A struggling writer recently wrote to me: “As most rejection letters for other manuscripts tell me, ‘[My] story was not strong enough.’ Neither was this one. I don’t think the readers will care.” What would I advise? A rather daunting question. Years ago, I was teaching a children’s literature writing course for adults, an evening noncredit
My young readers often ask me about the details in my novels, everything from where I find them, to how do I choose what to include. These questions come up often in the context of appreciation. I have rarely heard a complaint that there are too many or unnecessary details in my books. (Editors tell
Roxane asks how I feel about writing groups. To begin, I have never been part of a writing group in any formal sense. That said, from the early days of my writing, I did share work with friends and fellow writers, but it was never organized. That sharing was very important to me. I think writing
Asking someone to read—for the first time—something you have written is always a nervous making time. Over the years, I have developed some rules for myself when doing this. Choose one person. Too many readers can be confusing. Make sure your MS is in standard readable form. (I recall someone once sending me 200 pages of
It’s one thing to reach the final sentence of a first draft. It’s quite another to be able to sit down and read your work through—without stopping. The work of creating a first draft is very hard, often grinding. Constant rethinking. Constant rewriting. Changes can be big, even as there are countless small ones. But the
I have just come back from a three-months trip away from home. The reason is simple. We live in a very isolated place, and we decided we needed to spend time with people–not chipmunks. I took along my lap-top of course, and worked at a steady rate. It was a very good trip. Had a
When I achieve what I call a first draft of a new book—which I have just done—I am flooded with relief. It seems as if a miracle has happened. There have been moments a‑plenty—ask my wife—when I have announced “I can’t do this. It is too hard.” As I approach the end, however, and I
Currently working on a new book (untitled) and did what I always have to do: stop working on the computer, print out what I have done, and work on a real page, red pen in hand. It makes (for me) a huge difference I see things on the printed page I don’t see on the
Growing up as I did, in the 1940’s and 50’s in New York City, there was only one sport that we (my friends and I) talked about, and that was baseball. There was much to talk about since there were three teams in the city, The Brooklyn Dodgers, the New York Giants, and the Yankees.
Catch You Later, Traitor has been officially published. Whenever I publish a book, I always reread my absolute favorite book about professional writing and the writer’s life, Edward Gorey’s The Unstrung Harp. I think there is more truth about writing in this work of genius than forty books about writing. But, be advised, if you