After years of education, working odd jobs, and telling herself that she was a writer, Kate DiCamillo finally made a move towards success as a writer; she wrote something. After receiving her degree in English at the University of Florida, DiCamillo worked for about a decade at numerous odd jobs before starting her writing career. She did everything from working at places like Disney World, Circus World, campgrounds, and green houses. All throughout her twenties she knew that she wanted to be a writer, she just didn’t ever get around to actually writing anything.
DiCamillo had not always planned on being a writer. When she was in college, one of her professors encouraged her to write more by telling her that she really had a way with words. When she heard this she thought, “Super. I’ve got a way with words. I’m gonna be a writer. I’ll be rich and famous.” Her first beliefs about what it means to be a writer included wealth, fame, black turtlenecks, and a look of sophistication. After ten years of “pretending,” and what she refers to as a somewhat ‘wasted’ youth, she finally got around to her dream.
Many people think that when DiCamillo entered the world of authorship, she had instant success. In a way, that could be true because of the popularity of her first novel, however, without an awful lot of perseverance “Because of Winn-Dixie” would never have been published. She tackled her first novel at the age of thirty. Four hundred rejection letters later, “Because of Winn-Dixie” became a hit. She believes that persistence is one of the most important aspects of being a successful writer. You can’t let all of the rejections get you down, you have to believe in your work and keep trying. She states, “I decided a long time ago that I didn’t have to be talented, I just had to be persistent.”
Her first novel, “Because of Winn-Dixie” was a way that DiCamillo could “be” back in Florida while surviving one of the coldest winters she had ever experienced in Minneapolis. She was homesick for the things she loved, which included of course her home-state Florida, and dogs. DiCamillo experienced hysteria when she was told that her novel had won a Newberry honor. But then, who wouldn’t?
When it comes to writing, DiCamillo always quotes Dorothy Parker when she says, “I hate writing. I love having written.” DiCamillo has a continual battle every morning to write. As she pours her cup of hot blissful coffee at about five every morning, she goes, “I can’t do it, I can’t write.” And then she goes into her office and writes exactly two pages. “I’ve always felt apologetic about the two pages because it’s not a lot, but it’s a manageable, reachable goal, and so you feel better about yourself,” states DiCamillo. The two pages take her about an hour, and then the rest of the day she can feel good about herself. Even if she is “on a roll” and finishes her two pages strong, she only writes the two pages. She likes to end on a good note that that she will be ready and motivated the next morning. “It makes it easier to know that you left off in a place that you can easily pick back up again,” explains DiCamillo. When it comes to revising, she still will only do two pages a day, only at this stage her pages are double spaced instead of single. The cycle is never ending, but that is how she makes sure that she actually writes something.
For DiCamillo, writing is an integral part of her life. “Life makes more sense when I write and I know that writing is what I am supposed to be doing,” she states. DiCamillo believes that just because something is hard, that does not mean that it is not what you are supposed to be doing. She knows that life is not always a “walk in the park.”
Another novel of her that found success as a movie is called, “The Tale of Despereaux.” This novel is a magical story about a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. The story also includes a rat and a maid. All three main characters have the most chilling and exciting experiences about dungeons, castles, honor, and bravery. When this book also won the Newberry medal, DiCamillo said, “It was the most amazing, unbelievable, wonderful, fantastic, extraordinary thing.”
Not only has DiCamillo written, “Because of Winn-Dixie,” and “The Tale of Despereaux,” but she is also the author of an early chapter book series about a pig named, “Mercy Watson,” and several children’s books. She found that writing a picture book is profoundly different than writing a novel because every word has to be exactly right and in exactly the right place. “Art is the main thing,” she states, “you write to the art in picture books.”
DiCamillo incorporates her Christian faith into her writing in many ways. Her books have good morals, and talk about and teach deeper truths and ethics through fun and interesting stories. In “Because of Winn-Dixie” she made the main character’s father a preacher. In her book, “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,” she writes an allegory of Christian faith and Resurrection with a key to its Biblical parallels. The Christian themes in this book are not casual or accidental, but appear in the title, artwork, and all throughout the story. Many believe that it is because of her bluntly Christian angle that she did not win a Newberry medal for this book. Many lines in the book are identical or closely align with the Bible.
“Reading is a joy that I discovered when I was just a little girl,” says DiCamillo. Books have always been a source of adventure, comedy, fun, and interest for her. One of the most important aspects of her writing career is reading. She believes firmly that, “If you want to write well, one of the best things you can do is read and read and read.” To her, all of the genres of books are important to read from because they open doors to learning, imagination, styles, and techniques. Another important thing for any writer to do is to write. “Trying to write interestingly about the most boring of things is a good exercise,” explains DiCamillo. “The best way to go about writing is setting a goal for yourself to help with motivation.”
DiCamillo gets ideas for her books from all around her. She pays a lot of attention to people. For her, most everybody is interesting once you get to know them a bit. She believes that it is important to listen to others and to hear their story. For her, becoming and being a good writer consists of three simple things, listening, writing, and reading.
