Avi, a young adult and children’s author, spent time sharing his experiences as a writer with Middle School students this week. Students were encouraged to ask questions at the beginning of his presentation and ask questions they did. What advice did Avi have for aspiring writers? “Read.” Avi told students, “there’s only one way to become a writer–it’s reading.” A firm believer that reading will teach a person more about writing than anyone or anything else, Avi encouraged students to “read, read, read and then read some more”.
Avi knew he wanted to be a writer by the age of seventeen, but didn’t publish his first book until 1970. Since then, he has published 79 novels – with three more currently in the works. When asked what inspires him, Avi told students “he sees stories everywhere, all the time,” but he’s most inspired by really good writing.
Avi writes for different genres and varying age groups, and, when asked about this, he compared his diverse taste in writing to liking different flavors of ice cream – sticking to just one gets boring. He’s won many awards for his books, most notably the Newberry Honor in 1991 for his book, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.