Writing

Where do you get your ideas?

I used to be afraid to answer that question. I thought if I ever figured it out I'd never have another one! But now I know that ideas come from everywhere—memories of my own life, incidents in my children's lives, what I see and hear and read—and most of all, from my imagination.

How do you decide where to begin?

I always start on the day something different happens. In Here's to You, Rachel Robinson, it's the day Rachel's older brother Charles, gets kicked out of boarding school. In Superfudge, it's the day Peter learns there's going to be a new baby in the family.

What's the hardest part of writing for you?

I dread first drafts! I worry each day that it won't come, that nothing will happen.

How long does it take you to write a book?

At least a year, if there are no disruptions in my personal life and other responsibilities don't get in my way.