January 2009

Q & A

A couple months ago, an aspiring writer sent me an email. She was doing a career research project for a high school class, and could I answer a few questions? Here are some of the answers I sent her.

What made you decide to become a writer?
I always thought that I’d be a professional dancer (that’s what I went to college for). Either that or a movie star. But a dance injury derailed my dancing plans, and the movie star thing fell through. I had always loved reading children’s books. So I thought, well, maybe I could try writing one. I did. I loved it. Now I’m hooked.

What high school classes do you recommend?
Creative writing classes, if your school offers them. And English lit classes that require you to read a lot of fiction.

To be honest, I wasn’t thinking of a writing career in high school, so I fulfilled my English credits with a speech-writing class and film studies. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to watch movies during school hours? So I didn’t read To Kill a Mockingbird or Catcher in the Rye or the Great Gatsby in high school. But that’s the good thing about books—you can always read them on your own later. They’re like portable classrooms.

What is a typical day like?
On an ideal day, I get up between 6 and 7 am. I make a pot of green tea, brush my teeth, then do my commute to work—about 50 steps from the first-floor kitchen to my second-floor home office.

I sit at my desk and write fiction for a few hours. I like to write my first drafts by hand in a notebook, and then type up what I have by about 10 am or so. I eat a little lunch. If I don’t have too many deadlines I might take a teensy nap. Then I work on corporate copywriting projects for the rest of the day.

What do you love about writing?
I love the surprises in a writing session—characters and events and emotions I didn’t see coming. That happens to me mostly when I am writing a first draft, but surprises often come during the revision process, too.

When I was revising the first chapter of Elvis & Olive, I knew that Annie was hiding something behind her back in the first scene, only I wasn’t sure what it was. A ring? A book? I tried a lot of things. One morning I took my dog outside and found a bald baby bird on sidewalk; it had fallen from its nest in the night. I imagined it in Annie’s hand, and ‘click.’ The scene came together. I live for discoveries like that. They are full of grace.

What else do you like about your job? What do you dislike?
I love discovering characters and telling their stories. I love writing things that make me laugh (if nobody else). I love that I get to work at home, where I don’t have to wear pantyhose or high heels.

I hate feeling lonely, because the only other soul in my home office is my dog Nino, and he is not a great conversationalist. I hate when I don’t have enough time for writing and reading fiction. I hate the days when I don’t feel like writing (they don’t stop me from writing, just make it extremely painful).

What are the benefits of your work?
As a writer, I’ve gotten to meet some amazing people. I was invited to a book convention in the fall, and I met some really cool authors whose work I love. I’ve gotten to work with an editor that I had admired for a long time. Writing children’s fiction is a dream of mine, one that I am lucky enough to be living. And that is worth any loneliness and sacrifice.

What's the best way to become a writer?
Here’s the short answer: If you plan on writing fiction, your very best teachers will be books and your own writing. Most of the answers you will need are inside you already, only hidden. To discover them and to become the best writer you can possibly be you must read, read, read. And you must write, write, write.

Have questions I didn't answer here? Email me.