“Being the first to go to college in my family was a great thing, but it was also a source of guilt. I felt like almost a sellout going to college.” FirstsFeltCollegeSourceMy FamilyGuiltGreat ThingsGoing To College Author:Matt de la Pena
“Once I start writing, I am a huge reviser. To me writing is revising. I probably turn over every sentence that I write, to see if I have the rhythm right. That's why my first drafts take a really long time.” IfsWritingFirstsLongTurnsHugeLong TimeSentencesRhythmReally LongRevising Author:Matt de la Pena
“Whenever I teach writing I tell them to never revise as you go. Finish the first draft. This is my writing advice. I can't do that myself. I'm lying to everybody. I write a paragraph, and then I rewrite that paragraph. I want to feel like I'm standing on firm ground before I move on to the next paragraph. Mentally, I have to do that.” WantFeelsWritingFirstsI CanMovingLyingNextTeachAdviceStandingFirmWriting AdviceParagraph Author:Matt de la Pena
“When you first quit your regular job and you become a full-time writer, you are paralyzed with free time. You have so much free time. When you are at home, you have a guitar. There's a cat. You got to find ways to create an environment when writing is like going to work. Be efficient with the hours you put into the book. So I go there the same time, every day - like 7:30 am - and I leave around 2 pm, or longer, if I have a deadline.” IfsWayWritingFirstsBookHomeJobsHoursEnvironmentCatGuitarQuittingEfficientGoing To WorkDeadlineParalyzedFree TimePms Author:Matt de la Pena
