I think my writing was certainly shaped from having lived in a place like Niverville as well as by the family that I came from, the religion that I had, that type of thing. David Bergen Read Quote
In 1970, at the age of 14, I entered a short story contest offering a grand prize of one dollar. I won. This was my first foray into writing fiction. I loved reading and thought that it shouldn’t be so hard to write a story. David Bergen Read Quote
The story wrote quickly. I called it ‘Where You’re From,’ and I sent it out, as I had numerous other stories over the years. Except this time I got a letter back saying that it would be published. Someone out there had liked the story. I was thirty-one years old. David Bergen Read Quote
The first accepted piece of writing is the most exciting. No other publishing experience matches it. Perhaps jaundice sets in, or expectations are raised, or one starts to think that one is better than is the truth. David Bergen Read Quote
It took me ten years to write a proper story. I floundered about trying to shape something, counting on the ‘feeling’ I had as I wrote, only to discover upon rereading my work that the feeling had disappeared, and what remained was an empty shell. David Bergen Read Quote
Books in general are great, but I’m a fiction lover, and I will continue to do it. David Bergen Read Quote
An editor is an accomplice, looking in from the outside. That objective view is essential. We don’t write in a vacuum, and we don’t publish in a vacuum. David Bergen Read Quote
I usually submit a novel at a certain number of words, and when I’ve finished working with my editor, the novel is longer than when I submitted it. I need my editor to help me open up the story. David Bergen Read Quote
