A Writer's Moment: 'Where to find your writing ideas'

A Writer's Moment: 'Where to find your writing ideas':   “The first time I can remember thinking that I would like to be a writer came in sixth grade, when our teacher Mrs. Crandall gave us an ex...

'Where to find your writing ideas'

 

“The first time I can remember thinking that I would like to be a writer came in sixth grade, when our teacher Mrs. Crandall gave us an extended period of time to write a long story. I loved doing it. I started working seriously at becoming a writer when I was 17.” –  Bruce Coville

 

Born in Syracuse, NY on May 16, 1950 Coville has authored more than 100 Children’s and Young Adult books.  But like every versatile writer, he tried his hand at a number of things – including toymaking, gravedigging, assembly line worker and then teaching elementary school – before turning to writing.

 

“I loved teaching,” he said.  And for a time he thought that was going to be his life’s work.   But writing was still on his mind, so he talked to his students about what they wanted to read, and it sounded a lot like what he also liked to read when he was a kid. “I read books that made me laugh but also made me shiver in terror. I wanted to make books that made other people feel the same way.”

After a few “false starts” he published his first children’s book The Foolish Giant, illustrated by his wife Catherine.  Translated into over a dozen languages, it is still popular among readers everywhere.  Many of his novels – led by multiple-award winners like My Teacher Glows in the Dark and I Was a 6th Grade Alien – have earned awards, and he has been honored with the Empire State Award for Excellence in Literature for Young People, given by the New York Library Association for his life’s work.

 

Keep looking everywhere for ideas is his writing advice.  “Ideas are all around you - everything gives you ideas,” he said.  “But the real source is the part of your brain that dreams.”

A Writer's Moment: 'Looking out to a rich, wonderful universe'

A Writer's Moment: 'Looking out to a rich, wonderful universe':   “Books were the window from which I looked out of a rather meager and decidedly narrow room onto a rich and wonderful universe. I loved th...

'Looking out to a rich, wonderful universe'

 

“Books were the window from which I looked out of a rather meager and decidedly narrow room onto a rich and wonderful universe. I loved the look and feel of books, even the smell... Libraries were treasure houses. I always entered them with a slight thrill of disbelief that all their endless riches were mine for the borrowing.” –  Zilpha Keatley Snyder

 

Born in California in May of 1927, Snyder primarily wrote books for children and young adults – at a rate of nearly one per year during the height of her writing prowess.  She won three Newbery Awards along the way for The Egypt Game, The Headless Cupid and The Witches of Worm.  Often a blend of realism and the supernatural, her books feature thoughtful, courageous girls or young women as the protagonists.

 

A graduate of Whittier College, Snyder was an elementary and middle school teacher before she began writing fiction in the 1960s, starting with short stories.  Her 1964 debut novel Season of Ponies made several bestseller lists, and she was soon writing full time, completing 46 books between 1964 and 2011.  She died in 2014.

  

Snyder said even though she was a teacher first, she always dreamed of writing and couldn’t imagine any other profession.  

 

“It grew from the dreams I always had as a child,” she said. “I think writing is an extension of a childhood habit - the habit of entertaining oneself by taking interesting bits of reality and building upon them.”

A Writer's Moment: 'Once hooked, always involved'

A Writer's Moment: 'Once hooked, always involved':   “The thing about reading is that if you are hooked, you're not going to stop just because one series is over; you're going to go a...

'Once hooked, always involved'

 

“The thing about reading is that if you are hooked, you're not going to stop just because one series is over; you're going to go and find something else.” – Eoin Colfer

Born in Ireland in May of 1965 Colfer, whose first name is pronounced Owen, is best known for his Artemis Fowl children’s book series, although he also gained considerable fame as the author of the 6^th edition of the popular Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series – titled And Another Thing.

 

Colfer was a teacher of Middle Schoolers before writing a standalone book called Benny and Omar, which his students loved.  Encouraged by their response, he then wrote Artemis Fowl, about a 12-year-old criminal mastermind.  His many Fowl tales since have been wildly popular and are now out in 44 languages, also spinning off into graphic novels and movie productions. 

 

His books have earned numerous awards, including the British Children’s Book of the Year, The Irish Book Awards ‘Children’s Book of the Year,’ and The German Children’s Book of the Year.   His most recent titles are 2025’s Firefox Moon and the 2023 children’s picture book Three Tasks for a Dragon (written with P.J. Lynch).

 

Ever a teacher, Cofer is a popular speaker at writing conferences and workshops for aspiring writers, where he encourages persistence as a key to success.

 

“I often meet frustrated young writers who say they've only got so far and just can't finish a book,” he said.  “Even if you don't happen to use what you've worked on that day, it has taught you something and you'll be amazed when you might come back to it and use it again.”

A Writer's Moment: 'A reason to continue'

A Writer's Moment: 'A reason to continue':   “ I think what gets a poem going is an initiating line. Sometimes a first line will occur, and it goes nowhere; but other times - and this...