Transcript Laurie Halse Anderson - Holland Central School Dist

Laurie Halse Anderson
Life
 Born
October 23, 1961 in
Potsdam NY
 Father was a Methodist minister
who wrote poetry and as a girl,
Anderson loved playing with his
typewriter
 Began career as freelance
journalist @ The Philadelphia
Inquirer
She once commented, "I decided
to become a writer in second
grade. My teacher, Mrs. SheedyShea, taught us how to write
haiku. The giant light bulb clicked
on over my head: 'Oh, my
goodness! I can do this!' I hope
every second grader learns how
to write haiku."
 Began
official writing career as a picture
book author
 Best known for young adult novels [YA]:
 Speak
 Catalyst
 Prom
 Twisted
 Wintergirls
Numerous awards and honors for
these!
Of interest:
 Still
lives in NY with husband, 4 children,
and dog!
 Quoted from Anderson, “When not
enjoying her family and her large garden,
she spends countless hours writing in a
woodland cottage designed and built just
for that purpose by her Beloved Husband.
She also likes to train for marathons, hike
in the mountains, and try to coax tomatoes
out of the rocky soil in her backyard.”
 “Writing
keeps me healthy and sane.
When I am working on a story, I
channel the dark, sad, confused,
angry bits of me into something
constructive and healing. I always feel
better after a day of writing. “
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Advice on becoming a writer:
Turn off the television.
Don’t major in Creative Writing in
college. Chances are it will drain the life
out of your creativity.
Never, ever criticize yourself during a first
draft.
Have the courage to revise your work.
Read every night before you go to sleep.
Write the story in your heart.
Pay attention to William Faulkner’s wise
words. “Don’t be ‘a writer.’ Be writing.”
Anderson’s Childhood Ambition:
 To
read all the books in the library
and climb to the top of the rope in
gym class.
Her life mottos:
1. Adapt and overcome.
2. Read or die.
3. It’s not a mistake if you learn from it.
 “I
get new ideas constantly. Generally,
it’s a person trapped in an interesting
situation, or facing a conflict that
forces her to change and grow. These
ideas pop into my head out of
nowhere. Sometimes I stumble
across them because of something
I’m reading, some fragment of
dialouge I overhear, or a scene I
witness at an airport or the grocery
store.”