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This month The Edge of the Forest talks with children's author
Amy Timberlake about her writer's life.
The Edge of the Forest: First of all, Amy, thanks for talking with The Edge of the Forest. To begin with,
what type of writing you do?.
Amy: Right now, I write middle grade novels (novels for kids 8-12). But I've written picture book texts, early
readers, book reviews, essays, non-fiction articles, poetry, short stories for adults, a novella for adults, and bad novels
for I don't know whom. (I didn't know they were bad at the time, but now, well, let's just say they're saved on CD for my
eyes only.)
Basically, I try to match the form with the idea. So, a story starts with impulse, inspiration, idea, or a bit of dialogue
and this seems to suggest a form.
I should be clear here that a lot of what I've mentioned was never published. Yeah, the book reviews, some of the essays
and some of the non-fiction were published, but the short stories, the poetry, the novella, and at least two or three tries
at writing a novel never saw the light of day—which is fine in retrospect. You learn by writing and I learned a lot by
writing those things.
My first book was a picture book called The Dirty Cowboy and it came out in 2003. My next book is a middle grade
novel called That Girl Lucy Moon, and that's coming out in September 2006.
The Edge of the Forest: How long have you been a children’s writer?
Amy: : How long have I been doing this? It feels like it came in stages. I loved writing as a child (and loved
reading even more). I took every creative writing class I could in high school and college, but with the idea that writing
would make a great hobby. In college, I played with majoring in pre-business, and then graduated with a degree in American
History. This was despite the fact that all I really wanted to do was write. It wasn't until I went to get my M.A. in
English/Creative Writing from the University of Illinois at Chicago that I became serious about writing. That's when I
started taking jobs to support my writing—jobs that allowed me to have health benefits and only work four days a week,
for instance. To start treating writing like a career was a huge shift for me.
In years, I'd say I began taking writing classes in 1983. So I guess it's been over twenty years.
The Edge of the Forest: What attracted you to children's writing?
Amy: I took a job as a children's bookseller at a Borders and I fell for children's books. Still I didn't think
about actually writing them until I finished my novella (a requirement for my M.A.) and couldn't figure out what to write.
I was praying about it as I sat by this river, and the first thing I thought of was The Dirty Cowboy. This was a
family story, and one of my favorite stories as a child. I remember thinking, 'If I were to write a children's book, it
would be The Dirty Cowboy. And it sounded fun and I'd just struggled (and I mean, struggled) through this
novella. So I wrote The Dirty Cowboy, and loved doing it. Around this time I also realized that a lot of my
ideas were for children.
The Edge of the Forest: Tell us about a typical writing day. When do you write? How often? And how does this schedule
inform your creative process?
Amy: I try to write about four hours a day. I can work longer when I'm revising, and sometimes I work less when I'm
working with a blank page. I try to make myself sit there whether things are happening or not. It seems that I'll have a
couple of bad days and then I'll have a good day. But the regularity helps because I lose the threads of my story if I'm
not there. When I lose the threads, I get frustrated and when I'm frustrated I start thinking ‘it's true I'm a rotten
writer,’ and on and on. So for my peace of mind, it's best if I keep at it.
The Edge of the Forest: : Some writers work in a study. Some prefer curling up with a notepad on the sofa. Others
prefer penning their stories in a busy café with a bottomless cup of coffee. Describe your workspace. Where do you write and
why?
Amy: I have an office with a desk and bookcase. This is my area and I don't share it. It also isn't a bedroom.
Having this space is a real luxury. I like having a door so that I can shut it when I have say, a guest, and I need to work.
But I also work on a laptop, so sometimes I work on the couch, or on a chair, or in the kitchen, or at the public library.
Really it depends on what I'm working on. If I need to spread out with books and drafts I'm usually in my office. If I'm
more portable, I might change my location.
The Edge of the Forest: Some writers work in long hand. Others write on a laptop. Some do a little of both. How do
you work? How does this technique inform your creative process?
Amy: Most of the time I work on a laptop. I learned how to write on a computer, and so revising long-hand doesn't work
for me. But sometimes when I'm starting to work on a project I'll journal in notebooks. I like the slower pace, and it
doesn't feel as formal as how the script looks on a computer. Also, when I'm working on the laptop, I sometimes keep a
notebook open to write notes of things that are going to happen in scenes that aren't written yet, or changes I might need
to make in the earlier part of the story. I'm always tempted to stop working to correct things, and keeping a notebook
going has helped solve this problem.
The Edge of the Forest: Some writers write for very personal reasons, using their art to help make sense of the
world. Others feel the need to share their joy of language with young readers. Why do you write?
Amy: : I write to tell myself a story. It's that simple.
The Edge of the Forest:Writers find inspiration in many places. Who or what inspires you?
Amy: So much! I find inspiration in great writing and bad writing (Amanda McKittrick Ros is an example of bad
writing that inspires me). I find inspiration in newspaper and magazine stories. I find inspiration in long walks, art,
overheard conversation, or by watching movies. Recently, I watched the extended version of The Lord of the Rings
and I found myself thinking about epics and how much I loved stories that took in good and evil and where the fight was for
the fate of the world. And I loved how I cried and laughed and thought 'this is so true.' I thought 'I want my writing to
do this!' And I started to wonder ‘what would an epic that wasn't fantasy look like?’ For me, this is inspiration!
The Edge of the Forest: Let's talk about books. How often do you read, and what types of books do you prefer?
Amy: I read every day. I'm addicted. I have several magazine subscriptions, and I always have one or two books
going on my bed stand. I read almost everything. I like literary nonfiction, fiction, mysteries, and science fiction.
Books that cross genres are always interesting. Okay, I don't read books about math and physics, and for now, I am off self
help. Oh and did I mention I'm a sucker for a good cover? If a cover catches my attention I'll start reading.
The Edge of the Forest: Do you have a favorite growing-up book?
Amy: I remember James Thurber's Many Moons very well. I loved that book!
The Edge of the Forest: What’s your current read?
Amy: I just finished Chris Bohjalian's Midwives and Esme Raji Codell's Vive La Paris. I think
the next book I'm going to read is Susan Straight's A Million Nightingales. Oh and I recently discovered Stuart
McLean's Vinyl Cafe stories.
The Edge of the Forest: Time to role play. You’re sent to a remote retreat in the mountains for a year, and allowed
to take one book with you. What book would you take and why?
Amy: The Bible—no question. I get so much support through my faith—so that's number one. But if I were
allowed a second book? I don't know. Something dense and deep, something I could unpack bit by bit. A mountain retreat
might be the perfect opportunity to read Thomas Merton, or the collected works of some poet, say Denise Levertov. How about
a collection of Chekhov or Eudora Welty? Or what about a thick Tolstoy? Sounds like a perfect opportunity for War and
Peace! Now I'm psyched—when are we going?
The Edge of the Forest: More role playing. Growing up, you wanted to be like what writer and why?
Amy:When I was growing up I didn't pay attention to who wrote things, just the stories. Oh wait, no—it would've
been Agatha Christie. I loved those mysteries, and I loved checking them out. I think I would have wanted to be like
Agatha Christie. She was also a 'woman of mystery' and I liked that people didn't know a lot about her. I've always
wanted to be a 'woman of mystery...' But at this point, I just don't think that's going to happen for me.
The Edge of the Forest: What advice would you like to give to aspiring writers?
Amy: Keep writing. Work with regularity. And enjoy the process and the discoveries and the adventure!
The Edge of the Forest: Do you have a favorite quote that inspires you?
Amy: Here's a quote from Georgia O'Keeffe I like: "I decided to start anew—to strip away what I had been
taught, to accept as true my own thinking. This was one of the best times of my life. I was alone and singularly free
working on my own, unknown—no one to satisfy but myself. I began with charcoal and paper and decided not to use any
color until is was impossible to do what I wanted to do in black and white. I believe it was June before I needed blue."
The Edge of the Forest: Anything else you want to add?
Amy: Read everything and anything. It all helps. Read the things that are way beyond your ability because they'll
stretch you. And please, please, please don't forget to read for enjoyment because you need to remember why you love
books! I also secretly suspect your enjoyment will help guide you toward the stories you'll want to tell.
About Amy:
Amy Timberlake is the author of The Dirty Cowboy (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) which won SCBWI’s Golden Kite Award, a
Parents’ Choice Gold Medal, an International Reading Association 2004 Notable Book Citation, a Bulletin Blue Ribbon,
First Prize in the 2004 Marion Vannett Ridgway Awards, Finalist for the Spur Award (Western Writers of America), and was a
finalist for Southeast Booksellers Association 2004 Book Award.
She has taught writing at the Hand Workshop Art Center in Richmond, Virginia, and at the University of Illinois at Chicago
(where she also received an M.A. in English/Creative Writing). She received a residency fellowship at the Anderson Center
for Interdisciplinary Studies in June 2002 and won a Judy Delton Scholarship in June 2001. She has worked as a book
reviewer & columnist, a children’s bookseller, a book event coordinator, and as the Public Information Officer at the
Virginia Commission for the Arts.
Her next book, a middle grade novel entitled That Girl Lucy Moon, will be published by Hyperion Books for Children
in September 2006. For more information, visit her website: www.amytimberlake.com
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