1.
If you could work with any other author, who would it be and why?
If I
could work with any other author, it would be O. Henry. Partly because I
learned so much from him about structuring a story, and partly because I would
feel honored to be in his presence. Mostly, though,I would enjoy watching his
face when he smiled or frowned; and I would love to look into his eyes when he
formulated a story or a thought.
2.
What would be a typical working day for you? When and where do you write?
If I am
on a deadline, I get up at 5:00 a.m., usually make it to my desk by 7:00 or
8:00 a.m., and I work until I run out of steam. If I am making my own
schedule, I don't get to my desk until about 10:00 a.m. and, with a break for
lunch and running errands, I will work until 5:00 or 7:00 p.m.
I have a
small office with windows on all three sides. But (wisely) my computer is
on a desk facing the one wall. I write my newspaper columns on a legal
pad in bed, and I edit hard copy of books and columns on a swivel chair in the
living room with a lap desk and an erasable ball point pen.
3.
What is the hardest part of the writing for you?
After I
come up with the idea for a story, the hardest part is working out the main
conflict (who is the bad guy and what is his motive?) and figuring out all of
the plot twists.
4.
When and why did you first start writing?
I
decided to become a writer when I was 17 years old, and realized that one had
to actually DO something when he or she grew up, and not just spend their
entire lives reading. It made sense to me that if I became a writer, then
I could spend my entire life reading. So I did!!!
5.
How did you come up with the idea for your book?
The idea
for My Mostly Happy Life: Autobiography of a Climbing Tree just popped
into my head. I thought, "Wouldn't it be interesting if I could
write a story about trees who loved and needed children so much that they would
die if they were deprived of human contact. Then, I actually saw trees
in front of a library in Unadilla, New York that looked exactly like the
climbing trees in my mind (photos below and attached). It was then that I
decided to have the book illustrated.
6.
Are you a big reader? If so, what are you reading now?
I am an
avid reader. Right now I am reading a biography of Edna Ferber and
rereading Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute.
7.
Do you have any advice for other aspiring writers?
Two
pieces of advice. One. Keep writing. Don't write your first
book or story and decide that it is the greatest piece of literature every
written. No matter how good it is, practice does make
perfect. Think of great pianists and violinists, and how they
practice hours a day to get good enough to perform in public. It's the
same with writing. Each story will be better than the last and make you a
better writer, and over time, you will develop skills worthy of a
professional.
Two.
Find an editor you can respect, and listen to him or her. Editing is a
valid, important, and skilled profession, and good editors know exactly what
they are doing. Often, when writers start out (even seasoned pros are guilty of
this), we over-write. From a good editor, we can learn that "less is
more."
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