular jokes with words and exaggerated, funny events, but some of these haunt the more complex stories for older children too. Margaret Mahy childcomplexevent Change image and share on social
By the time ordinary life asserted itself once more, I would feel I had already lived for a while in some other lifetime, that I had even taken over someone else's life. Margaret Mahy assertfeellife Change image and share on social
Of course there are big differences in length and character and vocabulary, but each level has its particular pleasures when it comes to the words one can use and the way one uses them. Margaret Mahy bigcharacterdifference Change image and share on social
At this stage I am not involved with young adults as closely as many other writers. My children are grown up and my grandchildren are still quite young. Margaret Mahy adultchildclosely Change image and share on social
In a way, the characters often do take over. Margaret Mahy character Change image and share on social
I hope I am not too repetitive. However, coming to terms with death is part of the general human situation. Margaret Mahy comedeathgeneral Change image and share on social
Being a librarian certainly helped me with my writing because it made me even more of a reader, and I was always an enthusiastic reader. Writing and reading seem to me to be different aspects of a single imaginative act. Margaret Mahy actaspectenthusiastic share on social
