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December 2004

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Author Lisa Scottoline discusses her writing
By Irene Burgo

   Lisa Scottoline, best-selling author of legal thrillers, gave a talk on Nov. 10 in the Falvey Memorial Library’s first floor lounge. Hosted by the English Department and sponsored by the National Italian-American Foundation, Scottoline discussed the process of writing rather than focusing solely on her latest novel, “Killer Smile,” published by HarperCollins in 2004. Dr. Karyn Hollis, associate professor of English, introduced the novelist.

   “I was a book-a-holic, and I always secretly wanted to be a writer. And if you want to do it, you really can do it,” said Scottoline. The Malvern resident who grew up in the Philadelphia area, said she set herself a goal of getting published within five years when she began writing novels.  She explained her desire to write was so intense that she went into debt, living on credit cards while struggling at writing full-time as a want-to-be novelist.  “I had five credit cards and a limit of $10,000 on each.  I literally spent my last funds on preparing my manuscript for publication.”

   She survived numerous rejections, including one New York publisher who told her, “We can’t take on any new clients and even if we could, it wouldn’t be you.” Undeterred, Scottoline continued writing and eventually she sold her first novel to a publisher. “When I wrote a second book, I had a career,” she said.

   She urged would-be writers to write something they love. “I wrote what I wanted to read—something that is emotionally true,” she said. “We’ve all read books and said ‘I can do that,’ and you can. Write what really matters to you and if it is emotionally true, it will start to feel like the things I am feeling as a writer. If my latest book resonates, it is because it was my most personal subject that I wrote about. Writing is hard and it is hard for me, but I think hard about what I put down [on paper].”

   The author of 11 books offered students firsthand advice. She urged individuals who want to see their work published to develop a writing schedule. “Writing takes time and you’ve got to struggle as a writer.” Scottoline writes every day, seven days a week. She admitted she does not use outlines and does not know where or how her story will end, but she always spends considerable time thinking about how best to rivet readers’ interest. “If you write about something with specificity, people will extrapolate it to their own experience. Use your imagination. If you can see it, then all you have to do is just write it. Writing is like a muscle. If you use it, the stronger it gets,” she said. “You also have to nurture it, and have a little faith.”