Margaret Peterson Haddix: Dig In...

I caught the tale end of Margaret Peterson Haddix's session and she was down to earth and delightful, talking about how she came to really get down to writing when she was stuck in her house and was unable to drive as she recovered from surgery shortly after moving to a new town in which she had no job.

Margaret likened writing to falling in love. She talked about how fascinating it is to watch her children change and grow. She emphasized the importance of writing from a kids' perspective rather than an adult looking back--as as writer, she said, you must become a kid. (To drive home that point she shared a funny story about the first time she turned over the keys to her 15 1/2-year-old daughter the day she got her learner's permit and their unique versions of that experience in the car.)

I most enjoyed the advice she received from an old German ski instructor named Horst: "You will go in the direction you are looking." Say it out loud a few time, and I'm sure you will discover how this could apply to both the act of writing and working toward a writing career. Horst is wise.

Note that Margaret is a fellow Ohioan!