Interview with Louis Sachar

What made you decide to become a writer?

I think from reading. My favourite authors became my heroes, and I wanted to be like them.

How do get the ideas for all the silly things that go on at Wayside School?

I sit at my desk and I just try to think. It may be because the life of a writer is somewhat boring, sitting alone in a room, in front of a computer screen. It forces my mind to come up with crazy ideas.

Would you ever like to write a scary book?

I think it would be fun to write a scary book. I may write one someday.

Who are your favourite characters from your books?

I’ve got a lot of favourite characters. It’s interesting because when I write and work on a book for a year or so, the characters become very real to me. Some of my favourite characters are Bradley from There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom, Angeline from Someday Angeline and Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes, Kate Barlow from Holes, and Louis from the Wayside School stories (he’s based on me).

Are the things that happen in your books things that happened to you?

No, but I try to draw on the feelings I had as a child, or those that I still have, and capture those same feelings in the characters in my books, but under different circumstances.

What is your favourite thing about writing?

I think it’s a tremendous feeling of accomplishment that I get from starting with nothing, and somehow creating a whole story and setting and characters.

What’s the worst part about writing?

Most days, it just feels like I’m not accomplishing much. I write for about two hours a day, and most of it just seems like a waste of time. It amazes me how after a year, all those wasted days somehow add up to something. Another thing I don’t like is that it’s a very solitary profession. I think it would be nice sometimes to go to an office and see people every day, instead of just sitting in my room.

What kind of books do you enjoy reading the most?

I like to read different kinds of books. It mostly depends on the authors. When I find an author I like, I usually read everything that author has written.

Louis Sachar

Louis Sachar is an award-winning author of over twenty-one books for children, including the bestselling _Holes_.

By Louis Sachar

Awards

Louis has won many awards including the 1999 Newbery and Caldecott awards – the most prestigious American awards in children’s literature for Holes.