In this letter to his agent, Cormier discusses current and forthcoming projects, particularly surrounding a potential novel on French-Canadians in New England. Cormier shows a remarkable degree of self-awareness in assessing his own writing,…
This article presents an edited interview with Cormier after the publication of Tenderness. Cormier expresses doubts about being able to "pull it off" because the protagonist is a "monster." He discusses his character-driven writing process and sheds…
This article explores how Cormier's upbringing in the postwar French Hill district of Leominster influenced the setting for many of his novels. "I'm sentimental about French Hill," proclaims Cormier. The article references a free-verse book about his…
This is a transcript of an online discussion panel with Cormier facilitated by Barnes and Noble. Although the Q&A focuses on the recently-released Heroes, participants also asked questions about censorship, Cormier's writing practices and…
This letter from a freshman in an English gifted and talented class asks Cormier a series of 11 rapid-fire questions. The questions range from personal ("what was your childhood like?") to professional ("how do you get your story ideas?").
This article explores ways in which creative writers can craft better, more engaging Young Adult fiction. The author proposes the use of the YA short story collection Sixteen: Short Stories by Outstanding Writers for Young Adults, edited by Donald…
In this response to the interview questions from the "In Brief" team, Cormier discusses his love of words, the politically conservative climate, the horror of the commonplace, and his admiration of other writers, especially Graham Greene. The topics…
This e-mail presents a series of interview questions to Cormier from the Waterstones "In Brief" team out of Newcastle. Questions cover several topics including Cormier's journalism experience, Frenchtown, adolescence, large institutions, controversy,…
In this lengthy interview, Cormier discusses topics ranging from his early school writing, influential teachers, childhood traumas, autobiographical components of his writing, the young adult label, fear of large institutions, censorship,…
In this wide-ranging interview Cormier, later joined by his editor Craig Virden, discusses several topics related to his writing process, from his own writing role models (Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe) to the particulars of how organizes his…
In this four-page letter (page 2 missing) to agent Marilyn Marlow, Cormier discusses at length his difficulties writing a new novel, as well as publication challenges for his finished novel The Rumple Country. He solicits her advice on a short story…
In this 2-page letter to Cormier, Mike, a student in Knoxville Tennessee, asks about Cormier's writing process and education, along with specific questions about Heroes and I Am the Cheese. Mike is especially interested in Cormier's inspirations and…
In this letter to a student, Robert Cormier describes how his own emotions fuel his writing and how he must be emotionally invested in his characters. He also discusses World War II and his fictional town of Monument.
This single page, typed, and marked outline of Toybreakers shows Cormier's customary global overview of a work in progress. This artifact shows Part 1, the only section of the book that exists in the archive. Cormier's handwritten notes indicate that…