Stone Soup author Richard Ma, 12, talks about how he finds his ideas, what he likes to write about most, and how being published has made a difference to his writing. Richard has published a poem, “Goes the Ball” (September/October 2014) in Stone Soup, and reviewed two books for us: the biography of Steve Jobs (July/August 2012) and Temple Grandin (May/June 2013). Here’s a list of the questions he answers in this video. 0:33 — How did you begin creative writing? 1:06 — What do you like to write about? 1:34 — Where do you get your ideas for stories? 2:03 — Describe your writing process. 2:48 — What was your reaction to getting published in Stone Soup? 3:55 — How has being published in Stone Soup benefited you? 4:15 — What advice would you give to others who want to get published in Stone Soup?
Stone Soup Author Videos
Stone Soup Author Interview: Shyla DeLand, 13
Stone Soup author Shyla DeLand, 13, talks about how she writes from personal experience and the influence of her favorite authors. Sharing tips on making writing readable and easy for readers to visualise – accomplished through drafting and revisions – she talks about her relationship with Stone Soup as a reader and a writer. Four of Shyla’s stories have appeared in Stone Soup: “Fern, the Queen of All Hunting Dogs” (July/August 2011), “The Scarlet King” (January/February 2013), “As a Family” (July/August 2013), and “The Hero” (May/June 2014). Here’s a list of the questions she answers in this video. 0:20 — How did you begin creative writing? 0:32 — What do you like to write about? 0:42 — Who are your favorite authors? What have you learned from them? 1:10 — Describe your writing process. 1:39 — Have you won any awards for your writing? 1:47 — How have your friends or family influenced your writing? 2:04 — How did you discover Stone Soup? 2:31 — What was your reaction to getting published in Stone Soup? 2:42 — What advice would you give to others who want to get published in Stone Soup? 3:00 — How has being published in Stone Soup benefited you?
Interview with Stone Soup Author Olivia Stoltzfus, age 12
https://youtu.be/iL0yooSG3nA This interview by Stone Soup author Olivia Stoltzfus, 12, is part of a series of interviews with Stone Soup authors in which the interviewee talks about writing and also about being published in Stone Soup. The questions asked and the locations of those questions within the video are found below. These videos are intended for viewing by our Stone Soup readers and writers. If that is you, then I hope you find Olivia’s interview inspiring. If you are a classroom teacher, you can use the videos to stimulate classroom discussion on a variety of issues relating to the writing process in general and creative writing in particular. Olivia conducted this interview for us when she was 12 years old. Her story “Free” was published in the November/December 2014 issue of Stone Soup. Here’s a list of the questions she answers in this video. 0:29 — How do you begin creative writing? 0:47 — What inspired you to write “Free”? 1:54 — How did the experience of writing “Free” benefit you? 3:00 — What advice would you give to others who want to get published in Stone Soup?
