Age: 48

Location: New Jersey

What are you working on now?
My fourth Aaron Tucker mystery novel, a non-fiction book on autistic students entering college, and a lot of query letters to magazines.

What's the most helpful thing you've learned about writing?
Not to try to do it like anyone else. You have to be yourself, or it won't work. And never be afraid to try anything. The worst that can happen is that you'll end up like you are before you start. That's not so bad.

What's been the worst career advice you've ever received?
I worked for a trade magazine company that made each editorial employee take a seminar upon joining the company. At the seminar, it was taught that every article--EVERY article--could, and should, be written in the same style. They had a diagram. I'm not kidding. It was like "Trade Magazine Mad-Libs."

Do you have a system for working with different genres? Do you have a schedule?
I actually prefer to work on fiction and non-fiction at the same time. If I get stuck on one, I can always work on the other. And because my background is in journalism, the non-fiction is a little bit more comfortable, although I wouldn't say I'm better at it. I write a non-fiction book like a series of feature articles, so it's easier to take a break here or there. The research is the hard part for me on that. In fiction, which isn't easier, certainly, but is more rewarding when it's finished (who said, "I hate writing; I love having written"?), flow is probably more important. A reader isn't going to jump in on Chapter Twelve and just read that. So it's a more cohesive piece, I guess.

I don't think I'm better at fiction or non-fiction. I have more fun
with the fiction, and feel more comfortable with the non-fiction. I
wouldn't want to give up either one.

I certainly have used what I learned in journalism for my non-fiction
AND my fiction, I think. It's all about getting to the point and not
cluttering up the process. And since my mystery protagonist, Aaron
Tucker, is a freelance journalist, I use my background to help him
find out what he needs to know. I also find that my fiction benefits
from years of screenwriting, since all the story structure and
character development (not to mention dialogue) is ingrained from all
those unproduced screenplays.