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Original poster

To think that David Walliams hasn’t written all his books?

84 replies

myohmywhatawonderfulday · 27/12/2018 15:56

I have read a lot of David Walliams books to my children before bed.
Gangsta Granny, Ratburger, Mr Stink, The Midnight Gang..but there is something off about The Worlds’s Worst Children (read vol 1 and 2). They don’t have the same ‘narrator voice’ nor use of vocabulary. They just don’t sound like him, I don’t think.

I have looked for some reference to who could have written them but they are marketed as if it’s him.

Does anyone else think that?

OP posts:
Jsmith99 · 27/12/2018 16:15

I believe it’s fairly normal for books nominally writen by celebrities to actually be written with the ‘help’ of ghosts.

I remember hearing about a household name celebrity chef who ran out of ideas years ago but kept churning out books which were actually written by a team of recipe writers....

EggysMom · 27/12/2018 16:15

There are a few Stephen King novels that I don't think he wrote, as they sound different (and it's not just post-accident). I think when you read one author a good deal, you do get to recognise the stories where the author had the original idea but somebody else helped to 'flesh it out'.

WhyDontYouComeOnOver · 27/12/2018 16:15

Clearly ghost writers. I'd assume he comes up with the main plot then they do the rest.

Original poster
myohmywhatawonderfulday · 27/12/2018 16:12

Two books a year for a full time writer would be a lot. Yes, makes sense that he has help.

OP posts:
WindyWednesday · 27/12/2018 16:11

I think he has help.

Original poster
myohmywhatawonderfulday · 27/12/2018 16:11

I think even when you read authors writing across styles (which some times happens and they use different names) eg Barbara Vyne and Ruth Rendall or when authors write articles, there is still an essence that is similar.

These book just feel to me as if they have been written by someone else.

His books are direvative of Rohald Dhal but that doesn’t worry me and I do really like his rich use of vocabulary. He is very clever and entertaining. The Worlds Worst books are neither clever or entertaining nor well written.

So in a way it’s a compliment that I don’t think that he wrote them!

OP posts:
IceRebel · 27/12/2018 16:08

I'm very skeptical that he's written them, I think he has input but the majority is done by ghost writers.

He's released a book every year since 2008, and from 2016 onward he's released 2 a year, it's just too many for one person without help.

Userplusnumbers · 27/12/2018 16:01

Why would they all sound the same? Good writers have more than one style - his comedy writing for TV characters is wide and varied, makes sense his books would be too.

Newsername · 27/12/2018 15:58

I think the way he acts is different from what is actually is like, and he’s quite a clever man. So I think he probably has written the books, but he’s copied Roald Dahl a lot and that kind of pisses me off.