Just Write: Here's How by Walter Dean Myers

The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature—Walter Dean Myers—has finally written a tell-all guide to writing. Years ago he wrote a memoir, Bad Boy, and while I enjoyed reading about his life and love of reading, I wanted/needed to read about his writing process.

This is the book I wanted back then. Here, Myers focuses on fiction and nonfiction. He says he uses a six-box outline for fiction and a four-box outline for nonfiction.  He discusses doing research for both genres and how research for one often fuels the other.

The chapters are short and full of anecdotes and examples from his process, particularly the collaboration with Ross Workman on Kick. He also writes about how his experiences interviewing imprisoned youth, teaching writing classes for teens, and discussing books like Monster with youth informed his writing.

Excerpts from his notebooks are a great addition to the book, but unfortunately many of the notebook pages are difficult to read.