Often
kids, especially those who want to be writers themselves, ask about my
books. Here are some of the questions I have been asked.
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When did you know you wanted to be a writer and how did you
start?
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How do you get ideas for your books?
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How do you make your characters seem so real?
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Do you write picture books?
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Which do you like better? Writing or teaching?
When did you know you wanted to be a
writer and how did you start?
I guess I always wanted to
be a writer. My first book was written when I was in grade one and was
heavily printed in black crayon (I still have it). Growing up in Montreal, I
lived across the street from a park and spent many hours swinging upside
down on the monkey bars, inventing games and making up stories. I also wrote
plays for neighbourhood kids. I have to admit that my sister and I ended up
starring in every production, but I did hold auditions, and kids actually
came to try out. In school, even if I didn’t know the answers, I loved
writing exams. When I went into teaching, I wrote stories and plays for my
students. It wasn’t until years later that I began to submit my work for
publication.
How do you get ideas
for your books?
Luckily, I have never had a
problem coming up with ideas. Sometimes, the problem I have is deciding
which ones to use. Often I just think about ordinary things and then try to
imagine what might happen in a story. For example, once, my son and I
stopped at Tim Hortons after a doctor’s appointment. It was during one of
the roll-up-the-rim contests and my son couldn’t stop talking about winning.
The result was “The New Bike”, a very short story that appeared in the first
issue of Kids World Magazine.
How do you make your
characters seem so real?
I try to put myself into the
story and imagine that I am the character. When I am writing, I imagine what
the character looks like, sounds like, and thinks about. It’s like a little
movie that plays inside my head while I write it all down. Sometimes, as I
am writing, the character just sort of takes over the story. That’s very
cool. I have to keep writing just to find out what’s going to happen! When I
edit my work, I look for spots where I am telling about the character
instead of showing what the character is like with the words I choose. I
always change those sentences and let the character's voice and actions do
the work. I am lucky enough to work in a school, so although my characters
are never real people, I have lots of opportunity to watch, listen and learn
about kids.
Do you write picture
books?
No, not yet. I would like
to, though. I have tried a few times, but haven’t gone very far with that
genre…so far!
Which do you like
better? Writing or teaching?
That is a really tough
question. When I am writing I like that best and when I am teaching I like
that best. I guess my answer is both. Growing up, I used to line all my
bears and dolls in rows on the stairs. I had a little blackboard and spent
hours “teaching” those toys how to read. I am very lucky to be able to do
both because I love everything to do with books and kids.
