Children who are interested in either writing or illustrating the parents should tell their child that they should draw or write what really interests them. It has to be something that they’re excited about. It’s the same for them as it is for me. And that’s what I always tell the parents. I always tell them, and I tell teachers this, too, because a lot of times when I’m at schools, teachers sometimes will actually tell a group of kids over here to write about such and such a topic. “And then these four kids will write about such and such a topic.” They’ll assign topics. And I keep on telling them, “Never do that.” Tell the child to write what they find exciting and interesting in their lives, or something that they’re really curious about themselves. If they don’t follow that route, they’re going to write a very boring thing. If they write about something that is very exciting and means a lot to them, they are going to write something interesting and exciting to others. So, that’s what I always stress.
