“As
a fiction writer, my favorite tools are my imagination and the peculiar
opportunities offered by different points of view.”
– Stewart O'Nan
Born in Pittsburgh on this date in
1961, O’Nan grew up in Pennsylvania and was determined to work in the Aerospace
Industry until the writing bug hit. He
earned a degree in Aerospace Engineering and served as a Test Engineer before
deciding to take the writing plunge. His
first book, a collection of short stories called In The Walled City, won the prestigious Drue Heinz Literature Prize
and planted him firmly into the literary world.
His first novel Snow Angels, based on one of the stories in his short story
collection, also won several writing awards and was made into a popular
movie. 
Since then, he has authored 20
books, collaborated with Stephen King on two more, and been a
writer-in-residence or writing teacher at several colleges and
universities. Among the “snippets of
advice” he gives students is to keep your manuscript with you at all times.
“Always keep it with you. That way you can always go back to it.” And to keep your characters in mind as much
as possible.
“My main question that I ask of my
characters is, ‘What does it feel like to be you? And how do you get through
the day? Where do you find the hope and faith to endure getting through the days,
and what are your days like?’”
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