Great writing thoughts usually pop into my head after I go to bed. I sneak into the bathroom in the dark, and close the door. I keep paper and pencil there – just in case.
So, enthroned upon the toilet seat, I scribble down my ideas lest they disappear with the dawn. There must be something about taking a shower, and cleaning my teeth each night, that prods my inspirational juices to flow.
Are you a disciplined writer? What is your working style?
I got a late writing start, so now my kids are grown and on their own, I write every day in my office, slash flower room. This is where, every winter, I bring my delicate plants to survive the Oregon chill. My husband fitted Gro Lux lights to wall shelves, in what was once our family room. My plants and I enjoy a cozy winter together – helps mitigate all that gray Oregon drizzle!
Do you like to outline and plot ahead, or are you more of a stream-of-consciousness writer?
A general idea strikes me, and I develop it as I write.
Do you have a website/blog where readers may learn more about you and your works?
Margot Finke’s World of Writing for Children is my website. It has sprouted more pages on help for children’s writers than I can count - my BOOKS, Critique Service, Secrets of Writing For Children, WAHOO, School Visits, and much more.
What are you working on now?
Finding a publisher for two Aussie mid-grade boy’s adventures, a ghost mystery set in Oregon, and a letter-driven MG involving a Grandma and her grandson, and the troubling forces that draw them together.
What was your experience in looking for a publisher?
Writing books is the easy part. Finding the right publisher is frustrating. Lots of research, networking with other writers, and carefully reading many submission guidelines finally did the trick.
What was your experience in working with an illustrator?
Very positive. I found all the artists for my rhyming animal series through writing lists I am on. Our minds seemed to be in harmony. We swapped thoughts and ideas until each was perfected. I am thrilled with the resuls.
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