That's What Archie Did - Built A

People Always Ask Me About The Role Models That I'm Providing For Kids, And I Say I Can't Be Concerned With That. I'm Not Worrying About Corrupting Youth. I'm Worrying About Writing Realistically And Truthfully To Affect The Reader.

You Seldom Get A Censorship Attempt From A 14-year-old Boy. It's The Adults Who Get Upset.

Writing, Even Though It's Hard Work, Is Really A Joy When You Get These Characters To Come Alive. It's Hard To Trace Where They Come From. I Can't Say That I Am Sitting Here One Night At Nine O'clock And That A Character Occurs To Me. The Magic For Me Happens At The Typewriter.

I Don't Think I Began To Be A Professional Writer Until I Learned My Weaknesses And What I Couldn't Do. This Forced Me To Compensate.

I Use A Lot Of Similes And Metaphors When I Work, Simply Because It's My Best Way Of Describing A Building Or A Scene. I'm Terrible At Describing Landscapes - Trees, Buildings. The Inanimate Things Don't Interest Me: I Always Think, "oh, No, Here Comes Another Building I Have To Describe." So I Usually Use A Simile Or Metaphor.