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Author 411 January 2006 - Louis Sachar Photo © 2005 Perry Hagopian
About Small Steps: Two years after
being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is home in Austin, Texas,
trying to turn his life around. But it’s hard when you have a record,
and everyone expects the worst from you. The only person who believes
in him is Ginny, his 10-year old disabled neighbor. Together, they
are learning to take small steps. And he seems to be on the right
path, until X-Ray, a buddy from Camp Green Lake, comes up with a
get-rich-quick scheme. This leads to a chance encounter with teen
pop sensation, Kaira DeLeon, and suddenly his life spins out of
control, with only one thing for certain. He’ll never be the same
again. AUTHOR 411 Q. Why did you write about Armpit instead of Stanley? Why does Stanley play such a small role in Small Steps? Your characters always have interesting names! Where do you get ideas for character names, such as “Cherry Lane,” “Kaira DeLeon, and “X-Ray”?
A. I felt like I had left Stanley in a good place at the end of Holes. Yes, he will continue to have problems—we all do—but I was more intrigued by what life would be like for someone like Armpit, a poor Black kid with a criminal record and a horrible name. I try to come up with memorable names for my characters.
Q. Do you plan to write any other books about Stanley or Armpit or any of the other Camp Green Lake characters? When you wrote Holes, did you plan to write a sequel or companion book? If not, why did you decide to write a sequel? What are the pitfalls or problems you encounter when writing a sequel or companion novel?
A. I hadn’t planned a sequel for Holes. It takes me over a year to write a book, and I never think beyond that book. I don’t know what I’ll write next. I chose to write Small Steps because I was intrigued by Armpit and X-Ray. The biggest problem I had in writing this “sequel” was that Holes was read by people of all ages, from kids as young as 8 up to adults. It was hard to keep such a large audience in mind. The other major difficulty is that when I write a novel, I rewrite it about six times, constantly changing it around, so that ideas I had at the beginning fit new ideas I get at the end. But I couldn’t go back and change Armpit and X-Ray in Holes.
Q. How and why did you decide that Ginny would have cerebral palsy? Why did you make her so much younger than Armpit? Your presentation of Ginny is very tender and informative. Is the character based on anyone in real life?
A. Ginny was inspired by a friend’s daughter. I made her younger because my idea was that she is not Armpit’s girl friend, but more like a younger sister. Also, that is the age of the girl I knew.
Q. The events seemed to happen very quickly at the end of the book. Do you plan the entire book out in advance before you write it, or do you make up the story as you go along? What would happen between Kaira and Armpit if you were to write an epilogue? Or do you want the reader to decide?
A. No, I don’t plan a book out ahead of time, but I rewrite it six times. So by the time I do the final draft, it is very well thought out and planned. If I had wanted to be more specific about what happens to Kaira and Armpit, I would have done so, but I think the final song implies that they will meet again. To me, the important thing is that Armpit is still focused on his own plans, is continuing to take small steps, and does not need Kaira.
Q. Did you always want to be a writer? What inspires you to write these cool stories? What’s the best advice you ever received about writing?
A. I’ve wanted to be a writer since high school. I’m inspired by my favorite authors, especially Kurt Vonnegut and J. D. Salinger, but there are many others. The best advice is to be willing to rewrite your stories several times.
Q. Can you describe your writing process? Do you wait for inspiration or do you try and force it? We read in your bio that you write in the morning—why is that? How did you come up with the idea for X-Ray’s get-rich-quick scheme? If the characters aren’t based on real people, where do you usually find your inspiration?
A. If I waited for inspiration, I’d still be waiting. I have to force myself to write—at least at first—and try to come up with ideas. The most important thing to me is my routine. I keep at it, day after day, taking small steps. After a while I become excited about what I’m writing, and then can’t wait to get back to it.
Q. How long did it take for you to write this book from planning to publishing? Did you come up with the idea or did your publisher? Why did you decide to write Small Steps from two different viewpoints?
A. It took two years to write, then another year and a half for it to be published. My publisher knew nothing about it until I finished writing it. I chose two different points of view because I wanted to create a feeling that their meeting would be inevitable.
Q. Where did your song lyrics come from? Were they inspired by real pop songs? Would you like to see your lyrics set to music? If so, what artist do you envision?
A. I wrote the lyrics, and have some of the music in my head. They didn’t come from any other songs. I think it would be great if someday they were all set to music and recorded, but I don’t envision any particular artist.
Q. What current teen authors are your favorites? What books are you reading right now?
A. I don’t read other books for teens. I’m currently reading a book about China called Wild Swans.
Q. We loved the movie Holes. Did you have a lot of say over that movie? Are there any plans to make Small Steps into a movie? Did you write this book with a movie in mind?
A. I wrote the screenplay, and I had a lot of input into the movie, but the director and producers made all the final decisions. Most of them I liked. I’m also in the movie. Sam sells me onion juice to make my hair grow. I’m wearing a fake mustache. There are no current plans to make Small Steps into a movie, but it may happen. I did not write the book with a movie in mind. To me, the book is much more important.
Q. Why did you choose racism to be a major theme in this book? What message would you most like readers to take away from Small Steps?
A. I think our country needs to face up to racism before we can finally rid ourselves of it, and so I thought it was important to include it in this book. But I think the main message of this book is the title. If you want to succeed, whether it’s writing a book or something else, the secret is to take small steps and just keep going forward.
Thanks to the following Teen Book Groups for participating! Willis High School Book Club Willis, Texas TALENT (Teen Advisory Leaders Entering New Times) French Lick, Indiana Memorial High School:Teen Literacy Initiative Eau Claire, Wisconsin Spartanburg County Public Libraries: Read & Feed Spartanburg, South Carolina DCE Middle School Book Blast Weston, Wisconsin |
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