The author of "Pole and Mouse" talks about her craft.

When did you realize that you wanted to be a writer?

In Toronto, where I grew up, the city held an essay-writing contest for every student in the last year of high school. As I read aloud my entry to my mother, I noticed that my words brought tears to her eyes. "This is it!" I said to myself, astonished by the power of language. I still feel that way.

What do you enjoy most about being a writer?

I walk down the streets of New York City, and people I don't know give me a hug or call out from their cars to tell me how much my writing means to them. Writing is a way of giving, but, unlike the most luscious cake, it is still there even after it's been consumed!

How has being Jewish affected your writing?

Before I realized that Jewishness was my only subject, the longest fiction I wrote was three pages. I had nothing to say until I understood that this remarkable people and its literature were my story. After all, we're the people of transforming ideas: We gave the world monotheism, the Bible, the Sabbath, the idea that people and God could be linked in the quest for justice, the only successfully revived spoken language (Hebrew), the theory of relativity, psychoanalysis, the American musical theater, American feminism--and the comic book!

Why did you set Pole and Mouse in a Jewish camp?

Jewish camps changed my life. I met my best friend in the world to this day and first fell in love at a Jewish camp.

Are the characters of Pole and Mouse based on anyone you know?

No, but I listen carefully to my 16-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter, who reads BABAGANEWZ.

What's your favorite Jewish book?

The Song of Songs in the Hebrew Bible. It's a love story between a man and woman--and a love story between the Jewish people and God.

If you could meet one leader from Jewish history, whom would you choose?

Raoul Wallenberg, who was not Jewish and risked his life to save over 100,000 Jews in Hungary during the Shoah. He was a hero when he didn't have to be. I am fascinated by the extraordinary, rare people who can make that choice. What allows them to act on their conscience in spite of danger? (And would I have the courage to do so?) If there were more human beings like Wallenberg in the world, evil would be in retreat.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

1. Don't be embarrassed to love books and love language. In a world where every trend disappears after five minutes, the written word endures.

2. Set aside a certain time during the week when you experiment with setting words down on paper. Make it the same time each week--and keep at it, even if what you're writing is terrible. Rewriting makes good writing.

3. Never give up, and never let anyone tell you that you don't have what it takes. It's your dream.