Judith Viorst, on the Art and Practice of Writing

Author and playwright of Alexander, Who's Not, Not, Not, Not, Not, Not Going to Move talks about her experience and habits as a writer.

Have you always been a writer? When did you start writing?

I literally started writing when I was around seven years old. I took myself very seriously. I copied my poems, on lined paper and sent them out to women’s magazines. I couldn’t believe it when they weren’t published. I didn’t get a word published until I was over 30. So, I had a lot of years’ practice. One of my items of advice is if you can’t take rejection, get out of the business.

What is your writing process? Is it different each time?

In most of the writing I do, I have deadlines. I have my deadlines broken down by months, weeks and days. I have a daily output and I am a really slow writer, but musical theater has changed my view. People look at me and say “we need a second verse after lunch,” and somehow you get a second verse after lunch. But mostly I’m much more methodical and plodding.

Do you write every day?

I write to a goal every day. If I can get my writing together early, I get to go to shopping.

What are the major differences, for you, between writing for adults and writing for children?

There’s tremendous similarity for me and the themes I write about. Virtually every theme I have written about for adults, I’ve written about for children.

I’m much more interested in the similarities, which are respect for audience, connecting to your audience, not patronizing them, and not talking down to them. I feel very strongly about not being sentimental or condescending to children when you write for them. I feel an obligation, in writing for children and adults, to offer some kind of hope.

How is it different writing for the stage?

When I write children books, I have an illustrator who creates the pictures. With the plays, I have to make the picture with words and Shelley has to make the picture with music.

What is it like, seeing your characters come to life on stage ?

It’s pretty thrilling and now that I have four grandchildren, I’m going to take them all [to see the play]. The two and a half year old is the daughter of Alexander and she’s trying to sort out that there’s Daddy and then there’s Daddy in the book. I love watching -- And it’s so much fun to listen too.

What advice you would give to a young person who wants to write?

The first thing I ask people who tell me that they want to write is, “Do you want to be a writer or do you want to write? You can do that right now. You can go home and write.” So, I tell the people the same thing that Shelley does. Read, read, read in the area you’re interested in, so you can see all the different ways to approach it, and then write. Don’t talk about it. Do it.