Wendelin Van Draanen
Wendelin Van Draanen
Wendelin Van Draanenis an American writer of children's and young-adult fiction...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAuthor
Date of Birth6 January 1965
CountryUnited States of America
health life mental run
I've run my whole life - for more than exercise, for mental health.
running strong cutting
If the mind's not strong, the body acts weak, even if it's not. If the mind says it's too cold or too rainy or too windy to run, the body will be more than happy to agree. If the mind says it would be better to rest or recover or cut practice, the body will be glad to oblige.
running people legs
As I run, I wonder how many of these people helped buy my leg. I wonder about the deep, wide abyss between good intentions and concrete action, and how many of them leapt across it.
running who-i-am care
I am a runner. That's what I do. That's who I am. Running is all I know, or want, or care about.
girl running fighting
Girls don’t fight fair. They pull your hair and gauge you and pinch you; then they run off gasping to mommy when you try and defend yourself with a fist. Then you get locked into time out, and for what? No, my friend, the secret is, don’t snap at the bait. Let it dangle. Swim around it. Laugh it off. After a while they’ve given up and try to lure someone else.
running hurt long
...Next time you're faced with a choice, do the right thing. It hurts everyone less in the long run.
less morning people simpler though
I write early in the morning at the computer, and people think I'm crazy, but I still use my Mac-Classic even though we have a state-of-the-art PC. There are just less distractions with the simpler machine.
kids
You can't be preachy - kids are allergic to messages.
believe
I believe in the paramount importance of entertainment, but I have something to say.
arsenal believe certain hope life navigate
There are certain things I believe we need to keep in our emotional arsenal as we navigate through life. Hope is a big one. The more of that we can carry, the better.
afraid attention ears eyes interested kinds life lots pay people styles voices ways
If you are interested in writing, get out and live your life! Do a lot. See a lot. Keep your eyes and ears open. Pay attention to the different ways people speak. Read lots of different kinds of books. And then try writing in different voices and styles - don't be afraid to experiment.
age books early editor eventually good learned rewrite rewriting stick takes
I rewrite my books many times before submitting them, and after my editor takes a look I wind up rewriting some more! It's a good thing I learned at an early age to keep on trying. Stick to it, and eventually you'll get there.
growing loved mysteries people
Part of my motivation for writing mysteries for young people is that I loved mysteries when I was growing up, and now that I'm on the creative end of things, I'm discovering that they're even more fun to write!
achieved compliment consider exactly grow happens method mine possible reader sort tells
What sort of person you grow into should not be achieved by default, and often that's exactly what happens to kids. I see literature as a method of guidance, information, and contemplation, and consider it the greatest compliment possible when a reader tells me that a book of mine really made him/her think.