Gary Paulsen
Gary Paulsen is a well-known author of young adult literature. With over 175 published books and 200 articles, I trust he knows a thing or two about writing. Paulsen has not been on tour in the Boston area for over 5 years so when Barnes & Noble sent out an invitation to see and hear Paulsen speak, my son’s 5th grade teacher jumped at the chance to bring her class to the event. While not mandatory, 32 of the 44 kids from his 5th grade team showed up at the event this week with parents in tow. The children beamed with excitement to meet this author of “Hatchet,” required reading for all 5th graders here.
Paulsen is an interesting character; some may say he’s a bit gruff, rough around the edges. Still, he captivates his audience in a soft-spoken, jovial manner, talking about his life–from running away from home at 14 to travel with a carnival, shooting his TV and alarm clock (what fun!)–then switching gears and reminiscing over his Iditarod runs and his dogs in Alaska, sailing adventures, and lessons learned.
Still, his advice to children is sound and applicable to all of us when it comes to his craft. When asked how to become a writer (be it professionally or just to be able to write well) he gave these tips to a roomful of young (and older) adults that I’ve expanded on because I believe they are applicable to all of us.
- Read, read, and read more. Paulsen said, “Read everything you can. Hide under the covers, sneak down to the basement. Do whatever you have to in order to read. Just keep reading.”
Reading expands your mind, your knowledge, and your vocabulary. Read fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, adventure, and current events. You need to read to understand your own preferences. Then pick what interests you and soak it up like a sponge. See what other writers are doing and model behavior that suits you. - Be adventurous.
You need to experience life to become a writer. Challenge yourself everyday to explore new things, to learn new skills, and to test you. See what your personal limits are. In this way you will find who you are and what really excites you. - Write about what YOU enjoy.
One sure way to stifle creativity is to write about things that don’t interest you. Sure, some of us in the real world do have to write about things we don’t care about in order to earn a paycheck. But, don’t do that forever. A sure way NOT to become a good writer is to get stuck in a cycle of uninteresting content over and over again. - Write about what you know.
Writing from experience provides depth and personality to your writing. If you are passionate about your subject it will come through in your writing. If you’ve never experienced your topic, it will show. Make it fun and take creative license to embellish your story. Maybe a simple experience, like a trip to the zoo, is the foundation of your story. Then build upon it with your imagination. - Use your vocabulary.
OK, I added this one. Where Paulsen may be considered a Luddite, I’m an advocate of technology, particularly when it enhances an experience. I think Paulsen would agree with me here. Now my son’s teacher, on the other hand may cringe at this advice. An avid reader, she often talks about the smell of books. She loves the dusty old jackets. It’s like coming home. But with today’s electronic readers like the Nook and the Kindle, readers can quickly look up words; so don’t be afraid to use some BIG words in your writing. We’ve been trained in the past to write to an 8th grade audience for business, but these tools let us expand both lexis and grammar.
Get reading!
Think about it. Consumers today are bombarded with information-online, in print, via email, on billboards and television. Advertisements abound with details about things we want, even more things we don’t want, and the all-important things we don’t realize we want. This abundance of information, coupled with the fact that we have less time than ever to read and digest it, makes planning your communications both visually and in terms of content, with this fact in mind.