Happily, I had lots of childhood heroes.
— Kate DiCamillo
Everything about writing is hard for me except for that - the names pop into my head. That's one of the reasons why I always make sure I have a notebook with me.
I always wanted to be a character when I worked at Disney, but I wasn't short enough for certain characters, and I wasn't tall enough for others.
I write in my house, at my desk, where I have Christmas lights strung over it to try and convince me that I'm having a good time. I can't really write anywhere else.
Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.
It distresses me that parents insist that their children read or make them read. The best way for children to treasure reading is to see the adults in their lives reading for their own pleasure.
I was born in Philadelphia and currently live in Minneapolis. I write for both children and adults.
I like to think of myself as a storyteller.
I didn't start working on children's books until I got a job at a book warehouse on the children's floor. When I started reading some of the books, I was so impressed.
I am busier now than I ever imagined I would be, but I feel blessed in that I have found what I am supposed to be doing with my life. It's wonderful to tell stories and have people listen to them.
Everything I write comes from my childhood in one way or another. I am forever drawing on the sense of mystery and wonder and possibility that pervaded that time of my life.
I am stuck at 10 years old. I think.
You have to learn how to write each book.
I have always been a reader. I was one of those kids desperate to learn. I would read anything.
I'm never impressed with myself!
My goal is two pages a day, five days a week. I never want to write, but I'm always glad that I have done it. After I write, I go to work at the bookstore.
I'm at the mercy of whatever character comes into my head.
I thought I was going nowhere. Now I can see there was a pattern.
I have a Bachelor of Arts in English, which means I had a lot of formal training in reading.
I didn't know anything about writing a screenplay, but somehow I ended up rewriting a screenplay.
I always write with music. It takes me a while to figure out the right piece of music for what I'm working on. Once I figure it out, that's the only thing I'll play.
Every well-written book is a light for me. When you write, you use other writers and their books as guides in the wilderness.
I didn't really start to write until I was almost 30, and I started with the short stories.
I've always been a doodler.
I get my inspiration from looking at the world and paying attention to people and just looking closely. Also from reading. I get so much inspiration from other authors.
Understand, I had absolutely no interest in writing; I wanted to be a Writer.
My father leaving the family shaped who I was and how I looked at the world. By the same token, my father telling me fairy tales that he had made up shaped me profoundly, too.
I work full-time in a used bookstore. I get up. I drink a cup of coffee. I think, The last thing I want to do is write. Then I go to the computer and write.
I think of myself as an enormously lucky person.
I hate to cook and love to eat.
I am single and childless, but I have lots of friends and I am an aunt to three lovely children.
Hands down, the biggest thrill is to get a letter from a kid saying, I loved your book. Will you write me another one?
