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Joan de Hamel

writer, profile published in BRAT, Winter 2000

I had a large family, and was a school teacher for many years, so I feel very comfortable among young people, in or out of school. If they have read any of my books and want to know how writing it came about, and particularly if they too have wrestled with the agonies and ecstasies of authorship, I'm happy to share experiences and try to give encouragement.

Beginners seem heartened to know that all writers have to cope with mistakes and disasters. They relish examining pages of the first draft of X marks the spot and Take the long path, with more crossings-out than words, plus coffee stains and food smears, which tell of creative writing at the kitchen table, on picnics, and late at night--sticking at it, in more than one sense. The neat word-processed drafts of the later books conceal these secrets.

I prefer talking informally to small groups; I am very impressed by some of the young writers. I jot down their names, calculating that if I live long enough, I'll read their published work some day.