It takes a vivid imagination, but Yorkshire author Matt Haig's only problem is getting all the ideas down on paper fast enough.

The prize-winning novelist's work has already impressed Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt, whose company is deciding whether to turn one of his books into a film.

Acclaimed screenwriter and director Neil Jordan, who worked on hit movies The Crying Game and Interview with the Vampire, is also thought to be considering adapting a book for the cinema.

Now Mr Haig, whose latest novel The Possession of Mr Cave is launched this month, has been asked to come up with his ideas for the big screen after being approached by UK film bosses.

Not bad for a man who turned to writing after jobs in a wine merchant's store and pulling pints behind the bar of a nightclub in Ibiza.

Mr Haig, 32, said: "It wasn't until my 20s that I really thought about writing; I've always been a reader and I've always written for myself, but this career is beyond anything I expected.

"I've just been commissioned by the UK Film Council to develop some ideas for screenplays for them, and that will be a completely new craft for me.

"It's a lot more technical, with much more emphasis on structure, and I'll have to learn some terminology.

"You have to use a whole new language, because you have to include directions, so I'm learning by reading other screenplays."

Mr Haig, who lives in York, won a gold medal in last year's Nestlé Children's Book Prize competition for his first children's novel, Shadow Forest, which was set in a Norway of "one-eyed trolls, murderous truth pixies, witches and humans who turn into rabbits".

A sequel, titled The Runaway Troll, is due out early next year, and Mr Haig has already begun work on his fourth novel for adults.

"What normally happens is that I'll be working on another idea for months and months and then, out of the blue, something comes up which I think is better than what I've been working on," he said.

"I'm trying to alternate between writing for children and writing for adults; I think both are good in different ways."

He added: "In some ways, children's writing is harder, even though it's the same amount of words. You have to make sure you don't bore children, but you have to fill them in on the plot as you go along so they don't get lost."

The film rights for Mr Haigh's three published adult novels, including The Possession of Mr Cave, have been snapped up by production companies.

Brad Pitt's Plan B company owns the rights to The Last Family in England, while the movie option on The Dead Fathers Club has gone to Harry Potter producer David Heyman at Heyday Films.

Mr Haig has agreed a six-figure book deal with publishers Viking to sell The Possession of Mr Cave in the United States, and the film rights have been secured by Irish company Parallel Films.

The book is set in York and follows the fortunes of an antique shop owner who becomes overly possessive of his daughter following the death of his wife and son.

Mr Haig said: "I'm hopeful that at least one of the three novels I've written for adults could be made into a film.

"News on the films comes through very slowly, but the signs are looking good with The Dead Fathers Club because I believe they've found a screenwriter for that.

"I've had a few meetings with executives who see the book differently to me, but I like their views on it.

"Every person who reads the book gets something different out of it, so it will be fun to see what they do with it."

Listen to Matt talk about winning the Nestle prize and his work in our exclusive OutLoud interview>>