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WRITING QUESTIONS FUDGE |
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WRITING QUESTIONS FUDGE |
Judy answers questions
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Where do you get your ideas? I used to be afraid to answer that question. I thought if I ever figured it out I'd never have another one! But now I know that ideas come from everywhere -- memories of my own life, incidents in my children's lives, what I see and hear and read -- and most of all, from my imagination. |
How do you decide where to begin? I always start on the day something different happens. In Here's to You, Rachel Robinson, it's the day Rachel's older brother Charles, gets kicked out of boarding school. In Superfudge, it's the day Peter learns there's going to be a new baby in the family.
What's the hardest part of writing for you? I dread first drafts! I worry each day that it won't come, that nothing will happen.
How long does it take you to write a book? At least a year, if there are no disruptions in my personal life and other responsibilities don't get in my way.
Do you have a favorite place to write? During the summer months (my favorite time of the year) we go to an island. I have a tiny writing cabin there, far enough away from the house to feel very private. I get up early in the morning and work until noon. I wrote most of Here's To You, Rachel Robinson there. Sometimes I wish summer would last all year long.
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Are you going to write more books? I certainly hope so! I've just finished a novel for older readers. Right now I call it Summer Sisters. And I'm already thinking about what to write next. Is it fun to be a writer? Not always. It's a solitary life and it can get lonely. You spend most of the day in a little room by yourself. But since I love to create characters and get to know them, I'm usually content. Of all the books you have written, which is your favorite, and who is your favorite character? An impossible question to answer. It's like asking a mother, which is your favorite child? Each one is special in a different way. |
How old were you when your first book was published and which book was it? I was twenty-seven when I began to write seriously and after two years of rejections my first book, The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo, was accepted for publication.
How many books have you written? Twenty-two. Two are adult novels.
Does anyone ever think you're writing about real people? Yes. On a TV talk show, I was telling the host about Rachel Robinson's family and he thought I was talking about a real family. I had to stop and explain that while they feel real to me, I've actually made them up.
