I often get asked why I write for kids and teens. Usually, it’s an adult asking, and the implied message is, “Why don’t you write for us?” I prefer to write for ages 8 to 18 because it’s a rich time of life that is full of so many ups and downs, trials and victories. The teenage [...]
Don’t know what happens next in that story you’re writing? Or maybe you don’t know how to fix a glaring problem in a chapter you’re rewriting? Here’s a method that I use to solve a problem in a work-in-progress: Ask yourself what is the problem? State it clearly. Write it down. Ask yourself what information, [...]
Check out this new online interview of me at Cheryl Rainfield’s informative site. Cheryl is a avid reader, reviewer and author of fiction for teens. Her first novel Dragon Speaker: The Last Dragon will be published by HIP Books in September 2009.
When a good story idea hits, it settles in my body and takes over completely. The character occupies my mind, inhabits me, makes unreasonable demands. I find the engine of a story inside myself, where experience and imagination connect. I believe that a story must inhabit a writer to ring true, and that writers must [...]
I write to understand the world. It’s that simple. I love how a gorgeous string of words can alter my perceptions, widen my view of the world. Words have incredible power. They can inspire us to do great things. They can make us laugh or cry. I’m continually fascinated by the power of words to [...]