A Writer’s Life

Who are your favorite authors? Do you know how they became writers?

1 Louis Sachar is one of the most wellknown writers of children’s books today. He is the author of more than 20 books that are loved by children, parents, teachers, and critics alike. You might recognize Sachar’s name from the series of Wayside School books or Marvin Redpost books. You might also know him as the author of the Newbery Award-winning book Holes.

2 As successful as Louis Sachar is at writing funny, touching books that kids can relate to, he didn’t always know he wanted to be a writer. Sachar remembers enjoying his writing assignments in school, but writing wasn’t something he did on his own. When he was in college, he studied economics, and even briefly studied Russian language and literature.

3 Sachar spent time as a teacher’s aide when he was in college because he thought it would be an easy way to earn class credit. Although the work was not as easy as he thought it would be, Sachar found that he really enjoyed working with young people. In fact, Hillside Elementary, where Sachar worked as an aide, eventually became the inspiration for his popular Wayside School books. The kids in the books are even named after students that Sachar worked with in real life!

4 Even after his experiences teaching and working with children, Sachar still hadn’t made a decision about what career path to follow. After college, he decided to go to law school. He graduated several years later with a law degree. By this time, Sachar had published his first children’s book, but he didn’t feel confident about making a living as a writer.

5 About ten years later, after the publication of several more books, Sachar finally felt that his books were successful enough for him to devote himself to writing full time. In 1989, Sachar quit his job as an attorney and became a writer.

6 Sachar spends about two hours writing each morning, when he feels most fresh and sharp. He likes to be alone when he writes, except for the company of his two dogs, Tippy and Lucky. Some writers base their stories closely around the people and events in their lives, and others create characters and places that are entirely fictional. Sachar uses a combination of the two. He tries to remember what it was like to be a child and to use those memories and feelings in his novels. He also uses his teaching experiences, as well as moments from his daughter’s life.

7 Sachar doesn’t sit down with an organized plan or outline when he starts a new book. Instead, he begins with just a seed of an idea—maybe a character trait or a funny event. He starts writing and finds that the act of writing produces more ideas. Those ideas branch out into other ideas, and before he knows it, a new book is well on its way.

8 Sachar doesn’t worry too much about perfecting his story, plot, characters, and setting the first time around. In fact, he may rewrite his story five or six times before he even sends it to his publisher. That might seem like a lot of work, but one thing is for sure—Louis Sachar seems to have hit on a winning formula for writing!

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1. Check the words that best describe Louis Sachar.

creative _____ intelligent

humorous _____ nosy

_____ unpredictable

2. What purpose would a reader have for reading this selection?

for information about the life and work of Louis Sachar

to learn how to solve a problem

to form an opinion about the work of Louis Sachar

3. Check the line beside the word or words that best describe what type of selection this is.

_____ autobiography _____ historical nonfiction _____ biography

4. Name two series of books that Louis Sachar has written.

5. Why didn’t Sachar become a full-time writer as soon as his first book was published?

6. What happens after Sachar has completed the first draft of a book?

7. Name two sources of ideas for Sachar’s stories and characters.

8. If you were to write a short story or a novel, what sources of ideas could you use? Be specific.

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