Successful Authors Describe How They Write

In this Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy article, Michael Sampson and Evan Ortlieb (St. John’s University) and Cynthia Leung (University of South Florida) report what they learned from a survey of 39 best-selling and award-winning authors:

• Note-making – Having a way to capture thoughts at any moment “was deemed quintessential to their writing process,” say Sampson, Ortlieb, and Leung. But authors used a variety of methods – journals, small notebooks, notepads, computers. Patricia McCormick said, “My notebook looks like the one from the character in A Beautiful Mind. Scraps of dialogue, random details, etc. No one would understand it but me.”

• Preplanning and outlines – Some writers, like Lois Lowry, carefully plan and script stories. Others start with an outline but tweak it as they proceed. “I work best with a loose structure,” says Alan Brennert. Some authors talked about the extensive research they did and the effort they made to get into their characters’ heads. But most of the writers who responded said the story, content, or voice of each character reveals itself during the process of writing rather than in any systematic planning. Jack Gantos said, “I start with some sort of inspiration – some bit of story – and then discover and steer it as I’m writing.” Joseph Bruchac said, “At some point, the story always takes on a life – and a voice of its own.”

Adrian Fogelin said, “Preplanning too much deadens that voice for me… “[T]he energy that propels the story is generated by the act of writing. If I had to preplan my books, they would never get written… The way writing is taught in school robs it of all the fun. Most people are not born planners – and that includes many professional writers – but writing is taught as if planning were the only way to arrive at a good piece of work. Not making allowances for us ‘blurters’ kills many young writers’ interest in the process.”

• Revision and editing – Some authors said they revised their writing as many as ten times – and some not at all. “The many iterations and revisions that these highly successful authors make to their manuscripts are in stark contrast to the writing process that occurs in schools,” say Sampson, Ortlieb, and Leung. Almost all the writers said they edited on the fly, with a “big edit” when the writing is complete and ready to be shared with others. What about responding to feedback? Jerry Spinelli said he never reads reviews of his books: “Both praise and damnation tend to drive you outside your work, make you self-conscious, and self-consciousness is poison to art.”

• Research – There was wide variation on this aspect of writing, with some authors doing extensive research and others doing almost none. Some used libraries and the Internet while others relied on interviews and visited the site where a story was set. Jerry Jenkins said that “nonfiction has to be unbelievable; fiction believable. The definitions have switched. That means heavy research, regardless of the discipline.” Wayne White said research is important for credibility with readers, but “there is a danger in continued research becoming an excuse for not confronting the more difficult work of writing.”

• Collaboration – Most of the writers are not part of a writer’s group and wish they were (a busy travel schedule is a major impediment). Those who are find a group of colleagues very helpful. Some share their writing with loved ones or a small group of “alpha readers” before publication, but most do not. Randy White had this to say about sharing a work in progress: “No. Absolutely not. Committees build bridges; individuals write books. Talking about a story burns creative energy that should be reserved for the actual work.”

• Challenges – “Creating the large structure of the plot is most difficult for me,” said Adrian Fogelin, “– as I think it is for many writers. The big picture, which is the plot, can be intimidating.” Eve Bunting said her greatest fear was “being boring.” Wayne White said, “For me, all aspects of writing are challenging. It wasn’t easy when I started, and it has only gotten harder. Good writing is the selective elimination of details.”

Sampson, Ortlieb, and Leung believe the authors they surveyed have an important message for K-12 teachers of writing: “Professional writers are not all the same, and the same goes for student writers… Remember that the writing process is inherently idiosyncratic; teachers must help student writers find what works for them, by showcasing and modeling a range of options through a process-oriented writing pedagogy to avoid the pitfalls of a locked step-by-step approach.” A few other take-aways:

-   Learn from the experience of published authors.

-   Encourage students to experiment with different ways of incubating their ideas.

-   Have students try writing on a computer, on paper, or a combination.

-   Remind students that “the content, style, and voice are largely determined by the task at hand and one’s background experiences.”

“Rethinking the Writing Process: What Best-Selling and Award-Winning Authors Have to Say” by Michael Sampson, Evan Ortlieb, and Cynthia Leung in Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, November/December 2016 (Vol. 60, #3, p. 265-274), available for purchase at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jaal.557/abstract; the authors can be reached at sampsonm@stjohns.edu, ortliebe@stjohns.edu, and cleung@usfsp.edu.

(Please note: The summary above appeared in issue 663 of The Marshall Memo, a fabulous resource for busy educators)