Neil Gaiman: A Study of His Work and Writing Advice

“Growing up is highly overrated. Just be an author.” - Neil Gaiman

Today, November 10, is author Neil Gaiman’s 63rd birthday. As one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2023, Gaiman has published over 70 books, and has written many essays, short stories, poems, screenplays, and comic books as well as having contributed to a number of movies and tv shows, both in writing and acting. In honor of the literary genius’ birthday, we will take a look at his life and most famous works (which spans many genres), as well as what inspires him creatively.

Reader From a Young Age

The British born Gaiman has said that he learned to read when he was just four years old, and from then on, there was no stopping him. He grew up in Sussex, England, and he was inspired by the works of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, and Lewis Caroll. He also frequently read Batman comics, and he spent much of his time in the library, reading anything he could get his hands on. In school he won both the English prize and the school reading prize, showing his aptitude from a young age. Although his early years were spent in England, he later moved to the United States in 1992. It’s amazing to think that Gaiman is now as highly regarded as the authors he grew up reading. Gaiman continues to influence both readers and authors of all ages, and he is especially passionate about young writers. Gaiman wants young writers to have access to opportunities to learn the craft, and he thinks it’s equally important to protect their salary as they gain experience in the field. Gaiman is renowned for being able to write in multiple genres and because of his wide audience appeal, his work has been made into television shows and movies.

Art Forms

In addition to novels, Gaiman is known for his comic books, screenwriting, and television appearances. Before his work became famous, he had a career in freelance journalism in the 1980s. Although it was different from writing novels, his goal was to network with the people he encountered so that he could connect with people in the publishing industry. During his time as a journalist he had short stories published in magazines, and he continued to work towards his goal of publishing books. In 1984 he published Duran Duran, a biography of the world-famous band. This first book of Gaiman’s sold out within days. He then continued writing and experimented in a variety of forms, including the widely popular The Sandman comic series. His work led to many collaborations between DC and Marvel for various comics. Additionally, he has appeared as himself in multiple TV shows, including Arthur, The Simpsons, The Big Bang Theory, and The Guild. You can also find Gaiman’s voice in some of his audiobooks, including The Sandman, Stardust, Neverwhere, and Norse Mythology. He has also written many children's books, and won the 2009 Newbery Medal for his work in children’s literature.

The Sandman

The Sandman is a dark fantasy and horror comic book which was published between 1989 and 1996. Seventy-five issues of the comic were released, and it was extremely popular, becoming one of the first comic books to be featured on the New York Times Best Seller list, and the series has made more than a million dollars. With The Sandman, Gaiman left a huge impact on graphic novels as an art form as well as the fantasy genre overall. Gaiman came up with the idea to recreate an earlier DC Comic series (also called The Sandman) and he pitched the idea with the understanding that Gaiman would put his own spin on the character and storylines. The Sandman brought DC Comics to new audiences (including college aged women), and although it concluded over 20 years ago, the series has inspired multiple spin offs, and propelled Gaiman into more mainstream success. The Sandman is now a Netflix show as well (Gaiman is an executive producer and writer), so if you’re a fan of the comics don’t miss streaming this excellent series.

Coraline

Arguably one of Gaiman’s most famous works isCoraline. According to Gaiman, writing this novel was a labor of love; he worked on the short novel for 12 years before it was published in 2002. Many will know the 2009 stop motion animation film of the same name, which was written and directed by Henry Selick. Coraline was inspired by stories Gaiman’s daughter came up with, as she often asked her father to write down the stories she told him. In Coraline, Gaiman is able to build suspense by using short, quick sentences and not allowing his sentences to become too wordy, which is an engaging style for a children's book. However, readers of all ages still read the novel each year, getting sucked into the creepy world Gaiman created. It’s an especially good read for the period between October and November, around Halloween time. If you have a copy of Coraline, be sure to read it during this spooky time of year.

Writing Style

Gaiman has stated that he writes the first draft of all of his novels with a fountain pen. Writing out novels on paper has become increasingly rare in the 21st century, so it’s interesting to hear that he keeps this practice alive. Gaiman often employs unusual writing styles to aid him in his craft. Gaiman has said in interviews that he starts the creative process of his stories by outlining pieces and events of his fiction world and then examines similarities in the real world. Essentially, he takes pieces of the world and changes them to fit into his story. It’s an interesting way to build a world, when others might attempt to build a new world from scratch, which can be a more difficult route to creating a world for a novel. Gaiman would suggest to writers that they look at the world around them for inspiration. Another unique writing style that Gaiman uses is to rewrite stories that have already been written, such as fairy tales and myths that are well known. He will reread the story, and then he will look at it in different ways. Once he has the idea, he rewrites the story in his own reconceptualized way. This is an interesting way to take a popular story and create your own version of it! This way of rewriting fairy tales could be especially helpful if someone is experiencing writer's block. By rereading a classic tale, you may be able to take something new away from it and come up with a brand new idea! While fairytales have provided Gaiman with story inspiration, he also likes to use an omniscient third person point of view, which is often associated with fairy tale stories –for example, think: “once upon a time…”– and this allows Gaiman to insert humor into his stories, something he is quite well known for. Gaiman believes that humor is key to creating memorable characters and stories, and that this is a great strategy to leave readers thinking about the book long after they have set it down.

Good Omens

Gaiman excels at creating memorable characters and humorous books, including his 1990 novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, one of his most famous novels. Co-written with author Terry Pratchet (known for his Discworld series of novels), the book follows an angel (Aziraphale) and a demon (Crowley) as they join together to stop the end of the world, because they both enjoy life on Earth. There are many subplots in the story, and it’s full of hilarious characters and moments. So, it’s no surprise that the novel amassed a huge following, and is now an Amazon Prime Video series (starring Michael Sheen and David Tennant). The co-authors have said that by the end of writing the first manuscript, neither could remember who had written what sections. Since its publication, Good Omens has won four awards, and continues to be printed and translated into many languages. If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to pick up a copy, especially since season 2 of Good Omens is now streaming!

American Gods

Another one of Gaiman’s famous novels, American Gods has also been adapted into a television series (streaming on Starz). The 2001 book follows the adventures of an ex-convict named Shadow as he begins to inadvertently work for a God (Odin). He soon discovers that the world is full of Gods, and begins to assist them as they battle the new Gods (technology, the internet, etc). The Americana elements of the modern day U.S. as well as fantasy and mythology also circle back to Gaiman’s writing approach of looking at the world around you and seeing how it can be changed. American Gods is set in the United States, but it is also a different world, where mythological Gods and creatures are alive and wandering around. The novel has remained popular even 22 years after its release and is one of Gaiman’s classic novels that every Gaiman fan should read.

Writing Advice

One of the most famous pieces of writing advice Gaiman has given is “tell don’t show.” In a world where many authors are fans of the “show don’t tell” method of writing, Gaiman argues that the author is in charge of their world and as such, they should be able to do whatever they want in order to hold the reader's attention. This shows up in his work often, especially when he spends multiple pages on introducing characters and staging the scene for the world. Another tidbit of writing advice from Gaiman: finish every story you begin. His idea is that if writers give up on stories or works, they will never see where they can improve, and they will never learn self discipline. Finishing a story, even if it doesn’t go anywhere, is great practice. It will help you discover what areas of writing you’re weakest in, and allow you to strengthen your skills. Neil Gaiman has written many articles on his writing advice. If you’re looking for writing help and inspiration, start with “Neil Gaiman’s 8 Rules for Writers” and be sure to read “Neil Gaiman On Making Good Art” as well!

What’s Gaiman Up To?

Neil Gaiman has contributed greatly to English literature, and he is still very active in the literary community as well. He splits his time between Minnesota and Massachusetts, while traveling around the U.S. and other countries for various events. Gaiman sometimes goes to fantasy events and has been at Comic Con in the past as well. He assists with the television adaptations of his work, including American Gods and Good Omens and he is a popular guest speaker at events. He also has a website (neilgaiman.com) where you can stay up to date with any talks or events he attends, as well as check out blog posts and other cool things he has available on his website. He is also active on Twitter, where he will often interact with fans. In 2014 he became a professor at Bard College, where he teaches theater, writing, and humanities classes. All of his work has benefited the literary community, and he has made great contributions to fantasy, horror, comedy, and children's literature. His prolific career is impressive, and we can only hope that he continues to bless the world with his amazing and unique writing. There has been some discussion about Gaiman writing sequels to books he has written in the past (such as Nevermore) and possibly adding another volume to the Norse Mythology series. If you’re a fan of Gaiman’s, comment your favorite book of his below, and feel free to start a discussion on the film and tv adaptations of his work! If you follow Gaiman on Twitter (@Neilhimself) or on any other form of social media (the writer also uses Tumblr.com) be sure to wish him a happy birthday!