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
writing process
Stone Soup Author Interview: Aiwen Desai, 12
Stone Soup author Aiwen Desai, 12, talks about her favourite authors and her writing technique, including character development, along with some helpful advice on getting published. Aiwen had a poem, “Nature’s Plea” (July/August 2014) and a story, “A Secret Freedom” (September/October 2014) published in Stone Soup. Here’s a list of the questions she answers in this video. 0:20 — How did you begin creative writing? 0:33 — How did you discover Stone Soup? 0:45 — What was your reaction to getting published in Stone Soup? 0:55 — Who are your favorite authors? 1:18 — What are your favorite things to write about? 1:27 — Describe some of your writing techniques 1:47 — How do you create your characters? 2:06 — Describe your writing process. 2:39 — What advice would you give to others who want to get published in Stone Soup?
Using the Young Adult Author Resource Pages
Writers are readers. The purpose of the Young Adult Author Resource Pages is to bring young writers closer to their favorite authors. Through social media and recorded interviews many authors offer fabulous advice on writing that are useful for writers of all ages. If you are a teacher, you can use the interviews in your classroom in the context of your creative writing curriculum. If the author is one of your favorites and you would like to share something about why you like that author’s books, please leave a comment. Interview with Author Kate Milford I have always been a big fan of Kate Milford’s books, and so when I heard she had a new …Read More Author Interview: James Ponti, author of the City Spies books, speaks with blogger Thee Editor’s Note: Recently, Stone Soup blogger Thee Sim Ling reached out to us to ask if she could arrange an …Read More Author Interview: Damian Dibben, author The History Keepers, talks to blogger Madeline Sornson Recently Stone Soup blogger and book reviewer Madeline Sornson had the opportunity to read The History Keepers by Damian Dibben, …Read More Author Interview: Alexis Fajardo, author of Kid Beowulf, talks to blogger Mirembe Mirembe Mubanda, one of our young bloggers, recently got the chance to read Alexis E. Fajardo’s graphic novel Kid Beowulf: …Read More Author Interview: Patricia Newman, author of Plastic Ahoy! talks to Stone Soup blogger Lukas Cooke Lukas Cooke, our young blogger interested in nature and the environment, recently had the opportunity to read one of Patricia …Read More Interview and Links for Author Wendelin Van Draanen This is a wonderful interview. Its biggest strength may be Wendelin Van Draanen’s discussion of the importance of persistence. Her …Read More Interview and Web Links for Author Ransom Riggs This interview inspires two projects: write a story based on a photograph and illustrate a story with photographs. This is …Read More A Video and Internet Links for Madeleine L’Engle This is a video of an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the the publication of “A Wrinkle in Time.” Children, as …Read More Sarah Kay, Poet and Storyteller: TEDxEast Talk on Writing Sarah Kay (born 1988) is an American poet who began performing poetry at age 14. Sarah Kay specializes in spoken-word poetry. The …Read More Interview and Links for Author Renée Ahdieh A strong interview with Renée Ahdieh. The interview focus is on her writing process. • Writes books based on the theme of “choice …Read More Suzanne Collins Reading is the best preparation for writing. We are fortunate that through the internet it is possible to keep in …Read More 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 …Read More Madeleine L’Engle Talks about Letting the Book Write Itself Many authors talk about the precision with which they plot out their books, taking pride in being in full control …Read More Advice for Writers: Interviews with Rick Riordan Reading is one of the best preparations for writing. We are fortunate that through the internet it is possible to …Read More Cassandra Clare Website Wikipedia Facebook Twitter Books The Mortal Instruments (6 Books) Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy (10 Book Series) Interviews …Read More J.K. Rowling We are fortunate that through the internet it is possible to keep in touch with living authors through their blogs, …Read More
