Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Yes, it was "Monty Goes to the Doctor." We had an assignment in maybe grade 2 or 3 to create a pop-up book with a story and our own pictures. I can't quite remember what happened when Monty went to the doctor, but I do remember that the teacher really liked my work. This stuck with me because my elementary school teachers were very mean, old ladies, more capable of criticism than praise. I hope that the work is in a box with all my other stuff somewhere in a storage garage in LA. I am positive that I personally would not have thrown it out but I cannot remember if I got it out of my childhood home before it was sold.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
When I can get lost in the story as it pours onto the page, and I even surprise myself with the direction that it's going. Once I have the idea, I'm really anxious to get it out, to put it into production and just form and create it. Of course I hope that somewhere among the world's seven billion people there are a few that like the story also, but I have so many story ideas that the joy is really in making sure that they all get written.
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