Belva Plain (b. October 9): “Read the best there is and thereby learn.”

pinterest.com/pin/39406565464936917/

Belva Plain (9 October 1915 – 12 October 2010) was an American author. Over 30 million copies of her novels were printed in 22 languages. 21 of her novels appeared on the New York Times best-seller list.

Six quotes about writing:

I’m an early riser, and morning is my work time. I have a special workroom where no one interrupts me except my dog.
I write in longhand on a yellow pad. I don’t use a computer because I like to take time to think about what I’m saying.
I think it’s as difficult for me to describe the process of inspiration as it would be for a composer to tell how a melody took shape in his/her head.
My advice to would-be writers? READ. Read the best there is and thereby learn. And keep trying. Writing isn’t easy. It’s very hard work, requiring a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.
I wrote Evergreen because I had to. I had no real idea that it might be published. I know how competitive the world is and I didn’t want to become the sad victim of false hopes.
I thought it was time to write about the kind of people I know. I got sick of reading the same old story, told by Jewish writers, of the same old stereotypes – the possessive mothers, the worn-out fathers, all the rest of the neurotic rebellious unhappy self-hating tribe. I wanted to write a different novel about Jews – and a truer one.