Writing Life of a Newberry Winner

Ever wonder how writers find inspiration and structure their writing process?  Some draw elaborate plot maps or tack character sketches onto whiteboards.  Others say their characters come into the room and speak to them.   I lean toward the Indiana Jones method of making it up as I go along.

In a USA Today interview, Newberry Medal winner Kate DiCamillo describes her creative process with Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures (Candlewick).  The author  says she often starts a book without a clear idea of how her tale could evolve.   She explains Flora is based on her mother's obsession with an Electrolux vacuum cleaner and a squirrel on DiCamillo's front steps that looked ill.   

Awesome ..... this Newberry winner started with nothing more than knowing she wanted to write about a squirrel, a vacuum cleaner, and a feisty 10-year old girl! 

To learn more about Flora and DiCamillo’s writing life, read the full interview in USA Today here, or visit the author’s website here.

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 Are you like Kate .... free-flowing and on the fly .... or more structured in your writing process?