Patricia MacLachlan on being edited by Charlotte

" When I began to work with Charlotte Zolotow, as a relatively new writer, it was as if I had discovered a long lost family member or kindred soul. This happened, happily for me, on two levels; the personal and the professional.

"Charlotte has always had great respect for writers --- after all, she is a writer herself. She had no need, therefore, to rewrite my work. She had a writer's perspective, and an uncanny editor's knack for asking me the questions that allowed me to see my work from another view, to see that my view of my work was not always the only one nor always the accurate and most workable one. This gave me the strength and insight to rewrite my work --- to create what I tell children is a little Charlotte Zolotow peering over my shoulder when I wrote so that I would make my characters, my events, the landscape of my stories more honest and less self-indulgent. It doesn't work, mind you, but I try! (Patricia, pictured left, photograph by J.B. Messer, and the cover of Sarah, Plain and Tall, the spare, beautiful Newbery-winning novel CZ edited.)

" I have always tried to use Charlotte's technique when I teach writing, and it has always been my view that if some teachers used her insightful questioning and genuine interest, more children would be more comfortable, or would be inspired to write!

"Even though she is no longer my editor she is still my friend, and although she may not know it she is still peering over my shoulder, keeping me honest when I write. I hope she stays there forever."