S.E. Hinton

661 Words2 Pages

S.E. Hinton’s real name is Susan Eloise Hinton. It was suggested that she use her initials, S.E., because during her time, it was almost impossible for a woman to write such outstanding books. Her books were about hardships during the 1960’s and 1970’s. “Sixteen years on the streets and you can learn a lot. But all the wrong things, not the things you want to learn. Sixteen years on the streets and you see a lot. But all the wrong sights, not the things you want to see.” Hinton’s writing was greatly influenced by childhood friends living on the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma (Cliff Notes). Hinton was born in 1950 in Tulsa. Her first book, The Outsiders, was written when she was fifteen years old. It was later published when she was only seventeen. This was published while she was still in high school. Although The Outsiders was about gang violence, she was not a member of any gang.
In 1970, Susan graduated from the University of Tulsa where she received her degree in education. However, she learned that she could not handle the pressure of being a teacher. She taught all day then worried about the kids all night. While she was still a freshman in college she met her husband David. Because Susan did not want to be a teacher anymore, David helped her start writing her second book by encouraging her to write two pages every day. If she did not complete this challenge every day, David would refuse to go out with her that night (Cliff Notes). Nick Hinton was their only child together (Cliff Notes).
The Outsiders, That Was Then This Is Now, Rumble Fish, Tex, and Taming the Star Runner were all young adult books that Hinton wrote and published. She has won several awards for her novels. She won 3 for That Was Then This Is Now, 7 for Tex,...

... middle of paper ...

...e does not discuss what she is writing, while she is writing it. She is afraid that if she speaks of it, it will wear out her idea. She says, “If you want to be a writer, I have two pieces of advice. One is to be a reader. I think that's one of the most important parts of learning to write. The other piece of advice is: Just do it! Don't think about it, don't agonize, sit down and write”.
S.E. Hinton’s inspiration for writing started in grade school. Grade school inspired her love for reading. She believes that sometimes, reading and writing were the only things that kept her going, because you love it

Works Cited

Cliff Notes. (n.d.). www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/.../the.../se-hinton-biography.html. Retrieved from Cliff Notes.
26 Feb 2014. . http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/catalog/author.pperl?authorid=13074&view=sm l_sptlght

Open Document