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Rachel Hawthorne: Experience the Passion!

…The passion of life.

A couple of years ago, they (you know, the infamous "they"?) built a ballpark a few miles from my house. When I look out the window at night, I can see the lights glowing in the distance. One night I decided to go to a game. It was $1 night: $1 to get in, $1 for a hotdog, $1 for a drink, etc. Inexpensive entertainment.

The field was built for a collegiate league team. During the summer, college baseball players moved to the town, lived with the local families, and played on the town's team. That particular night was family appreciation night. The host families went down to the field before the game started to be recognized. It was obvious the families were fond of the players—and the players were fond of them. And the seed was planted for The Boyfriend League, the story of a girl who talks her parents into being a host family—so she can get to know all the guys better and hopefully get a boyfriend.

As a writer, I spend a lot of time in front of my computer. I'm an introvert, shy. Sometimes I think I would be content to never leave my office, but I've discovered that I have to get out and experience life to keep the ideas flowing. If I hadn't gone to the game, watched the families cheering their players on, I might have never had the idea for The Boyfriend League.

I once had a reader offer to sell me her story ideas, but I don't need to buy other people's ideas. I have so many of my own. I'll bet you do, too. Stories are part of who we are, and ideas can come from the ordinary or the not-so-ordinary. Thrill Ride came about because of a vacation we took to Cedar Point and the memory of a guy who called my college roommate and ended up talking to me—and then he kept calling me. The idea for Snowed In was sparked by a trip to Mackinac Island.

Do your story ideas come from experiences, from somewhere else, or from a little of both? Do you think you'll ever run out of ideas? Or are you like me, wondering if you'll have time to write them all?

Rachel Hawthorne
Author of The Boyfriend League

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 22 Comments on Thursday, June 28, 2007 2:01 PM

P. E. Ryan: Exploring the Issue

First, a bit of history. When I was 18, I was a freshman at Florida State and had a job shelving books. One of the books I came across was The Anita Bryant Story (an autobiography of a singer-turned-orange-juice-spokesperson who surprised everyone in the 1970s by becoming America's #1 homophobe). I was in the closet, nervous, and immediately read the chapter titled, I think, "The Homosexual Problem." I then committed my one and only act of censorship: I went into the elevator and, with the doors open, I dropped the slim, little book through the gap and down into the elevator shaft. It's probably still there.

I wrote Saints of Augustine because I wanted to write the book that I wish had existed back in 1983: a novel about a gay guy, a straight guy, their various problems, and how they could forge a solid friendship despite—or because of—their differences.

Thankfully, it's easier for teens to come out these days, but that doesn't mean it's easy. I see it as a "right of passage" that shapes the adults we become. With that in mind, the subject matter is still very, very relevant. There are many prejudices thriving in the world, but the prejudice against gays and lesbians will probably be the last to evaporate. Therefore, it's up to us to explore the issue, celebrate it, and hopefully reach out to the world with our writing.

I wrote Saints of Augustine for all readers, not just a gay and lesbian audience. In fact, I purposefully kept in mind straight readers (both guys and girls) and was just as interested in the straight characters as the gay ones.

If you're a straight guy, Id love to know what you thought of the book and if you'd recommend it to your straight friends. Likewise if you're a straight girl or a lesbian. And as for my gay male readers…did I get it right?

P. E. Ryan
Author of Saints of Augustine

POST A COMMENT posted by HarperTeen Editor with 8 Comments on Monday, June 18, 2007 9:56 PM

Lisa (a.k.a. Dorkysokerchick): Part Two: My Day at HarperTeen

The first thing we did when we got to the HarperCollins Children's building was meet Farrin and Lexa (both editors, of course—you've probably seen them around the site). They gave us a tour where I got to meet a ton of other editors that work on some of my favorite books (all of Meg's, of course, and Pretty Little Liars). I got to meet Naomi, too (who you've also probably seen around the site).

Then we were huddled into an art meeting. I never knew how much work went into making a cover. Between picking out models, colors, and fonts—the possibilities are endless. Then I got to see Farrin's office and pick her brain about how she became an editor.

Then it was on to lunch with Rachel Vail. We ate at this amazing Italian restaurant and Rachel was so nice. I got to hear tons of stories, one involving Judy Blume, and I even got to give my opinion on a title for her new series.

Then we went to an editorial meeting where several editors discussed if they wanted to pursue certain books or pass on them, and I also got to hear what kinds of books they're looking for in the upcoming year.

We were then shuffled into another meeting where we celebrated some birthdays (the cupcakes were really good) and then everyone discussed a manuscript I had gotten to take a look at earlier.

Finally, before the day was over, I got to meet Melissa from Publicity and take a tour of Marketing and Publicity—basically where they set up all the promotions for a book.

I met way too many editors to name, but each and every one was nice to us and they all went out of their way to make it a great day for me.

Did I not answer any essential questions? Well…you know what to do…

Lisa (a.k.a. Dorkysokerchick), Grand Prize Chapter Winner

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 10 Comments on Wednesday, June 13, 2007 10:15 PM

Lisa (a.k.a. Dorkysokerchick): Part One: Are You Sure I WON?

I never dreamed when I stumbled upon this site that I would win anything. Well, OK, I didn't stumble on it so much as read about it on Meg Cabot's blog, which I religiously view.

Anyway, the fact that I was a chapter winner floored me. I mean, things like that don't happen to me, and then on top of that I won a trip to NY. Insane right? Not to mention that I got to go to meet the folks at HarperTeen. It still makes me all giddy just thinking about it.

So from December, when I fell down the stairs after hearing the news, until March 26, I had plenty of time to prepare and pack (OK, I admit I didn't pack until the day of). On Monday March 26, we boarded a plane headed for NY.

Unfortunately for us, our plane was delayed an hour, but that gave me plenty of time to catch up on some of Rachel Vail's books (she was the author I got to meet, but more on that later).

We stayed at the Omni Berkshire Hotel in Manhattan, which was extremely nice—nicer than anyplace I had ever stayed before. From there we ended up walking to Rockefeller Center, went shopping (duh), and then went to the Empire State Building. By the end of the night, I crashed into bed completely nervous about the next day, which I know is what everyone wants to hear about.

Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until next time to hear all about it. So in the meantime, any questions you want me to answer? You know what to do...

Lisa (a.k.a. Dorkysokerchick), Grand Prize Chapter Winner

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 2 Comments on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 9:52 PM

Alexis Barad: You Say You Want a Resolution

Remember that New Year's Resolution you made back in January? Hmm. Well, it's been nearly five months since then, so I hope you're well on your way to accomplishing that resolution. If you haven't made any progress, fear not! Who needs a new year to start something new? Why not make a resolution at the beginning of a new season&$8212or refresh that January 1st resolution that you haven't really gotten around to doing?

I've been telling myself for months now (sadly, for more than just five months) that I would get "serious" about my writing. And by getting serious, I meant not just staring at that unfinished short story on my laptop in between episodes of The Bachelor. Last week a friend of mine told me that she is going back to school for her MFA (graduate degree) in Writing—something she's been meaning to do for years. It inspired me to sign up for a writing workshop as soon as I can so I can start classes this summer. The warmer weather has me dreaming about taking my laptop to a café with outdoor seating, or sitting in a park with a notebook and a Virginia Woolf novel by my side for inspiration (or, for distraction.) But if my track record for doing any type of exercise that doesn't require a group setting and an instructor yelling at me to work harder has told me anything, it's that I am not good at self-motivating. Signing up for a writing class will be the perfect thing to make me commit to working on my writing in a serious way. And now that I've put it in writing, and made you HarperTeen FanLit folks read it, gosh darnit, I'm going to stick to this decision.

Take this lovely season of sunnier and longer days to make a resolution, big or small. And if you make that resolution and then later slack off, don't worry. I'll bug you about it in the fall.

What's your resolution of the season?

Alexis Barad, Editor, HarperCollins Publishers

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 18 Comments on Monday, May 07, 2007 2:47 PM

Mette Ivie Harrison: The Romance of Talking

To me, romance isn't about the kiss that ends the story. It's about the way that people reveal themselves to each other in conversation. Think about Darcy and Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. Though she hates him at first, it is his words and his willingness to explain himself that ultimately make her fall for him. Talking is the very stuff of their love.

Some writers write pages of backstory for each character—detailing their first pet, their favorite color, and their most embarrassing moment—before they even begin the story. But you don't fall in love with someone because of a list of their attributes. You fall in love with someone because of that magic or chemistry or whatever you call it that happens when there's interaction. There's no romance until two characters are together; then there's the sizzle, the unique way that they become more than they were when alone.

I try to do this with George and Beatrice in The Princess and the Hound. I want the reader to feel how Beatrice becomes different when George is around, because he speaks to her differently than anyone else. He speaks expecting her to respond to him as an equal. What is more romantic than that? To me, nothing.

When I really get into a story and have enough details about my characters that they feel real to me, I can close my eyes and hear them talk. There are moments when things slip out that they didn't mean to let go, and in those moments, a chance for a response comes. What will the other character say? Will they understand? Will they laugh? Will they betray? Will they weep? Will they love?

Do you know someone whose voice you just love to listen to? Someone whose voice grates on your nerves? Someone who seems to sing when they talk? How do you bring these voices into your writing?

But it's worth the wait.

Mette Ivie Harrison
Author of The Princess and the Hound

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 3 Comments on Thursday, May 03, 2007 2:20 PM

Mark Crilley: Three Burning Questions from the Creator of MIKI FALLS

I've decided, for better or for worse, to write this blog entry as a series of questions. Read on, and if you have anything to say in reply to any of them, by all means leave a comment. I'd be honored to know your thoughts.

Question #1: What do you do when you cant tell people exactly what your story is about?

My upcoming graphic novel series, Miki Falls, is just such a story. It is, in essence, a supernatural love story in which a Japanese high school student (the "Miki" of the title) falls for Hiro, the mysterious new boy in town who absolutely refuses to make friends with a single soul. "Not with you. Not with anyone." The reason Hiro can't make friends is a secret: a truly mind-blowing secret that isn't revealed until the end of the first book. So I can't tell any prospective readers about who Hiro really is. But—and this is the real problem—Hiro's secret life is the thing that really makes the series interesting and, hopefully, different from any other love story you've ever read. So what should I tell people when they say, "What is Miki Falls all about?" What do you do when you've written such a story?

Question #2: Have you ever written a story from the point of view of someone who is drastically different from yourself? What did you do to get into the mindset of that character?

The Miki Fall books are written from the point of view of a seventeen-year-old Japanese girl. I am a forty-year-old American man. Needless to say, I had some serious imagining to do if I was going to make this work! Happily, I once lived in Japan for more than two years and my wife is Japanese, so I had a head start toward trying to see things from Japanese point of view. And creating a seventeen-year-old’s perspective was mostly a matter of looking back on my own high school days and trying to relive the intense emotional ups and downs of those times (plenty of downs, in my case). As for seeing things from a girl’s point of view, well, I think I mainly had to focus on the basic things that men and women have in common and go from there. Also, I am lucky to have an editor who is a woman (and, more importantly, just a really fantastic editor), so she was able to get me back on track when I wasn’t getting the voice quite right. What kind of experiences do you have writing from the point of view of someone unlike yourself?

Question #3: Do you think a graphic novel—a.k.a. a comic—can be as emotionally involving as a traditional novel? Have you ever tried to write a graphic novel or even just a short comic strip?

Let's face it: A love story only works if you care deeply about the main character. If you do, the whole story begins to matter to you in a very personal way. If you don't…well, you'll probably just roll your eyes and kick that book to the curb. I believe very strongly in the power of comic book storytelling. Sure, a graphic novel is going to have far fewer words than a traditional novel, and so something is sacrificed in terms of the cumulative effect of knowing the thoughts and feelings of the main character for page after page after page. Still, I think that a graphic novel love story, done properly, can really pull you in and provide an experience that no other form of media—not novels, not movies, not theater—can quite duplicate. My favorite aspect of comics is the ability to depict subtle changes in facial expressions over a series of panels. (I've included an example from Miki Falls at the end of this blog entry.) So I guess it's pretty clear that my answer to this question is a resounding "Yes, darn it!" But how do you feel? Have you ever read a graphic novel that really touched you on a deep level? And have you ever tried your hand at creating one?

Here's wishing all of you the very best in your writing endeavors. I do hope you will one day have that magical experience of walking into a bookstore and seeing your very own book on the shelf. Trust me, there is no feeling like it on earth.

Oh, and thanks in advance to anyone who replies to my questions! I can't wait to hear what you have to say.

Miki Falls: Spring [panel]

Mark Crilley
Author of Miki Falls: Spring

Learn more about Mark Crilley at www.markcrilley.com.

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 9 Comments on Monday, April 30, 2007 8:35 PM

Judson Roberts: Serve the Reader

The Strongbow Saga, Book Two: Dragons from the Sea[cover]

What guidelines do I personally use to steer my course as a writer? I try to always keep in mind what I hope to experience as a reader—what I'm hoping to find, whenever I open a new novel and begin to read a new story.

For me, my most wonderful, memorable experiences as a reader have been those times when I was totally swept into a story. The world it was set in was so vividly portrayed it became real, a place I could see, could experience in my mind, and the characters came alive for me—I cared about them, I gloried with them in their triumphs, and wept for them at their tragedies. For those all too brief hours while I was immersed in the book, the life I lived was not my own, but that of the characters and the world of the story.

Some of my favorite books, ones that have taken me on that kind of journey, include The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien, and Shogun, by James Clavell. Shogun gave me the additional wonderful experience of learning about a past culture and period of history I'd previously known nothing about. I believe that understanding history is vital, because what has happened in the past shapes, often in subtle ways, what is occurring in the world today, and what will come to pass in the future.

My hope, in writing the Strongbow Saga, is to give readers all of those same kinds of experiences I most treasure as a reader. I strive to create stories in which they will vicariously experience the adventures of Halfdan, a young Dane, as he struggles to find his way in the face of treachery and danger in the ninth-century world of the Vikings; that they will be able to really see the world he lives in, to understand the fascinating culture of a people who valued above all else courage, honor, and integrity; and will learn at least a bit about the many ways, now mostly forgotten, in which the Viking peoples shaped the history of the Western World.

My advice: As a writer, strive to be a storyteller and serve well those who will read your work.

Judson Roberts
Author of The Strongbow Saga, Book One: Viking Warrior (available now in paperback!) and The Strongbow Saga, Book Two: Dragons from the Sea—pre-order your copy!

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 6 Comments on Monday, April 23, 2007 3:59 PM

Susan Juby: The Ultimate Do-Over

For me, writing is a form of wish fulfillment. This is strange, because most of my characters aren't successful people. My books are filled with oddballs, misfits, and obsessives of all types. But they all do things I wish I'd done or could do.

My latest book, Another Kind of Cowboy (HarperTeen, Fall 2007), is partly about a young man who devotes himself to his passion for horseback riding. He's naturally gifted and he's also a terrifically hard worker, unlike his best friend, a girl who's only moderately talented but very wealthy.

When I was younger, I rode competitively. I was a decent rider, but I was handicapped by a lackluster work ethic. I believe that the word my coach used to describe me was "lazy." I eventually quit riding to go to college.

As the years passed, I began to regret not taking my riding more seriously. I'd had opportunities to train with well-known riders and hadn’t pursued them, mostly because doing so would have interfered with my social life.

When I became a writer, I realized that my stories gave me the chance to do things differently, at least in my imagination. Writing a book is the ultimate do-over. You get to be and do anything you want. You get to organize the world of your story in such a way that anything is possible.

It’s fantastic! So now instead of lamenting the fact that I wasn’t exactly the queen of follow-through, I can let my characters pursue the passions I didn't. I can investigate what it would be like to be an incredibly hard worker and I can imagine what it would be like to be fabulously wealthy.

The best piece of writing advice I ever got was to make sure you know your characters' deepest desires. I don't always know what those are right away, and I have to find out over the course of the story. But once I have figured out my characters' deepest yearnings. I know I'm going to have a character and a story I'll enjoy writing about.

So what are your deepest desires? Do you see those desires reflected in your characters' lives?

Susan Juby
Author of Alice MacLeod, Realist at Last

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 20 Comments on Thursday, April 05, 2007 2:20 PM

Rachel Hawthorne: Dream It Up

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm stuck. I don't know what to write about for this blog. Worse than that, I'm not sure what happens in the next scene in my current WIP (Work in Progress). Yes, you'd think I'd know the story, because it's due to my editor next month—and I do know the big picture, but the little details are still in hiding. What exactly happens in Labor of Love now that my heroine has noticed the hot hero?

Maybe it's because of all the outlines the teachers made me create when I was in school, but even thinking about doing an outline now makes me shudder. I much prefer to just write and see where the characters and story take me. In other words, I write by the seat of my pants. Among writers, those of us who prefer the no-outline-unless-we-absolutely-have-to method are called "pantsters." And there are quite a few of us.

But inevitably, this method leaves me staring at my computer and wondering…Where do I go from here? What I'll usually do when this happens is take what I've written to bed with me. I read the final pages just before I go to sleep. And then I dream. Often I'll dream about the story, and I'll see the next scene. Sometimes it'll be so strong and clear that I'll wake up and start writing right then. (Keep paper and a pen that shines a beam of light nearby when midnight inspiration strikes.)

I love the satisfaction that's generated when the words flow.

That's how I deal with writers' block. I sleep on it. Better yet, I dream on it.

Are you an outliner or a pantster? What do you do when you get to a point in the story and you're not sure what happens next?

Rachel Hawthorne
Author of First Kisses 1: Trust Me

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 34 Comments on Thursday, March 29, 2007 10:35 PM

Alma Alexander: Inspired by a Real Live Writer

Worldweavers: Gift of the Unmage [cover]

When I was fifteen years old, my school brought out a Real Live Writer to talk to my class.

Our visitor spoke to freely us about her life. She talked of the fickleness of inspiration; of the frustrations of waiting for weeks or months or sometimes even years for a response to a piece of work; of the bitterness of rejection. She spoke of every valley of shadow in her life, frankly, without holding back, without giving us a rose-tinted vision of what a life like hers could be like.

And yet, she spoke of it all with the light of angels in her eyes, and she also spoke of the pleasure of simple acceptance, of the fierce joy which came as a gift offered by a stranger who had read one's words and found them pleasing. She had brought books to show us, and she touched them all gently–with pride, with contentment, with love.

Up until that moment, I'd written poetry (LOTS of it!) and I'd written stories. By the age of thirteen or so, I'd even written a novel which (thankfully) didn't survive to this day—but my ideas about my future had not taken shape or form yet.

On this rainy night in November, they did. A flame was kindled in me that has never gone out. I looked at our visiting writer and I said to myself, "Some day, that is going to be me. This is what I WANT."

I was no childhood prodigy or an "overnight success." Twenty years passed between that childhood vow and my first published book. But in those twenty years, I never stopped dreaming, I never stopped believing, I never once considered giving up. And now here I am, with books of my own in my hands.

Do YOU want this life? It will not be easy. It will not be simple. Sometimes it will be hurtful and frustrating, and you will water the tender plant of your dream with tears rather more often than you might like. Nothing really worth having in life comes easy, after all.

But it's worth the wait.

Alma Alexander
Author of Worldweavers: Gift of the Unmage

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 6 Comments on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 3:38 PM

Alex Flinn: Playing Hooky (or, Write What You Have To)

I have a lot of trouble staying on task. That's how I became a writer. When I was a lawyer, my mind would wander. I'd make up stories and write them down during my lunch hour. It was fun, writing when I was supposed to be doing something else, like playing hooky.

I still play hooky. Sometimes, I'm writing what I'm supposed to write, and I'll have an idea that takes over my mind and won't take no for an answer. When this happens, I've learned that I have to follow that instinct.

This happened with my very first book. I was writing a story about a girl whose boyfriend hits her, and right in the middle, I started thinking about the boy. A lot. In fact, I had to sit down and write a bunch of pages about the boy.

Eventually, I ended up chucking the book about the girl and writing about the boy, and that's the book that got published.

That's not the only example. Once, I was most of the way through a book I had a contract for when I started thinking about another book. I stopped what I was doing and wrote it (but I wrote the other book, too, after I finished).

And just recently, when I was writing and minding my own business, I started obsessing over Beauty and the Beast. I have kids, so we read the story a lot, and things started bothering me about it. Like why would Beauty’s father let her go live with the Beast? And where was the Beast’s family? I found that I had to write a book about the Beast, so I did, a modern Beast, set in New York City, and that book is being published this fall, Beastly.

Sometimes, you just have to play hooky.

Have you ever felt like you had to write a certain story? Did you?

Alex Flinn
Author of Diva

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 9 Comments on Thursday, March 22, 2007 10:29 PM

Alma Fullerton: Why a Writer?

The most common question that people ask me is: "When did you decide to become a writer?" I don't think there was ever a time I decided. Writing was just something I always did—always HAD to do.

When I was growing up, I wrote, read, and told stories to escape. It didn't matter if I was writing journal entries, essays, or short stories, as long as I was in the "zone," I didn't have to think about all the bad things going on in my life at the time. Writing through those bad times made it possible for me to be here today.

I'm in a much better place now, and I no longer have to write to escape, but that need still burrows in my mind. There are so many things I feel passionate about, and I need to write about them. If I don't, no one can write about them for me. Yes, there are other stories on the same subjects, but those stories don't express everything I need them to express. They don't fill my need to express my own thoughts, and sometimes those stories hold opinions that are totally the opposite of mine. Are they wrong? No, I don't believe so. They are just different.

Did it do me any good to read those stories and hear those opinions? Absolutely.

I believe before you can develop your own opinion on something, you have to learn all the different sides of that particular thing. If you only hear one side of the story, that's what you tend to believe to be true and it's hard to form your own opinion. Truth lies in educating yourself, and education leads to passion.

What are some of the things you're passionate about?

Alma Fullerton
Author of Walking on Glass

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 2 Comments on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 1:58 PM

Jeremy Strong: World Book Day

It's been pretty manic this last week here in the UK. We had World Book Day. Every schoolkid in the UK got a voucher to exchange for a special World Book Day book. There are ten titles to choose from, and one is a new story of mine—My Sister's Got a Spoon Up Her Nose. All week I’ve been whizzing around doing promotional work for the book and World Book Day—been in schools, theaters, TV, etc., blah-blah-ing!

Thank heavens the weekend arrived and I could stop. Now I'm back home and I'm preparing for some more visits to schools. I'm going to Milan (Italy), shortly to speak to children at an International School out there. I'm looking forward to it. It'll mostly be work, but I should have a chance to look around—all those fab Italian clothes stores! (And all the arty stuff, too.)

I'm also moving slowly toward starting a new story. I'd like to write a sequel to Stuff, but at the moment I don't have much of an idea about where to take things. Will Stuff stay with Sky, or is there trouble ahead? The new baby should be arriving, so maybe that'll cause problems. And what about Pete? I like him, as a character to write about! He's unpredictable and you can never be sure he's telling the truth. I have known several people in real life like that. They can be very attractive as personalities, but maybe after a while you get fed up with not being able to rely on what they tell you.

Do you know anyone like that? How do you get on with them? Do you think they're cool, or do they simply drive you mad?

Oh yes—I'd love to know what you think of Stuff as a story. Do let me know.

Jeremy Strong
Author of Stuff

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 2 Comments on Friday, March 16, 2007 3:36 PM

Melissa Marr: Chasing Impulses

Writing, for me, is about curiosity and impulses. Seeing a documentary on hauntings led me to the Mojave to spend a weekend at a ghost town. Complimenting a musician led to passes to a few shows. Getting tattoos led to learning how a tattoo machine works. Most of this leads to getting to meet people and hear their voices—and all of it ripples through my writing sooner or later.

For me, writing isn't practical or orderly. It's not about attending workshops or reading "how to write" books (although a good grammar & style handbook is a wonderful thing). It's about living, being, and pursuing passions. Breathe in art & energy. Listen to the muse. Live. Talk to people. Gaze on oceans or ruins or art. Curl up with Faulkner or the history of architecture. IMHO, that's the best recipe for storytelling in any medium: curiosity and experience.

So, what sparks your curiosity? What makes you sigh? What piques your interest? (And please do feel invited to share. Hearing people's words and interests fascinates me). Exploring that is the secret to writing…at least that's how I do it. My impulses lead me to experiences and people and places that enthrall me. That's how I nourish Ms. Muse. When my muse is nourished, she dances—and so the words flow on to the page. Whether it results from what we learn or who we meet, paying attention to the impulses can give us what we need to create a story (or song or painting or sculpture). Plus, well, it's just fun.

Melissa Marr
Author of Wicked Lovely (June 2007)

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posted by HarperTeen Editor with 5 Comments on Wednesday, March 14, 2007 4:32 PM

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