Blogfest 2009 » McKissack Jr. Fredrick L.

Frederick L. McKissack Jr. on “Who are your favorite authors/what are your favorite books?”

McKissack Jr. Fredrick L. — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:00:20 +0000

Well, I’d have to say my own parents. Watching how they worked, and seeing them go from zero to great heights has been a wonderful experience.

Walter Dean Myers is a hero, as well as the late Jim Haskins. I’ve been lucky enough in my life to have met and talked with them. Their books, approaches to writing, and life experiences have had a great influence on my life. Four favorite books from grade school/high school that I still reread are The Pushcart War (Jean Merrill), The Chocolate War (Robert Cormier), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams), and 1984 (George Orwell). Two books that I’ve read in the last two years that really intrigued me were The Road (Cormac McCarthy) and Erasure: A Novel (Percival Everett).

Frederick L. McKissack Jr. on “If one of your books got banned from somewhere, how would you feel?”

McKissack Jr. Fredrick L. — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:30:06 +0000

Tough question. First, I think banning books, even books that the majority might find repellent, serves little purpose but to peak the interests of those a ban is designed to protect. For example, how many young women secretly read Go Ask Alice because they wanted to know what all the fuss was about? I knew a few.

On the flip side, parents helping children age appropriate material is important. I’ve got a 5-year-old son. Reading and watching TV and films are a family activity, and we talk with Mark about what we’ve read and seen. He’s clearly not ready to read (he’s still learning to read, but we read a lot) or see certain books and films because his mind is incapable of processing and dissecting the text and images and could cause him psychological harm. The Saw series would be a terrible choice.

Frederick L. McKissack Jr. on “How do you feel about stuff like sex scenes in books? Inappropriate or okay?”

McKissack Jr. Fredrick L. — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:30:59 +0000

I know there are some writers who frown about sex scenes, but if it’s appropriate, then I’m OK with it. Denying teenage sexuality is as farcical as the media’s preoccupation with teen sexuality.

Frederick L. McKissack Jr. on “How often do you have to edit and rewrite while working on a piece?”

McKissack Jr. Fredrick L. — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:30:21 +0000

I was told once that the secret to success is not the first draft but the numerous redrafts that make it better. When I was a young reporter, I didn’t have time for too many drafts. With a novel, there’s more time to work, but there are times when I’ve wanted to throw up my hands and run screaming into the night. But it’s not always a lonely process. Writers and books are made better with the assistance of a great editor who can see plot holes, one-dimensional characters, flat dialogue, improbable set ups, as well as a sounding board for ideas. (And I have been lucky to work with great editors like Caitlyn!)

The toughest part of rewriting is knowing when to stop and let it go. I don’t know if I’ve even been fully satisfied with anything that I’ve written, and that includes newspaper articles long since forgotten. I’m constantly wondering into ‘shoulda, coulda, woulda’ territory.

Frederick L. McKissack Jr. on “If you could have any super power, what would it be?”

McKissack Jr. Fredrick L. — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:30:53 +0000

I hate to fly, so flying is out. I always though Aquaman’s power to talk to fish was sort of suspect. However, I would love to have the power to manipulate time, i.e., to slow or speed up time, even skip back in time.