³Ō¹ĻĶ·Ģõ Mentor Sarah Darer Littman is an award-winning author of over 16 books for young people, includingĀ Fairest of Them All and Anything But Okay.ĢżShe also wrote political opinion for fourteen years,with Hearst Newspapers andĀ .

Her first novel,Ā Confessions of a Closet Catholic, won the 2006 Sydney Taylor Book Award for Older Readers. Her novelĀ µž²¹³¦°ģ±ō²¹²õ³óĢżwon the Iowa Teen Book Award.ĢżSarah also teaches at the Yale Writersā€™ Workshop.

November 30, 2018Ā 

Tell us a little bit about your genre. (I.e. why you write in this genre, how you discovered it, what you love most about it…)

My primary genre is contemporary realistic fiction for young adults ā€“ my Scholastic editor, Jody Corbett, calls me ā€œThe Dick Wolf of YA.ā€ Iā€™m particularly fascinated by the intersection of young people and technology ā€“ my last four YA novels have explored different aspects of how growing up in a technology driven world affects what is already a very tumultuous time, emotionally, physically, and hormonally.

I also write humorous middle grade, because Iā€™m a reasonably funny person in real life, and my YA body of work didnā€™t reflect that.

I also wrote opinion columns for 14 years, and am still a politics and news junkie. I bookmark news stories I find interesting in a ā€œbook ideasā€ folder, and go back to that when Iā€™m brainstorming.

I love writing for young people because inside this middle-aged womanā€™s body lives a strong, vibrant inner teenā€” an inner teen that still wants to believe that the world should be fair and just, and refuses to stop examining, questioning, and fighting until it is.

What is your opinion of the writing process? What is your process? Are all processes equal? Ā 

Every writer has to find the process that works best ā€“ and what works best for one book might not work with the next. Laurie Halse Anderson (one of my writing idols) said that each book requires specific tools from your writerā€™s toolbox. I find it usually takes at least 20,000 words into a first draft for me to figure out which tools a book needs. Then thereā€™s my current novel, which took three complete rewrites before that happenedā€¦

How do you deal with critics?

Being an opinion columnist for fourteen years was great preparation for Kirkus Reviews and GoodReads. Some of my book reviews might be a tad mean, but at least they donā€™t include rape threats or tell me Iā€™m ā€œusing the American Way of Life to Destroy the American Way of Life and the Rest of Western Civilization in the processā€!

It helps to have trusted readers who will give you constructive, honest criticism. If more that one of my trusted readers thinks something is a problem, then I know I have to figure out how to fix it.

Learning to be able to give and receive effective critique are mandatory skills for being a good member of your writing community.

What is something unique about you? Any hidden talents?Ā 

I have an extremely eclectic resume, which includes financial analyst in NYC, finance director of a major dairy farm and cheese making enterprise in the rural English countryside (my ā€œGreen Acresā€ decade, for those old enough to remember that series), political opinion writer, author of middle grade and young adult novels, and writing teacher.

Any hidden talents?

I have a certificate in Tree and Woodland Management (with Distinction!) from Kingston Maurward Agricultural College in the UK, a souvenir of my decade as a farmerā€™s wife. Considerably more useful than the tails of Three Blind Mice.

Favorite writing quotes?

ā€œPut your butt in the chair and write the damn book.ā€ Jane Yolen

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” Anton Chekov

What is the most important thing about writing?

To put your butt in the damn chair and do it.

What do you most want to impart to students?

If you want to make a living as a writer, it helps to be versatile. Iā€™ve been paid for business writing, political opinion, young adult fiction, middle grade fictionā€¦and Iā€™m hoping to extend that range to chapter books and picture books in the future.

MFA Alumnus Class of 2014, MFA Mentor, Senior Writer at Connecticut Magazine, author of Buzzed and Gillette Castle: A History, whose work can also be spotted in the Associated Press, Thrillist and Tablet Magazine.

Ofgang’sĀ next book will be released this summer by Penguin Random House.ĢżĀ 

November 5, 2018Ā 

Tell us a little bit about your genre. (I.e. why you write in this genre, how you discovered it, what you love most about it…)

My passion is narrative journalism. I became a journalist almost by accident. I always wanted to be a writer, but my focus was fiction until college. In college I majored in history but started writing for my college newspaper (The Echo at ³Ō¹ĻĶ·Ģõ) because I figured it would be a good exercise to become a better writer and get a byline or two in the process. While writing my very first story for the college paper, I realized I had a hidden passion for journalism. I loved learning more about whatever topic I was writing about. Plus, it was easier than fiction because you didnā€™t have to come up with ideas. Later, when I attended ³Ō¹ĻĶ·Ģõā€™s MFA program, I discovered the world of creative nonfiction writing thanks to mentors John Roche, Josh Pahigian and Michael Capuzzo. With their help, I realized I could incorporate much of what I loved about fiction writing into my nonfiction work.

What is your opinion of the writing process? What is your process? Are all processes equal? Ā 

I think whatever works for each writer is best. As you gain experience you learn what works and does not work for you. Personally, my process is very deadline driven. The closer I get to deadline, the faster I write.

Is publication important?

To me it is. I write for people to read what I write, and I always have the audience in the back of my mind. However, people come to writing for different reasons. If youā€™re working on a memoir or family history, maybe writing is cathartic. You just want to get the words out and see if you have something that is of publishable quality later. Teaching writing has taught me that sharing our thoughts and feelings on paper can be a lot deeper than just getting a byline. That being said, I think less experienced writers sometimes donā€™t think about an audience as they write and then are surprised and bitter that there is no audience for their work.

How do you deal with critics?

The tricky part about being a good writer and successful as a student in an MFA program is knowing which critics to listen to. As a writer youā€™re going to get a lot of nonsense feedback even from qualified well-meaning people (nevermind internet trolls), but youā€™re also going to get vital, incredibly important advice, which ā€“ if you follow ā€“ has the power to change your career and your life.

How and where should you get published?

Anywhere and everywhere. I always say aim big and work your way down. Start with the top national publications, publishing houses, agents, and then pitch smaller outlets.

What is something unique about you? Any hidden talents? Passions?Ā 

I donā€™t know if itā€™s a secret, but Iā€™m a professional magician with a specialty in card magic. I also play bass with the Celtic rock band MacTalla Mor. Both have helped pay bills in the past, when writing gigs are slow.

What do you do when not writing?

Favorite food?

Eggplant parmigiana. Itā€™s about as good an argument for meaning in the universe as anything Iā€™ve come across.

Favorite writing quotes?

As of this moment, itā€™s a quote about a quote about writing. Orwell said, ā€œIf it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out,ā€ to which Joe Moran responds, ā€œPerhaps he should have written: ā€˜If you can cut a word, do.ā€™ā€

What is the most important thing about writing?

To actually spend time writing.

What do you most want to impart to students?

You have the tools to be a great writer. Unlike, say, a film director who might be constrained by a budget, you have the same access to our medium as Stephen King or James Patterson: pen and paper (or computer and cloud-based word processor that is being read by tech giants in the hopes of gleaning information about your purchasing habits).

MFA Alumnus Class of 2012, MFA Mentor, ³Ō¹ĻĶ·Ģõ Professor, and Author of Bronx Bound: A Novel

October 12, 2018Ā 

Tell us a little bit about your genre. (I.e. why you write in this genre, how you discovered it, what you love most about it?)

When my marriage was ending a while back, I was reluctant to read the kinds of books that I usually was attracted to: novels with deep themes, exploring emotions and issues like love and hate and romance and lifeā€™s deeper meanings, philosophical questioning, etc. All that stuff was going on in my everyday life, so I made a conscious effort to find books that would take my mind off those sorts of things and lead my thinking elsewhere. I picked up a schlocky crime novel (I canā€™t remember the title or the plot now looking back), and it provided the escape I needed.

I eventually started reading better-written mysteries and crime novels, and soon got to James Patterson, Lee Child, S.J. Rozan, Dennis Lehane, James W. Hall and others. One thing I loved and hated about writers like Patterson and Robert Parker, to name two, was their incredible ability to write page-turners. Iā€™d make deals with myself—one more page, one more chapter—but couldnā€™t stop reading even when I wanted to, when I had to, for sleep or work or whatever. That appealed to me not only as a reader but something to strive for as a writer.

Also, coming from my journalism background, I tended to look at the reporting and then writing of a story as puzzles. I had to think of what pieces of the puzzle were needed for the story, what might be missing, and then put those jumbled pieces together to make a clear picture of a story. So the crime/mystery genre jumped out at me in that sense too. Whatā€™s a mystery if not one big puzzle to piece together.

Lastly, who doesnā€™t want to be the hero, the cop, the private eye, the savior. Writing crime or mystery, you get to not only create the problems, but solve them. I loved playing cops and robbers when I was growing up, either in my head or with friends. As a crime writer, you get to be both.

What is your opinion of the writing process? What is your process? Are all processes equal?

Iā€™m a firm believer in the school of whatever works for you. Some terrific writers plan out every page. Others, like me, donā€™t plan or plot at all and follow where the characters and story lead us. In fiction especially, those two approaches are described as two camps: plotters or pantsers. Plotters plan their stories out. Pantsers go by the seat of their pants, without any planning or very little.

I like writing without knowing what comes next because I think that carries over for the reader. If I canā€™t wait to see what unfolds in the story as its writer, Iā€™d hope readers would get that same sense of anticipation, surprise, etc. as theyā€™re reading.

What works for me might not work for you, and vice versa. Same with one story to the next, or one book to the next. Whatever process keeps you writing and hopefully results in quality work is the best process. And Iā€™d guess most pantsers would say they wish they could plan ahead, because itā€™s easier, and plotters would say the same thing about pantsers. Neither is better. And neither is easy.

Is publication important?

Of course it is. Anyone who says they write for themselves and donā€™t care if it gets read by anyone else is lying. We all want as many people as possible to read our work. But hereā€™s the real kick in the ass: Publication ISNā€™T graduation. Getting published doesnā€™t mean weā€™re given the keys to the kingdom. We still have to work at writing, maybe even more so after getting published. Thatā€™s perhaps the hardest thing to accept about publication, because up until that point for every writer, getting published was such a defined goal. Getting published is just one step on the staircase of the writing life. You have to keep going.

How do you deal with critics?

We all have different tastes. Name a book or a movie that you think is absolutely brilliant and Iā€™ll find a hundred people who hate it. So as creatives, we need to distinguish between matters of taste and opinion vs. valid criticism. Also, keep track of numbers. If many people lodge the same criticism about your writing or one piece or one part or one element of a story, poem, etc., chances are thereā€™s something there to pay attention to.

Favorite writing quotes?

I love quotes about writing. There are too many to even begin to pick for my favorites, so here are three that come quickly to mind:

ā€œI hate writing. But I love having written.ā€ ā€“Attributed to many, from George R.R. Martin to Dorothy Parker

ā€œFiction is a lie. And GOOD fiction is the truth inside the lie.ā€ ā€”Stephen King

ā€œWriting to me is simply thinking through my fingers.ā€ā€”Isaac Asimov

What is something unique about you?

I broke my nose five times, never while writing. Mother Teresa kissed me on the cheek, and Pope John Paul II touched my hand. And I hate watermelon, which Iā€™ve learned is viewed as Un-American as telling people you plan on joining ISIS.

What is the most important thing about writing?

Write. Read. Write more. Repeat. Itā€™s estimated that about 109 billion people have ever lived, and thatā€™s still the most important thing about writing anyoneā€™s come up with. Write. Thinking about writing isnā€™t writing. Talking about writing isnā€™t writing. Just write.

What do you most want to impart to students?

As many writers and teachers have said, give yourself permission to write badly. Wanting to only write great stuff is perhaps the greatest obstacle to just writing. You can improve, edit, re-write and all of that later. For now, just get your ass in a chair and write. One word after another. (And of course since Iā€™m terrible at following my own advice, do as I say, not as I do).