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to some of the questions I am often asked: |
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Where
do you get your ideas? |
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Mostly,
I write from real life experiences. I write about something that
has happened to me, or sometimes to one of my children. (I have
four boys.) In other words, I write about something I know about. |
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How
many books have you written? |
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A
lot. More than I can count. Most of them are at home in the top
drawer of my desk.
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How
many books have you published? |
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Now,
that is a different question! Thus far I have published five books.
Two are picture books, and three are easy-readers.
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When
did you know you wanted to become a writer? |
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When
I was in the third grade the author of the Amelia Bedelia books,
was my teacher. Her name is Peggy Parish, and we called her Parry.
I wanted to be a writer just like her! And when I went to Kirkland
College, the author of Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt,
was my teacher for four years, and I wanted to be just like her!
After Kirkland I did graduate work at Simmons College in Children's
literature, where I received my Master's degree, and it was there
that I learned to write and want to write just like . . . ME.
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How
long does it take to write a book? |
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For
me, the hardest part of writing a book is coming up with the idea.
Once that happens, I am golden. I love the re-writing process (usually),
and re-write my books dozens of times!!! From start to finish, a
picture book or an easy reader takes a couple of months. A novel
takes me close to a year. |
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What
advice do you have for aspiring writers? |
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Keep
a journal and write everything down! If you don't write things down,
you'll forget them!! Believe me, I know from experience!!! WRITE
IT DOWN!!! That is what I say again and again to students. Don't
worry about spelling or grammar or if it's good or not, just write
it down. And read. READ, READ, READ. Read anything, and everything.
And listen. Listen to how people talk, to the kinds of words they
use, and if it is interesting, WRITE IT DOWN!!!! |
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