As politicians bicker and columnists wring their hands over Europe’s refugee crisis, the award-winning children’s writer Patrick Ness has taken a more direct route, raising more than £60,000 – and counting – in less than five hours.

In a “spur of the moment” decision, the author took to Twitter on Thursday morning, saying he had to do “something to help this refugee crisis” and pledging to match the first £10,000 in donations to a personal appeal for the charity Save the Children.

Okay, I don't know if this'll work but I'll match donations up to £10k to do *something* to help this refugee crises http://t.co/iDgBrCNTUc — Patrick Ness (@Patrick_Ness) September 3, 2015

Within hours, bestselling authors including John Green, Derek Landy and Jojo Moyes had joined him, pledging to match donations to the tune of £10,000 each as the total started to soar.

Speaking to the Guardian via email, Ness explained that he began the appeal after seeing pictures of the people making the journey from war, poverty and persecution outside Europe, and asking himself: “How could that boy drown in any nation that calls itself civilised?”

Faced with the “inconceivably feeble response of Cameron and his government”, Ness found the prospect of “just tweet[ing] despair one more time” unbearable. “So, kind of spur of the moment, I set it up and just hoped some people might give some money if I said I’d match it.”

He set up an appeal for donations, announced his decision to match the first £10,000 and was astonished by the response.

“I had no idea at all that it would go like it has,” Ness said. “Truly. The sudden donations, then the sudden spike up, and crossing £10,000 in less than two hours!”

As donations broke the £10,000 barrier, fellow children’s writer John Green pledged to match the second £10,000, with Derek Landy and Jojo Moyes signing up to match a further £10,000 of donations each.

Ness, whose latest novel The Rest of Us Just Live Here follows a group of teenagers living ordinary lives in the shadow of the extraordinary, said he was “amazed and so moved” by the response, which he believes reveals a widespread urge to address the crisis.

“I think it says that there are so many people who feel helpless, just like me, looking at those pictures and fuming about this government’s inhumane non-approach” Ness said. “They want to do something. That’s the message I’m getting.”

But after unleashing a wave of generosity, Ness isn’t yet sure how best to channel it, suggesting he is “kind of planning it all on the fly”.

“It’s been a busy day,” Ness said. “But please give a little if you can.”