John Irving answered student questions Tuesday afternoon in a student forum in the Hughes-Trigg Theater. The forum was part of the Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series.

Matrice Ellis-Kirk, the moderator, introduced Irving. Ellis-Kirk asked Irving to briefly discuss his novel in progress.

Irving said that it’s a long novel, about 549 manuscript pages so far . . . more than half, less than two-thirds. Giving a brief summary of the plot, Irving said it was about the daughter of a tattoo artist that is in a relationship with a heavily tattooed church organist. The story is told by this couple’s illegitimate son.

Students from Highland Park High School, Lancaster High School, Garland High School, Rowlett High School and SMU participated in the forum.

Q: What advice would you give a student writing their first story?

A: “Don’t be a snob; read everything,” Irving said. “You first learn by imitating . . . everybody starts out imitating.”

Q: Can you discuss your writing of the Cider House Rules?

A: Irving said that he felt far removed from the novel because he was far removed from the characters. He did 18 months of medical and historical research for the novel.

When he came up with the idea for the plot of the Cider House Rules, he said, “[I thought], this is a brilliant idea; it wasn’t.”

Q: What advice would you give about writing essays?

A: “Write your essays out of anger, but make people think you are agreeable,” Irving said. “[You have to] hide your real self. Put off what you [really] mean until you feel charming.”

Q: What kind of obstacles do you encounter as a writer and what approaches do you take to overcome those obstacles?

A: It’s different in every case, Irving said. He says he has written ten novels and never encountered the same obstacle twice.

Irving said he would much rather write in third person. He said it is harder to try to write from someone else’s point of view rather than your own.

Q: Are comedies harder to market and sell?

A: “[There are] many good writers who are not as appreciated as they should be,” Irving said, it is all about timing.

Q: Would you care to share any of your angry essay topics?

A: “In every story, if you don’t find some element of anger, you’re missing some [important] element of the story,” Irving said.

Q: How hard was it for you to get your first book published?

A: Irving said it is much harder to get a book published today than it was in 1967. “So, I was lucky in getting [Setting Free the Bears] published,” Irving said.

Q: What aspects do you consider when coming up with a plot for a novel?

A: “I never begin a novel until I know the end,” Irving said. “It’s like a light you leave on at night.” He said you want the story to be done before you even start.

Q: How do you approach writing a script versus writing a novel?

A: “There’s no burden to make anyone like [a novel]. [With a script], the obstacle is getting someone to make it,” Irving said.

“The most painful part about writing a script is deciding what to throw away,” Irving said.