Mark Schulman Interview

Mark Schulman Interview

By Bailey

Do you know a guy who likes waffles with chicken?  Or a guy whose favorite animal is a naked mole rat and likes writing books?  Someone who has had many different jobs including maître d, tour guide, and camp counselor?  Someone who is unlike any other kind with a sense of humor and a dash of inspiration?  A guy who can make anyone smile and can make any story interesting?  This person would be Mark Schulman!

                             The Big Decision

Mark Schulman is an amazing author who has written books such as AA Is for Aardvark, A Is for Zebra and Ana and Nan Are Anagrams.   But the question that a lot of people are asking is why did he become an author?  Well every author should have a reason to become one!  Mark Schulman’s answer was pretty simple.  “I had married a teacher,” Mark had said.  “So when I saw all the kids that were enjoying her books that’s when I had the idea.”  Well Mark didn’t really start writing books right then, instead he put it on hold.  “Well I was thinking about it and finally someone said you should write a book!  So I said sure and that’s when I truly started.”  Mark told NPC.

The Spark

          Mark Schulman has written many kinds of books some that leave us wondering, or others that disgust or interest us.  But where does he get all these ideas?  Well, Mark doesn’t have a machine that just tells him what to do!  “My source of inspiration is kids,” Mark told NPC.  “I think about what I want in a book, but I also think about what kids want in a book.”  Mark made a good point, he could’ve just written what he wanted, but instead thought about a topic with a child’s perspective.  This makes it interesting for children to read.

The Usual, Writing

          We know Mark Schulman has been writing books for a while now, but the question you think of when we ask that is probably, “For how long?” well we wondered that too.  Did he just start?  Did he start when he was little?  When we asked him he said, “Well I probably started when you started. I wrote like a normal 5, 10 and 15 year old. I really only wrote like any other kid who would write a story!”  This surprised a majority of NPC to hear Mark say this, being the author he is. Emily, a member of NPC, commented, “I felt intrigued to hear him say that he started out just like us because if you see him now as this successful author that means if I try hard enough I could be like Mark.”

The Long Haul

        Like I’ve said before Mark Schulman is an amazing author with lots of books.  Some of his books are long and some are short.  But how long does it take to write his books?  A week? A Month? A year?  Actually his answer quite different.  “It depends,” Mark told NPC. “It’s like if you build a Lego set, sometimes it’s big and sometimes it’s small.  Now, if you have a big Lego set it takes you longer but if you have a small one it only takes you about ten minutes.”  I thought it was smart of him to make a comparison to a simple Lego set so we would understand better about how long it takes him to write books.  Well, Mark Schulman books probably took a lot of hard work based on what he said about the Lego set!

Over and Over!

             Mark Schulman writes stories, but always has to edit them.  Editing is a very important job that all writers need to do after they write a book. “It takes a while until I finally think my work is perfect.” Mark told NPC. “Well, always when I read over one of my pieces I have a pen in my hand so I can make little changes as I go. Also when I edit I have to read things over to myself many, many times.    Your teachers are absolutely right, nothing is perfect the first time.” So what we learned is strong writers reread their writing.

Cause and Effect

          Reading is very important for a writer.  When you read, you improve your writing because you’re seeing what another writer does.   When we asked Mark how important it is for kids to read he had a strong opinion about it.  “It’s as important for kids to read as it is important for an artist to see,” Mark told NPC. “You have to learn from other people to write what you’re comfortable with.” So, next time you pick up a book think about the writing.

Future Authors

Mark Schulman loves the idea of kids writing stories and even gave authors like us in NPC some advice! “Don’t stop writing!  If you keep writing interesting stories you’ll keep getting better and better! But the best part is that when you write you have fun without even realizing it!”  Riley and Lindsay from NPC said this inspired them to write more stories to become a better writer.

Wrapping Up

          Mark Schulman, no doubt, is a hard working author who does like waffles with chicken and does have a favorite animal called the naked mole rat.  He was a camp counselor and a tour guide.  He can make anyone smile and can make any story interesting.  I would say, in my opinion, that Mark Schulman is one of the funniest, most interesting, friendliest author I have ever met!  Mark Schulman, in my book, is truly an amazing author!

Mini Dictionary

Naked mole rat- A nearly hairless rodent of eastern African dry steppes and savannas.

Maître d- The person in a restaurant who oversees the waitpersons and busboys, and who typically handles reservations.

Intrigued- To arouse the curiosity or interest of by unusual, new, or otherwise fascinating or compelling qualities; appeal strongly to.

Perspective- A mental view or prospect