Jane Yolen

Interview by Heather Blakey

HB: In Take Joy: A Book for Writers, you distinguish between being a writer and an author. You rightly identify publishing as a hurdle for all writers. As a celebrated, published author recall and share some of the mind games you have played to overcome fear.

JY: Since I sold my first book on my 22nd birthday (after collecting over 100 rejections on my poetry alone) I am well beyond fear. I react with anger, petulance, and incredulousness at the often stupid acts that pass as publishing decisions. But not fear.

HB: Some editors publicly state that the truth is that they are not very nice people, that they are not there to stroke egos. As a teacher of writing I have learned that I have to nourish my students egos if I want them to confront the blank page. If you ran a classroom for editors what would be your first lesson?

JY: First lessons for editors?

1. The author, not you, is the genius behind the book.
2. Answer letters and phone calls on time.
3. Always begin a revision letter with, "I truly love this book." And end it the same way.
4. Be honest, but not brutal.
5. Stay in touch.
6. Take the blame.

HB: You mention John Ciardi more than once in The Joy of Writing. You describe the rejection letter from John Ciardi of The New York Times that you subsequently framed. Write a reply to John Ciardi that we can frame as a mantra for writers.

JY: I can't write a reply to Ciardi. I agree with him. He often quoted Valery's famous line "A poem is never finished, it's abandoned" and that is one of the wisest things I have ever heard about writing in general. We can't make our pieces perfect and we have to understand when we are finished, not the writing.

HB:

Dear Jane,

My ego forbids me to run the gauntlet of the publishing process because it says that I will never be celebrated, I will hate having to sell my product, I will never win the Nobel Prize for Literature, my books will only end up on remainder tables and good second-hand dealers will never put my work on their shelves. 

Could you have a quiet word with Ego?

Sincerely,

Writer living with feisty ego

JY:

Dear Ego,

Eat a good meal. Have some chocolate. Pick out a good wine. Stop thinking. Especially stop thinking about what happens after the book is published. Just write the damn thing. Rehearsals are for actors, not for life.

Jane Yolen

HB: The voices of writers past and present echo within the corridors of my writing. Is this the epitaph most writers seek? Tell us about the writer who has left the largest footprint in the sands of your writing. Whose voice should we listen for?

JY: The three writers whose footprints are all over my writing shores are Isak Dinesen, James Thurber, Ursula K. Le Guin, and W. B. Yeats. But the voice you hear now is mine.

HB: Anna, from your exquisite Books of Great Alta, has had a profound impact on many readers. Is she a mere invention? Does she exist somewhere? Is she an archetype? How important is it for characters to have archetypal qualities?

JY: The Anna is archetypal though she began (in the Dales) as a real woman. I think she looks back over her shoulder at the White Goddess. I read much too much into Robert Graves when I was in college.

Is it possible to write without reference to the archetypes? Probably not. Should we try and get beyond them to flesh and blood characters? Absolutely.

HB: "Christopher Robin spent the morning indoors going to Africa and back." (Milne) Tell us about the places you go to fuel your creative inventiveness.

JY: I go to real places. Like Scotland.

HB: "So they went off together. But wherever they go and whatever happens to them in that enchanted place on top of the Forest a little boy and his Bear will always be playing." (Milne) Use your child's voice to reassure us that the little girl who curled up on the window seat reading is still reaching out to us.

JY: I don't need to reassure you. I need to reassure myself. And I talk to her on a daily basis.

HB: Take Joy is a joyous celebration of the metaphor. Can a writer learn to think metaphorically? How do you suggest that a writer prime the pump and select a metaphor that will resonate?

JY: I think writers are fools if they don't read poetry. To themselves. Aloud. Hum it. Sing it to "The Yellow Rose of Texas." (Most of Emily Dickinson's poetry can be done that way!)

HB: Take a hockey stick and use your creative powers to turn it into a magic wand for writers.

JY: I hated playing field hockey as a kid. Too brutal. Hurt my shins. Writing may hurt metaphorical shins, but that's another story altogether.

HB: Ask yourself an open question about one of the mysteries of the craft of writing and answer it for us.

JY: Nope--I am working now on a companion book to Take Joy called The Birkenstock Muse. And I don't want to discharge my metaphoric guns too soon.

About Jane Yolen

 

Copyright © by Heather Blakey, 2003. Heather Blakey, the former mayor of Fitzroy and an accomplished writing teacher,  is the webmaster and founder of Australia's SoulFood Cafe which offers inspiration and jump-start exercises for writers. In May, 2003, SoulFood Cafe was voted one of the top 101 site for writers in Writer's Digest Magazine. Read more about Heather here.

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