Since I’m the one who used to live in Brooklyn, I was the guide on a recent trip to NYC with my husband. When it was time for dinner, I led us by subway to Union Square and then meandered toward the East Village. I had no idea what to eat, but was just meandering. [...]

“Where do your ideas come from?” I am asked that question fairly regularly. My answer, depending on the audience, will be a variation on, “I am inspired by the books I’ve read.” Sometimes it’s “stories I’ve heard,” or “an epic poem,” or “comic books.” But the gist is the same: I steal ideas. Gasp! Well. [...]

My writing philosophy is something like: If that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes. Whatever it takes to find the sweet spot of my writing soul. I court this space. Very much like The Little Prince taming his fox. The fox told him everything he needed to know: Come every day, come at the [...]

About half the published authors I know use outlines when they write. The other half don’t. As for me, I have yet to start writing a novel with one, but I do find them useful when I revise. I usually begin with one or more characters whom I want to get to know, and the [...]

Projections for the opening weekend of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows indicate that the Harry Potter movies will soon surpass Star Wars as the highest grossing film franchise. Reactions from children’s book authors will most likely be mixed. While some may fear that time and money spent in movie theaters means less spent reading [...]

I once heard an editor explain that for every thousand manuscripts her house received, only 2 or 3 were published in one year. Of course, that number is a bit deceiving. She also said that of the 1,000, about 900 manuscripts were rejected outright without reading more than a line because the writing was so [...]