WHO-FILES
July 17, 2003
Meet Jeanne DuPrau, author
Kid Reporter Martin Jacobs talks with the author of the new novel, The City Of Ember
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Jeanne DuPrau is the author of The City Of Ember, her first published novel about a city where the sky is always dark. DuPrau, whose writing is influenced by her memories and ideas of the Cold War, is currently writing a sequel. TFK Kid Reporter Martin Jacobs asked DuPrau about her book and what it's like to be a writer.
TFK: How did you get the idea for The City Of Ember?
DuPrau: It sort of appeared in my head, but I think it has to do with several things. One of them was that I grew up in a time when people were really worried about things like nuclear war: building bomb shelters in their backyard and worried that the bombs were going to fall and the human race would be wiped out. That resulted in a dying city in my book.
TFK: How do you get a book published?
DuPrau: After you've written the book, you send it off to a publishing company (or you could get an agent who will send it to a publishing company for you), and then the publishing company decides whether they like it or not. If it fits with the books they want to publish, they offer you a contract, give you some money, and print your book. If they don't like it, they send it back to you and you have to try somewhere else. It could be very hard to find someone to publish it.
TFK: Did you have trouble finding a publisher for The City Of Ember?
DuPrau: I didn't, in fact. I sent it to one publisher who said it wasn't the kind of book they publish. Then I sent it out to an agent who sent it to a bunch of publishers and quite a few liked it.
TFK: Do you have a message to kids through your book?
DuPrau: I hope that the ideas of living in a dark underground place where all the supplies are running out and everyone is kind of unhappy will make people appreciate the world we live in. I feel that our world is a wonderful place, and that feeling comes through in the book.
TFK: How did you become a writer?
DuPrau: Well, a lot had to do with being a reader. I've always been a reader. I started writing a long time ago. I wrote about various things, and I worked hard on my writing and I liked it. It all just sort of made me into a writer.
TFK: What did you do when you get writer's block?
DuPrau: Sometimes it works just to do something else for a while, like I like to go out in the garden. Sometimes you just have to sit and stare at your computer monitor and wait until the block goes away. And that could take a really long time!
TFK: What could kids do to follow your footsteps?
DuPrau: Oh, I would just say read a whole lot. Also write down what you think about all kinds of things and be a good observer. Really think about what you see and then write about it.
TFK: What did you do in terms of writing when you were a kid?
DuPrau: Well, I still have the first thing I'd written when I was about 6, and it was called 'Frosty the Snowman.' It was about 4 pages long and it has pictures and it's all written in crayon! Then after that I wrote all kinds of stuff. Sometimes I would write beginnings of stories and never make it to the end.
TFK: Would that be because of writer's block or you just didn't feel like finishing it or you got a new idea?
DuPrau: It was partly just laziness or I couldn't think of what the ending could be. But I like writing. Writing can be very hard, but I like the satisfaction of writing a good piece.
TFK: What is the biggest challenge you faced when writing The City Of Ember and how did you overcome it?
DuPrau: I wrote The City Of Ember about twenty years ago, and when I read it through, it just didn't sound right. Twenty years later, I took it out and read it through and this time I could see what was wrong. I went through and fixed it and this time it was better.
TFK: Is it hard to pursue a career in writing?
DuPrau: Absolutely. It takes a lot of persistence and you have to stick to it. There are a lot of people who are good writers but they just give up. You need a lot of determination.
