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WILLIAM ZINSSER William Zinsser, legendary writer and writing instructor, spoke with The Reporters’ Well in an exclusive interview about how he views his craft. His book of writing instruction, On Writing Well, has sold over a million copies. Zinsser remains a highly sought-after authority on the craft of nonfiction writing, and his work in the genre has attained an almost-mythic status. He spoke to The Reporters’ Well from his office in New York City, where he was finishing his forthcoming book on the many places he has written in his career.
On his choice of subjects: I don’t like to write anything I don’t like to read.
On remaining adaptable: All writers are damn sure they can only write under certain conditions. But the truth is, they can write any damn place—if they have to do the writing. I wrote in a tent in North Africa while a sandstorm was swirling around and people were running around panicking.
On the profession: It’s a craft, not an art. It’s like going to work every day with your tool kit, like a plumber or air conditioning repair person.
On nonfiction: I’m a nonfiction writer. I don’t work from materials inside my head. Mine is the kind of writing dependent upon the ability to notice things. I think you know if you’re a fiction writer. I’ve never been able to invent a character. I wrote a novel once [The Paradise Bit], but it was based on characters and situations I knew well.
On personal style: My style, whether I’m writing about baseball or jazz, is the same. It’s a matter of construction, of imposing your personality, your character on what you’re writing.
On his latest book: I stared it about a year ago. Whenever I think I’ve run out of things to write, my wife says ‘You always say that.’ She suggested writing about all the places where I’ve written, from the convivial surroundings of the newsroom to Yale. I’ve written in lots of different places: Africa, Tahiti, England. That’s what the book is about. The places where I’ve written.
GAIL COLLINS New York Times opinion columnist Gail Collins recently spoke to The Reporters’ Well about column writing, book writing, and the creative process. Taking time out from her twice-a-week column, and finishing work on the as-yet-untitled sequel to her highly acclaimed 2003 book, America’s Women, Collins spoke to The Reporters’ Well from her office at the new Times building in Manhattan.
On where she writes: When I’m actually trying to write a chapter [for the book], I need to be home. But I need to write in the office when I’m doing the column. There’s a whole bunch of people around, and you can bounce ideas off them. There are more “triggers” around the office.
On having your own space: When I started writing this book, my husband was also working on a book. He was further along, so he got the study. The dining room table was mine, but I found it really, really difficult to work there, to get anything done sitting at this little table.
On listening to music: When I’m working on a book, I listen to WQXR [the classical music station owned by the New York Times]. I find it helpful. People talking can be very distracting. I need for there to be that kind of companionship you get with music, with someone playing Mozart.
On her composition method: I write my books in discrete pieces. My mind had been trained over the years to write in short chunks. All of my books have been written in these small chunks. So you’re not sitting down to write this impossibly long, extended narrative.
On collaborating with other writers: It’s not something I’d advise someone to do lightly. Collaborations can be extraordinarily difficult. You’ve got to make sure you share the same vision. If [the pairing] turns out wrong, it can be bad.
On being a nonfiction writer: I always thought when I was in college that I’d want to be a novelist. I expected journalism to be a temporary thing. But one of the great things in the world is when you find your calling. Mine was nonfiction. I’m very happy where I am.
JENNIFER ALLISON Jennifer Allison, author of the Gilda Joyce series of young adult novels, recently spoke with the The Reporters’ Well about the writing life and the creative process. As a parent of three small children, Ms. Allison juggles the usual obligations of family life while continuing to satisfy the growing legion of fans for her teenaged “Psychic Investigator,” Gilda Joyce, who, in the words of a Publishers Weekly starred review, is “a spunky, appealingly eccentric 13-year-old who identifies with Harriet the Spy and may well rival her for reader’s affections.” Ms. Allison spoke to The Reporters’ Well from her home in the Washington, D.C. area, where she is working on the next book in the series.On her writing routine: I try to write every day, but with two 16-month-olds, and a toddler, it’s challenging. My goal is to write every day, and I do try to write something, even if it’s just half a page. Parents can’t always control their schedule, so you try to write whenever you get a minute. What she writes on: I do have a typewriter. I love typewriters. But that’s not a primary mode of generating manuscripts for me. I like to write longhand for first drafts. I also keep a journal. When I visit kids at schools to talk about writing, I show them my notebooks. “Here are my first drafts,” I tell them. I really like to write longhand. It makes me feel a little bit more free. I am a draft writer. I need a couple of drafts to get to the version I’m happy with. What she listens to: I think I’ve become a little more distractable over the years. I sometimes find myself being distracted by conversations at places like Starbucks. There’s a cafe I go to that just plays classical music. I find that’s helpful, not distracting. Being surrounded by music can make working a little more pleasant. But when I’ve got to get serious, if there’s a deadline approaching, I’ll go to the library and sit there in dead silence, focused like a graduate student. On promoting her own work: I was so naive. After the first Gilda Joyce book was published, I thought I’d just walk into a Borders and see it, right there, in a display in the middle of the store. But I’ve come to realize how hard writers have to work to promote their work. I thought “I’ve done my part, now it’s up to the publisher.” That’s not really how it works. I have to get out there, meet kids, send out review copies. But that kind of work can also be enjoyable too. On recharging: Being able to recharge is a kind of luxury. If you want to be a professional writer, you’ve got to recharge as you go. You’ve got to find the things that make you excited, that give you joy, that get you excited, while you continue the work. On the future: I see myself continuing what I’m doing forever. You’re never too old to be a writer. I can’t imagine not writing. I can see myself doing some different kinds of writing, maybe plays, other young adult novels. And there’s still more to do with Gilda Joyce.
HAYDEN HERRERA Hayden Herrera, writer and art historian, is the author of several books, including the celebrated Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo. A lecturer, university instructor, curator and a Guggenheim Fellow, Herrera’s most recent biography is Arshile Gorky: His Life and Work, an exploration of the groundbreaking 20th century American painter. She is currently at work on a book about the sculptor Isamu Noguchi. She spoke to The Reporters’ Well from her home in New York City.
On choosing her subjects: I wrote a biography of Khalo, and then of Gorky. And Noguchi was an admirer of Khalo’s, and a good friend of Gorky’s. I’m interested in artists. I like to try to weave together the life and work of the artist. Noguchi’s work was abstract. I think what attracted me to him as a subject is the mystery of why he made his work the way he did. I haven’t started writing it yet. I’m just now doing the interviews. I don’t feel confident enough to write until I do a mess of research. I was working on the background for Frida for years when my mother finally said, “Start writing!”
On her process: Basically, what I do—it’s a little like a wave build up. Gather, gather, gather, and then—you’re ready to write. I really like the writing process. I write longhand, on these long yellow legal pads. Writing can be terrifying, but once you get the momentum, it’s wonderful.
On estimating the time to finish a project: With Frida, I originally asked for nine months. My wonderful editor said, “You'd better ask for two years.” It took me five years. When I started working on the Gorky book, I thought that would take another five years. It took me eight years.
On her daily routine: When I’m at the point that I’m ready to write, I write every day. I love that stage of the writing process. I try to get eight to ten pages a day. The yellow pages are pretty dense when I’m done. I never exactly measure the total hours I work each day, probably about six to eight hours a day.
On revising: It’s kind of nutty but I hate looking back. I hate to reverse as I’m going forward. I fear that I’ll get swamped with all the problems, so I just try to move ahead...it’s like dancing. I don’t want to stop that energy once it’s begun.
On showing her work: I tend not to show anything to anybody until I’m finished. I don’t even like to read it myself until it’s typed and revised.
On taking breaks: Making a cup of tea is an excellent break. Anything to get you out of your chair! Movement is important. I have to do something physical every hour, hour and a half, when I’m writing.
On being a writer: Writing is natural to me. I love writing. I don’t like researching, but I love the writing. The process is really miraculous. It’s as though you have some sort of power beyond what you really have.
FRANK DEFORD Frank Deford is an award–winning and internationally recognized author and commentator. A senior contributing writer for Sports Illustrated and author of several books (many of which have been made into films), he is also a weekly commentator for National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition,” and correspondent for HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel”. Deford is a six-time recipient of the “U.S Sportswriter of the Year” award, winner of an Emmy Award for his work during the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, and he’s been voted “Magazine Writer of the Year”—twice—by the Washington Journalism Review. His latest book is the 2007 novel The Entitled.
On his daily routine: I write most every day when I’m not traveling.
On where he works: I write in the same office I’ve been in since 1974, in my house.
On when he does his best work: Like most writers: morning, when you’re freshest.
On what he listens to: No music, no sounds.
On revision: The computer changes things and almost encourages you to revise more as you go along. I’m certainly not one of these writers who can’t write the second word till the first word is perfect, though. I’ll certainly revise some after a chapter or after the first draft.
On the life: It’s hard for me to imagine being anything but a writer. It’s what I’ve been all my life, so it’s not a question of liking it or not. It’s a matter of it being part of me. Writing gives me great satisfaction. Obviously, the hardest part is that it’s just you all alone, trying to create. But, of course, when you do: there’s the satisfaction.
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The Writer
Selected Works
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