Margaret Wild

Margaret Wild (born 1948) is an Australian children's writer. She has written more than 40 books for children. Her work has been published around the world and has won several awards. She was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Children's Book Council of Australia in 2022.

Quotes

• I love writing picture books. When I get the germ of a new idea, I feel a little shiver of anticipation or recognition. I don’t do anything immediately about the idea. I just keep it there at the back of my mind and think about it now and again and let it ‘brew’, sometimes jotting down bits of the story. Once I’ve got the whole story in my head – I especially need to know how it starts and ends – I sit down at my computer and write the first draft. Then I keep rewriting – draft after draft – until I feel it’s as good as I can make it, which is often not nearly good enough.
  • Margaret Wild, Kids' Book Review, Interview: Margaret Wild (kids-bookreview.com) (Saturday, 30 April 2011)

• Really, just do it. Many people I speak to say they want to write or illustrate, but they actually haven’t completed anything. Write it, send it off to a publisher and while you’re waiting for a response, get on with the next story. Be determined and resilient, accept rejection and criticism. The publisher and editor are there to help you make the best book possible.
  • Margaret Wild, Kids' Book Review, Interview: Margaret Wild (kids-bookreview.com) (Saturday, 30 April 2011)

• I read somewhere that all this -the people, the animals, the mountains, the rivers -is just God dreaming. I wish he'd wake the fuck up.
  • Margaret Wild, Jinx,2003

External links

• Penguin Books