Interview: Jane Yolen

If you haven’t heard of Jane Yolen you should have.  To say that she is prolific would be the understatement of the century.  The recipient of numerous awards (including the Nebula Award and the Caldecott Medal) Jane has also been referred to as the Hans Christian Andersen of America by Newsweek.  It would be easy to fill this page with a list of her accomplishments so instead we’ll direct you to her website.  We hope you enjoy reading our interview with her as much as we were honored by doing it.

What first inspired you to write?

My parents were both writers–my father a journalist, my mother a short story writer (though she only ever sold one to the Reader’s Digest).

What inspires you now?

The lure of the empty page, the keyboard of my computer, and all those

characters talking in my head, saying, “Write about me! Write about me.”

What advice would you give to a new writer?

Butt in chair. It won;t get written unless you stop talking ABOUT writing and sit down and do it.

You have authored hundreds of books. What is your most favorite story that you have authored?

It changes every single day. In fact it probably changes every hour. Depends on my mood, what I am currently working on, if the mail brings a check or a review or a movie offer or a letter from a fan.

You have won numerous awards for writing, what award are you most proud of?

Letters from fans moved by my work. Awards are a nice encouragement but they have to be dusted and sometimes (this actually happened to me) they set fire to your good coat.

What are you reading now?

The sequel to SHIVER called LINGER, the latest Alice Hoffman children’s novel, and an Ian Rankin mystery.

What future projects do you have planned?

Working on a Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts, just finished a novel about a boy who is bullied who makes a golem out of clay and animates it to save him from the bullies, have just started a graphic novel entitled JOEY DANTE’S TRIP TO HECK. Am just a little way into THE GIRL’S BIBLE and thinking about a picture book about PT. Barnum’s elephant Jumbo.

What interests do you have outside of writing?

Reading, travel, Scotland, movies, live theater, live music, politics, walking, castles (in Scotland), Pictish stones (in Scotland. . .do you sense a thread here?) visiting with grandkids, and Project Runway.

As an editor what are common mistakes that you saw new writers make when writing fiction?

No story arc, too many adverbs, no subtext, mistaking sentiment for sentimentality.

Any last words of wisdom?

Writers need to do three things: Read, read, read; write, write, write; and stick to it despite the Dreaded Three R’s: rejections, reviews, and no recognition.