Writing Tip: Spotlight (Suzanne Collins)

 

“If I actually write three to five hours, that’s a productive day. Some days all I do is stare at the wall. That can be productive, too, if you’re working out character and plot problems.” – Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins is the well-known author behind the recent phenomenon known as “The Hunger Games”. Who doesn’t know Katniss, the Girl on Fire whose books sales overtook the Boy Who Lived? But did you know that Suzanne Collins actually began her writing career with “Clifford’s Puppy Days”? It is always amazing for me to learn more about these successful authors who started out in minor obscurity. While many children enjoyed “Clifford’s Puppy Days”, as I did, I would never have known Suzanne Collins’ name if not for The Hunger Games series.

While Collins, like her protagonist Katniss, prefers to remain outside of the spotlight, she has shared some of her knowledge with us in interviews and readings. In an interview with Scholastic, Collins discusses her routine on workdays:

“I grab some cereal and sit down to work as soon as possible. The more distractions I have to deal with before I actually begin writing, the harder focusing on the story becomes. Then I work until I’m tapped out, usually sometime in the early afternoon. If I actually write three to five hours, that’s a productive day. Some days all I do is stare at the wall. That can be productive, too, if you’re working out character and plot problems. The rest of the time, I walk around with the story slipping in and out of my thoughts.”

This week I encouraged you to keep on writing. And I stick by it, set some time aside every day to write, even if it’s just scribbles on a piece of paper. Give your writing some attention, you both deserve it!

Happy Writing Everyone!