A strong interview with Renée Ahdieh. The interview focus is on her writing process. • Writes books based on the theme of “choice and consequence” with her goal being to “explore the gray area between.” •Good discussion of how she plans out her books contrasting her “architect” approach to others who work looser, more like gardeners or “panthers” people who write by the seat of their pants. •Renée knows the ending of her books before she gets there — that is how carefully scripted they are. • Before beginning her novels she writes character sketches of the main characters. Project: Character Sketches A practical idea to take away from this interview is the idea of having students write character sketches before they begin writing their stories. Ask your students to write one or two pages for each of the main characters. Who are they? What do they look like? What is their back story? Who are their parents? The character sketch should be detailed — a small biography. With the characters developed in advance — the students know what they look like and what kind of people they are — it will be much easier for them to tell a story that feels lifelike. Many of the details in the character sketches will not actually be used in the story, but, by working through the imaginative process of inventing whole characters, the students will be able to make their stories richer. Social Media Links for Renée Ahdieh Website Facebook Twitter Books by Renée Ahdieh at Amazon.com The Mirror and the Maze: A Wrath & the Dawn Short Story (The Wrath and the Dawn) The Crown and the Arrow: A Wrath & the Dawn Short Story (The Wrath and the Dawn) The Rose and the Dagger (The Wrath and the Dawn) The Wrath and the Dawn The Moth and the Flame: A Wrath & the Dawn Short Story
Young Adult Author Interviews
Suzanne Collins
Reading is the best preparation for writing. We are fortunate that through the internet it is possible to keep in touch with living authors through their blogs, twitter feeds, and their websites. There are also often interviews with authors on the internet. The editors of Stone Soup offer a growing series of pages of internet links and interviews with many of your favorite authors. Use this resource to get deeper into an author’s works or, if you haven’t read book by the author, to discover someone whose work you’d like to follow. If you are a fan of Suzanne Collins, then please add your feelings about Suzanne in the comments below. How have you been influenced by her writing? What do you like best about her books? Which is your favorite? Which do you like least, and why? If there are online resources that you think we should add to this page, then let us know. Also, if there is an author you think should be part of our Young Adult Author Interview section and isn’t, then also please leave a comment suggesting who we should add. Website Wikipedia Facebook Twitter Books: The Hunger Games Trilogy: The Hunger Games / Catching Fire / Mockingjay Gregor the Underland Chronicles (5 Volume Set) Interviews:
Interview and Internet links for author Kate Messner
This is a strong interview by Kate Messner for her book, Writing is Magic, or is it? Her message is simple and direct: writing is about revising. She talks about when she was a child thinking she could never write as well as her favorite authors, like Judy Blume. Then, she learned that it isn’t what you first put down on paper but rather what you end up with – and that she could! Young writers cannot hear the message too often! I’d play this video at least once ever couple months in your classroom. • Writing is about revising! • A work is done when you find yourself going in circles over minor corrections. Kate Messner’s Wake up Missing has been reviewed in Stone Soup Magazine. Internet links for Kate Messner Website Facebook Twitter Books by Kate Messner Hide and Seek All the Answers The Seventh Wish Rescue on the Oregon Trail (Ranger in Time #1) Capture the Flag
