Lauren McLaughlin. David Levithan. Scott Westerfeld. Robin Wasserman.
Together! Live on Figment!
Join us right here on Thursday, December 8 at 7 p.m. ET, as these four literary luminaries discuss what they learned about writing when they were in high school–and what, if any of it, was useful.
“Forget English Class,
What I Really Want to Do Is Write!”
If I want to be a writer someday, do my grades and test scores matter?
Check out our panelists’ excerpts on Figment!
Every You, Every Me by David Levithan
Scott Westerfeld, where did the UGLIES book’s inspiration come from? And is there any possible way that you will write a 5th installment in the series, if your fans write a petition and beg on their knees? Even if it’s from Aya’s point of view?
-Butterfly
Scott Westerfeld, where did the UGLIES book’s inspiration come from? And is there any possible way that you will write a 5th installment in the series, if your fans write a petition and beg on their knees? Even if it’s from Aya’s point of view?
-Butterfly
PS: Meant Butterfly in the name, sorry. I was just talking to my friend Anna xD
In Bogus to Bubbly, it tells his inspiration for the Uglies series.
Around what time did you realize that being an author was your dream, and what kind of challenges did you face on your road to successfulness?
How did you write novels without copying other authors? I have a lot of ideas but when I try to develop them, they start to turn into books I have read an loved.
Do you have a favorite prompt/process to find new story ideas? What do you do when you draw a blank but want to start a new story?
Can’t wait to have a chance to talk to Scott and these other people… Scott is my favorite author and I bet I can learn a lot from him ^^
I agree. =] I’m excited.
(ex) Lets say I wrote a book; What are the steps to getting a publisher etc all the process you must go through to get your book out there?
What is your favorite book?
&
Of the books you’ve written which is your favorite?
David Levithan, where do you get the inspiration for your novels? How do you approach creating an LGBT character and how do you make them realistic without making them overly whiny?
Whenever I’m writing a story, I can’t seem to get it to run smoothly. No matter how much I go into detail. Do you have any tips for this?
How do you, as published writers, deal with the effects of writer`s block and how do you find the inspiration to continue writing when you want to simply give up and “throw in the towel”?
To any of you, when you write, do you plan out your whole book first, or just start writing? I just do chapter by chapter, but I can never finnish my writings, and I feel I may have been going about it the wrong way.
also, in writing classes at school, we do little writing but memoirs and essays. do you think that that type of thing is important for someone who is only interested in fantasy?
How many of your ideas actually make it to the writing stage? Out of those how many are completed? Published?
What about going beyond high school? Is going to college and getting some type of writing degree really helpful if you want to be a writer?
Do you disagree with English teachers that make children plan out every bit of their stories, or do you think this is effective?
When writing a story, do the ideas just come to you in a flash and you start writing from there, or is it more of a process, where you have a small idea and build on that? Also, when you finish a book, do publishers expect/pressure you to write a sequel/start something new, or are they content with just the one?
(And on the side, to Scott-la, will you be writing anymore to the world of Leviathan, or are you done with just the three? I hope it’s the first option, or I might just cry…D:)
@Scott Westerfield:
What was the most challenging thing about writing the Uglie’s series? Were the second and third books easier to write once you had written the first?
BY THE WAY- I just wanted to say I LOVE your series! It was the first sci-fi/dystopian series I’d EVER liked, and, after the dozens that have come after it, it STILL remains my number one
What is your process when you’re writing a story? Do you think of the main idea and write it all really quickly and edit later or do you begin with extreme detail? Do you add in foreshadowing or do you put it in and then think of the details later?
I have ideas for novels, but I don’t know how to start. Can you help?
how do you guys come up with such amazing and memorable character, and plotlines?
Ironically watched this while typing my English Final….
How do you get the perfect beginnings that capture the reader’s attention immediately?
Scottmeister! I asked this on the chat but I dont think it was put up (High possibility that it wasnt, actually) but….would you come to mine and Piper’s (BagpipeHeadache on the forums) wedding? If/when it happens? It’s kinda your fault, after all…..XDDDD
David Levithan,The books you write along side with Rachel Cohn are amazing! (I don’t think I’m allowed to read your books after Nick & Norah’s Playlist!) But where did the inspiration come from for Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares? I would like to know because that’s the book that me & my boyfriend both fell in love with (: