Judy Blume, the children book writer of all time, speaks of her love

 

“Over the 40+ years I've been writing I've also written for adults, but I always come back to young people.”  
                                                                                                                              
-Judy Blume

 

                                                                       

            Judy Blume is one of America’s most-loved writers of all time; especially for the younger generation. She has sold over 80 million sales of novels including books such as the Fudge series, Are you there God, it’s me Margaret, Blubber and etc. Without Judy Blume, lots of young readers may be still complaining about how boring reading is. Today Judy speaks of her love for the younger generation and the passion for her writing.

 

                                                            Photography credit to Sigrid Estrada

 
           1. What has driven you to write so many books especially for young adults/children?

I need to be involved in creative projects. That was true even when I was in school.  It was when I was out of school, married with two babies, that I realized I needed to find creative work.  I missed the excitement, missed the energy, missed that feeling of wanting to jump out of bed in the morning and get back to my project.  I was physically sick a lot in my 20's.  But once I found writing the illnesses magically disappeared. 

I don't think about writing books for children vs. writing for young adults, or even adults.  I go with whatever story is inside my head and demands to come out.  I think of characters rather than plot.  This isn't right or wrong, it's just the way I work.  I have a connection to young people, maybe because my memory of my own childhood is so strong.  I've always identified with young people.  It never occurred to me, when I began to write, to write about anything else.  Over the 40+ years I've been writing I've also written for adults, but I always come back to young people.

 

2. What kind of habits do you have from being a writer?

I think novelists are interested in everything, too, but mainly in people.  I'm a people watcher, an observer, a listener.  This has always been true.  Even as a young child I made up characters inside my head.  I invented stories about them but never wrote them down. 

Before I start a book I keep a notebook -- I call it my security blanket -- because I could never face a blank screen, or a blank page.  This way I'm less scared about starting.  I've got my notebook filled with ideas, characters, and scenes.  This is where I am right now.  I left a novel that I'd just started two years ago, when the opportunity to film Tiger Eyes came along.  Yesterday I took out my notebook.  I think I'll soon feel ready to begin again.  And that's good, because I'm happiest when I'm writing, even though I might tell you it's torture (and sometimes it is).
 

3. If you could be one of any of the characters that you wrote about, who would you choose to be and why?

 

 They're all my children.  I could never pick one character.  The fun of writing is that you get to be different people.  You get to see life from different points of view.  My characters surprise me as I'm writing about them.  That's the best part of writing fiction for me.

 

4. What kind of commitments and responsibilities do you have as a writer?


I try not to sign a contract for publication until I've finished the book.  That way I don't have the pressure of deadlines.  For some writers, deadlines are essential.  Without them, they'd never write, or never finish.  But this is how I've always done it and it works well for me.  One time I decided I needed the pressure of deadlines so I signed a contract for a series of four books -- The Pain & the Great One series for younger readers.  And it worked okay.  I did what I had to do.  But I wouldn't want that kind of pressure for this novel that I'm trying to write. 

I feel my responsibility is to write the best, most honest books I can.  I owe that to my readers.

 

5. What are you future goals?

 

I'm hoping I get to do more of the same.  Writers tend not to retire.  We write until we can't.  I still have stories to tell and characters to create. 

Thanks for your very thoughtful questions.  Morning is my best time for writing -- but you see, I'm answering emails instead.  That's because it's so hard to get back to writing a book.  But now that my notebook is next to my computer, now that I can see it every day, I know I'll be getting back to that novel very soon.

 

 

This interview has been done by e-mail through the MIZY youth reporter MinKyung Kim and Judy Blume.

 

 2011년 2월 10일 부터 13일. 제 2회 국제교류기획캠프가 개최되었습니다. 전국에서 모인 청소년들이 '국제교류 프로그램 기획' 이라는 목적을 가지고 뭉쳐 활동하였는데요, 그 뜨거웠던 캠프의 현장을 미지센터 청소년 기자단 서용민, 최한나기자가 취재했습니다.




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As spring is coming near, MIZY greeted two new employees in the center, just as bright as the upcoming season. They are Young Ju Kim, who will direct all the busy flowing programs of MIZY, and Jiian Lee, who will be in charge of Global Youth Leadership Training Program and Creative Leaders in Seoul.

 

We give our sincere welcome for the two who will work for development of Seoul youth through cultural exchanges, and we look forward to their time with MIZY.

Young Ju Kim, with the staff of Korean National Commission for UNESCO

 with her appointment certificate. (Second from the left)

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