Here are two highlights:
On whether she's a Character or Plot-focused writer,
I'm a character writer but there wouldn't be a book if that character didn't have a story to tell. I tend to get ideas about a character in a situation. I don't like to think about "plot." I don't know everything that's going to happen when I begin. I know where I'm starting and where I'm hoping to wind up (though that sometimes changes along the way). The hardest part of writing for me is getting that first draft. I find it pure torture.
To help with that first draft, Judy has a strategy,
I keep a notebook for months before I actually sit down to begin a new book. Before I start the notebook I have a vague idea of the characters and their story, usually something that's been brewing inside my head, sometimes for months, sometimes for years. I jot down anything that comes to mind during this period -- details about characters, bits of dialogue, chapter ideas, descriptions - sometimes even scenes. This way, when I actually begin, I have my "security blanket."
It's a great interview (and very reassuring to hear that even Judy Blume revises multiple times!)
Illustrate and Write On,
Lee
This is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing this. I like where she says, I get the first draft down asap and as spontaneously as possible and just tell myself if I die tomorrow no one will see it... it's reassuring to know a seasoned author like Judy Blume whom I read as a child also struggles with the first draft!
ReplyDelete