The timeworn cliché of a slovenly, drunken writer is 180 degrees opposite from my approach. To me, being a writer requires an almost athletic discipline: clean body, sharp mind, and an open heart. I start each morning at 8 a.m. and usually finish around 2 p.m. My writing computer is offline so I’m not tempted to Google around, and I only answer the phone for my kids or time-sensitive matters. Before I begin, I meditate to clear my mind of outside distractions and kick start my creativity. Ideally, I set a goal of how many pages I hope to write or edit. Later in the day, I try to exercise because sitting for so long is hard on the body. And yet, those five or six hours of writing go by in a happy blink!

They are completely different animals. In a novel, character is mostly revealed through the use of inner voice or the author’s omniscient description. It may take us many pages to get a clear image of our protagonist. However, a screenplay might only give the reader a simple line or two of character description such as: JOE KEMBLE, 35, wears his hard luck past like the old scruffy jacket on his back. Of course, in both a novel and a screenplay, more will be revealed about the protagonist through dialogue and his or her actions. At around 110 pages, screenplays are much shorter than the average novel and so the juxtaposition of scenes must tell volumes. For example, when we read that Joe wakes up alone at the crack of dawn in a small apartment, throws on a grimy uniform, and strains coffee grounds through a cheesecloth for his cup of black coffee, and then cut to the next scene of him riding on the back of a garbage truck down the empty streets of New York, you have telegraphed a lot of information that usually unfolds at a more leisurely pace in a novel.

Read, a lot. Mostly, read good books. Each book I read—and I read about 30 books a year—is like a mini-course on writing. I may be terribly involved in the story, but on another deeper level, I pay attention to the writer’s use of voice, language, character and plot. I always find some delightful gem to add to my treasure chest of writing tools.

Editing, editing, and even more editing. There’s nothing I love more than tearing down the blank page, hand-in-hand with my characters. The feeling of discovery in a first draft thrills me. If only I could stop after that… but then, my story might never fully blossom. Over the years, I have begrudgingly accepted the tremendous value of editing. Often, after making major improvements to my manuscript, I’ve been grateful for the patience and stamina to plod through another draft. I even may have a little fun while editing nowadays though it’s never like the first dance.

As a young girl, I was anxious to learn more about life beyond the safe confines of my existence. I also longed for a deep confidante. Great books provided me with both, and I clung to them like life rafts in a stormy sea. Crime and Punishment, 1984, and The Great Gatsby, as well as Hemingway’s novels gave me eye-opening views of the world. With Holden Caulfield, Harriet The Spy, and Scarlett O’Hara, I discovered new friends, ones that mirrored my deepest feelings. I was bereft when I finished one of those books. I can only hope that my books also will offer some insight or recognition to a curious, lonely reader.

“Kill the inner critic! Off with his head!” She didn’t put it quite like that, but Claire Douglas, JD Salinger’s ex-wife, showed me how to overcome the negative onslaught I faced when I began my first novel. You know, “Who are you to write a novel? This material stinks! You’re wasting your time.” She suggested I write down such jabs and then add my response, as if I were interviewing this horrible critic. At first, my answers were tentative, my voice shaky. As I persevered, my confidence grew until, eventually, the creative-sucking critic lost its power and slunk away into the darkness. Now if it ever rears its ugly head, I simply laugh. I’ve discovered that the joy of writing is found in the process and not in the end result. If you stay focused in the moment, you won’t have time or interest in worrying about what someone might think of your material. And voila, you just might finish it!