Review: DRIVE by Stephanie Fournet
I have loved everything I’ve read from Stephanie Fournet, and DRIVE did not disa[...]
I’m thrilled to have Lauren Oliver here today for a “How I Write” feature. I’m a huge fan of her books, especially of Delirium and Pandemonium (links take you to my reviews)! Many thanks to Lauren for participating!
About the author:
Lauren Oliver comes from a family of writers and so has always (mistakenly) believed that spending hours in front of the computer every day, mulling over the difference between “chortling” and “chuckling,” is normal. She has always been an avid reader.
She attended the University of Chicago, where she continued to be as impractical as possible by majoring in philosophy and literature. After college, she attended the MFA program at NYU and worked briefly as the world’s worst editorial assistant, and only marginally better assistant editor, at a major publishing house in New York. Her major career contributions during this time were flouting the corporate dress code at every possible turn and repeatedly breaking the printer. Before I Fall is her first published novel.
She is deeply grateful for the chance to continue writing, as she has never been particularly good at anything else.
Do you write daily or sporadically when you’re inspired?
Daily! I do 1,000 words a day, every day.
What time of day do you find you write best?
I prefer to write in the morning, when I’m super focused and can concentrate entirely on my work. However, it’s rare that I get to write in the morning—I often squeeze writing in between other tasks and responsibilities.
Do you have any writing quirks?
When I’m unsure about a phrase or passage, I write in All-Caps. That’s my way of basically bookmarking problematic passages without getting stuck; later, I’ll go in and adjust the language.
What tool(s) do you use to write? Microsoft Word, Pages, Scrivener, typewriter, and/or pen and paper?
Typically just a computer and Microsoft Word, but I also occasionally write by hand. And I wrote my first book on my Blackberry!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received for writing?
Aim for truth and beauty will follow; aim for beauty and truth will not necessarily follow.
Books by Lauren Oliver:
More “How I Write” Q&As!
I remember reading once before that Lauren Oliver wrote Before I Fall on her Blackberry. It inspired me during Camp NaNoWriMo to take advantage of the 45+ minutes I spend on the subway to and from work everyday and I ended up writing about 30% of the novel on my iPhone in the notes app. I also do the ALL CAPS thing (I’m going to pretend this means I can be as amazing as Lauren Oliver one day)
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[…] A Book and a Latte has Lauren Oliver over for her How I Write Segment. #NaNoWriMo There is a place for ALL CAPS. […]
Twitter: fakesteph
says:
I LOVE the comment about all caps. That is such a fabulous idea!
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