Jewels for Christmas from Avi, Susan Albert and Raab Associates
writing you have to do for other academics is often stilted and dry--very far from the fluency and informality of fiction. But my training in research has certainly been a big help in much of the writing I do. I'm no stranger to libraries, and enjoy working with primary source materials. And the discipline it took to complete my degree (I was a single mom with three kids, so there were plenty of distractions) was a good experience. But again, I have to say that formal education is no prerequisite to fiction writing, and can often get in the way.
7.SR: What is the very best writing advice you have ever received?
- SWA: Write what you know, and if you don't know it, find it out.
8.SR: Please discuss your interest in "fiber-arts".
SWA: For years, I have enjoyed knitting and crocheting. But when I wrote a book called INDIGO DYING (one of the China Bayles mysteries), I became interested in working with raw wool: preparing the fleece, combing, carding, spinning, and dyeing. Now, I enjoy spinning and dyeing my own yarn, and I'm passionate about knitting. Beatrix Potter was passionate about wool, too--but she cared more about it "on the hoof," so to say. She loved her sheep, most of which were Herdwicks, a very old breed with a characteristically wiry wool, especially adapted to the Lake District fells. I knitted a Herdwick cap, and it is very scratchy--but practically waterproof. And I'm sure it will wear forever. I hope to include much more about Miss Potter's interest in sheep, and in the fiber they produce, in later books.
9.SR: Can you describe a typical writing day?
SWA: It's just like anybody else's working day! I go to work about nine (hoping to keep administrative stuff to a minimum), knock off for an hour's lunch, and work until it's time to cook dinner around five. I set myself a goal of 1500 words a day; if I can stick to that, I'm usually able to finish a book in about two+ months of working days. When I'm writing, I work best if I don't take any days off, away from the writing. That way, I don't lose track of where I am.
10.SR: What are you reading right now?
SWA: At the moment, Sue Grafton's R IS FOR RICOCHET and one of the Miss Read books, Changes at Fairacre.
11.SR: What would you like your younger readers to know
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