If you ask me, are you a writer Judy?
I'll say no, but I'm a great rewriter.
I hope that in sharing with you what
I've learned over 50 years of writing,
that it will help you find your way as a writer.
When you're writing for kids, we're
not an adult telling a story about being a kid.
We are that kid.
As a 12-year-old, I was obsessed by the idea of growing
breasts and getting my period.
But there was no place that I could read about it.
When I started to write, I was determined to be honest.
So I'm going to share with you the practical side of writing.
Process, story, voice, editing, dialogue, and character.
There's nothing more important than character.
You're living with these people for years.
You had better feel for them.
Do some exercises.
Have your character write a letter to you.
The first draft is pure torture for me.
I hate every second of it.
I have a messy mind, and my writing
is a process of cleaning up the mess.
Then slowly, making a story.
I will be able to show that to you.
I got a particularly nasty review once.
And it got to me.
And I took my typewriter, and I held it over this arroyo,
and I was going to throw it in.
I thought, I cannot do this anymore.
And then this little voice went off in my head.
Wait.
You're going to let this one review stop you from writing?
That's crazy.
That's one opinion.
I enjoy finding and supporting new writers.
And this is a chance for me to reach more of you.
I always ask myself, why would anyone
write if they didn't have to?
I mean it's so hard.
So this is for all of you who feel that you have to.
I'm Judy Blume
and this is my MasterClass.