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A definite rhythm

5/31/2018

Q. What else, besides writing, do you enjoy?
A. I love to swim. Swimming has a definite rhythm, and writing should have, too. If you are using the rhythm in one aspect of your life, it makes it easier to feel it in other aspects of your life. If I hadn't swum, I probably wouldn't have written some of the things I've written.

Madeleine L'Engle, in The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy, compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus, Candlewick Press, 2009

Writing!

5/30/2018

Q. What is the best part of being a writer?
A. Writing!

Ursula K. Le Guin, in The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy, compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus, Candlewick Press, 2009

Nibble away

5/29/2018

Q. How do you know when a book is done?
A. That's not a problem for me. Sometimes an editor will ask me to tie up a few more loose ends. But I'm in favor of a book that leaves one or two unanswered questions for readers to nibble away at.

Diana Wynne Jones, in The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy, compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus, Candlewick Press, 2009

At some point

5/28/2018

Q. What do children tell you about your books?
A. One thing the kids will sometimes say is, "Someone got killed, one of the good guys!" I say, "Well, it happens – because there is both life and death. At some point you are going to lose someone close to you, maybe your granddad or your grandma. But the lesson is this: If it's a loved one you've lost, you haven't lost them. He or she is still there in your memory."

Brian Jacques, in The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy, compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus, Candlewick Press, 2009

Open the door

5/27/2018

Q. Do you know from the start how a book will end?
A. I know the beginning and the end and I know nothing in between. I make no outline. I sit down and just let it come. I find that writing is a lot like playing the piano, which I learned as a child. I just sort of open the door to the subconscious and let it happen. I write a book in one long stream and then I cut it into chapters when I'm finished.

Nancy Farmer, in The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy, compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus, Candlewick Press, 2009

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A definite rhythm

Writing!

Nibble away

At some point

Open the door

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