Emily Dickinson said, "Tell the truth, tell it slant." The quirky, edgy, underbelly of things, the bite me- bizzaro worldliness; that's what I taste. And if I don't, I make it up.
When Peter Pan takes off for Neverland - "second to the right and then straight on till morning" -I'm right behind him.
7. SR: Can you describe your writing process?
JL: The baseball great, Wee Willie Keeler said, "I keep my eyes clear and I hit 'em where they ain't."
I do the hokey-pokey; stuff goes in, stuff goes out, then I shake it all about. I toss in a few characters, plop in a problem, chop up some action, sprinkle with a kiss, a hiss; a hug, a bug, until mmm...it tastes just right. It's as mysterious as cracking open a safe; I don't know what I'll find, but I'm going in. I roll up my sleeves and get to work. Then I never give up. That's how I write. I just do it.
Writing is like that circus act with the spinning plates; I toss up the words and twirl - going as fast as I can. It's like laying down a bet without reading the racing sheets, buying/selling stock without insider information. I don't outline, sketch characters; there's no greasing the parts - I just hit the pedal. When asking for directions in Costa Rica, I was often told, "the road will take you there." I don't edit or agonize along the way; I travel light. As Yogi Berra said, "When there's a fork in the road, take it. " I write because it gives me pleasure. I'll meet you at Oz.
8. SR: Where do you write? Do you collaborate with others?
JL: My office is just for writing.
No incense, running streams, Gregorian chants. No ocean view, forest chirpings, Starbucks chatter. I've even blocked out my window with an air conditioner
I write from the inside- out, so this works for me. As the artist Paul Gauguin said, "I shut my eyes in order to see."
You may ask, from this you can make a living? Yes, even my dog owns a fur coat. (Ok, it's fake, because she's a "p.c..p"- politically correct poodle)
Zoe is the only one allowed in my office. She doesn't need an appointment. I read her my work. If she yawns, I know I better rewrite. If she wags her tail, I've got a winner. When she drops her toys, one by one on my lap, then licks each of my toes, it's time for me- and her- to go.
