Writing what you know, when you can

 “Titles are very hard. Sometimes a title comes before I start to write the book, but often I finish the book, and I still don't have a title. I have to go through the book again, and then sometimes I hope a title jumps out at me from what I've written.” – Eve Bunting

And, she's almost constantly in search of a new title, since Anne Evelyn (Eve) Bunting, born on this date in 1928, is the epitome of the term “writer.”  The prolific author has penned more than 250 books – both fiction and nonfiction – a remarkable record since her first book, The Two Giants, wasn’t published until age 42, a dozen years after she and her family had emigrated to the U.S.

Bunting’s writing began after she took a writing course at Pasadena City College near Los Angeles.  And while most of her books are set in her native Northern Ireland, she also has authored such award-winning books as Smoky Night, about the Los Angeles riots, and One Green Apple, which won the inaugural Arab American Book Award for books written for Children/ Young Adults. That 2006 book tells the story of a young girl who just immigrated to America from an Arab country and how she discovers that her differences are what makes her special.  

Her advice to would-be writers is to write what you know                 ,

 what you feel, and when you can.  “I write every day,” Bunting said.   “I don't have a writing schedule. I write when I feel like it. Fortunately, I feel like it all the time.”

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