It's a fact, I don't know every tween/YA writer there is, and I haven't read every single book; the truth is I'm discovering new authors all the time, so when I attended the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators) http://scbwi.org/10th Annual Winter Conference in New York this past January, I was thrilled to hear award-winning writer, Richard Peck speak (A Year Down Yonder, A Long Way From Chicago). I had read A Year Down Yonder before the conference and fell in love with his character, Grandma Dowdel. She's a fiery, no-fuss widow who isn't scared of anything or anyone, and gets things done her own way. So hearing the man speak who created this formidable woman was, in my opinion, the highlight of the conference, especially when he talked about working on a manuscript (quote may not be verbatim because I jotted it down later):
"A manuscript is like a sick friend, you stay up late at night with it, you
take it out for fresh air, you don't leave it alone for too long." (Richard
Peck)
Last night I was up past mid-night with my own manuscript, Avondale, and my dog, Sadie (and friends who know me, know that, for me, this is late). So when I finally turned off the light, Richard Peck's words once again rang true; for some reason or another, when you're excited about something, sleep, doesn't really matter so much and fatigue never really catches up with you..... Well, perhaps it did for Sadie, she's sound asleep and snoring~
No comments:
Post a Comment