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Being an Author

What is your favorite thing about writing?

I think it's a tremendous feeling of accomplishment that I get from starting with nothing, and somehow creating a whole story and setting and characters.

 

What's the worst part about writing?

Most days, it just feels like I'm not accomplishing much. I write for about two hours a day, and most of it just seems like a waste of time. It amazes me how after a year, all those wasted days somehow add up to something. Another thing I don't like is that it's a very solitary profession. I think it would be nice sometimes to go to an office and see people every day, instead of just sitting in my room.

 

After many years, does writing sometimes seem like just an ordinary job?

It's not fun when I can't figure out what to write. Usually, when I finish the book, I look back and think it was fun to write, but while I'm writing it, it's not really fun at all.

 

Did you ever get discouraged when you were starting out?

My first book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, was not distributed well when it first appeared in 1978. The book was difficult for parents and teachers to find. It never sold very many copies, but I got lots of fan letters that greatly encouraged me. Still, even though I was uplifted by the attention, supporting myself as a writer still looked like a rough proposition at the time.

 

What advice would you give to kids who are interested in making a career in writing?

Read. Find out what you like to read, and try to figure out what it is about it that makes you like it. And the best advice I can give is what they don't like hearing, and that is you need to rewrite. I understand; I used to hate rewriting when I was their age. But my first drafts are absolutely awful. I would be embarrassed to show them to anyone. It's not until I start really knowing the story, rewriting it to make it better, that it turns into something.