As part of my recent research activities, I’ve been visiting the websites of some of my favorite children’s authors, one of which is the notorious and supremely talented Jane Yolen. I can’t count the number of times I’ve read one of her books only to say to myself, “Wow! That’s exactly the kind of book I wish I had written.”
In reading Jane Yolen’s “Random thoughts on writing and on children’s books” found on her website, here are a few highlights that resonated with me.
“I generally do not think out plots or characters ahead of time… I want my own writing to surprise me, the way someone else’s book does.”
“Sometimes [a work in progress] seems promising, sometimes brilliant, sometimes just plain stupid. And that may be the same piece on alternate days.”
“Intuition works best when you remember that “tuition” is part of it.”
“Know this about being published: it is out of your hands. Even if you do everything you can think of to affect that outcome, you cannot make an editor take your work.”
And perhaps my favorite;
“A writer puts words on a page. An author lives in story… Learn to write not with blood and fear, but with joy.”
