When I Write: Joyce Carol Oates

Pen or computer? (Material)

Pen, computer, print-out; pen, computer, print-out.  Repeat.

Sitting or standing? (Pose)

Walking/ running while planning;  sitting while writing.

Morning or evening? (Time)

Virtually all the time with interruptions.

Punctual or fitful? (Time-keeping)

Both punctual & fitful.

At home or away? (Venue)

Both at home & away.

Hours or words? (Unit of productivity)

Do not keep score.   Why would one?

Smart or casual? (Dress)

Do not notice.

Feed or starve? (Fuel)

Both.

Stimulated or sedate? (Substance)

Neither.

Sound or silence? (Ambience)

Wind in trees.   Birds.   Cat purring close by.

Interruption or distraction? (Nemesis)’

Interruptions & distractions (like interviews) unavoidable, on occasion.

Other Articles

Eleanor Wasserberg introduces The Light at the End of the Day

If I invite you over for dinner with my family, be warned, it tends to go like this: we have wine, and then we start talking about the Holocaust. Read More

Sarah Aspinall introduces Diamonds at the Lost and Found

For readers of Hideous Kinky, Dadland and Bad Blood; the astonishing, beguiling story of Sarah Aspinall’s harum scarum childhood, and a love letter to a woman who defied convention to live a life less ordinary. Read More

Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore

An introduction I have been asked to write a few words about the origins of my debut novel, Valentine. This should be a simple enough task, and one that every writer who is fortunate enough to sell her book should be prepared to complete in a timely fashion. Read More