How do you know which ideas to trust?
Katie McGarry: I am character-driven. My plot comes after I figure out who my characters are. It's when you can't wait to go to the computer and see what those ideas are.
Gennifer Choldenko: Sometimes the most persistent idea is the idea that I follow. I know that ideas are not valid until I try them out. I will go with whatever direction is hitting me then because I know that slowly I start focusing more.
Robert Blake: I basically go on location and ask people what is the coolest thing that happened to you? I am never without a sketchbook and I write down what they tell me. It's a mess, and I love that mess...then I start the organization process and I throw out the junk.
Amanda Driscoll: Most of the time a really good idea comes to me really suddenly.
Ruta Sepetys: I ask how secret is this - then I go to my agent and run the idea by him. I workshop the idea with my agent and if my publisher says yes we are interested, then we do it. I do a team approach.
Kristin Tubb: I have no clue. I just write and it usually takes me 50 or 100 pages whether I know for sure if it's a book that is worth finishing. For the most part, the answer is no. The next stage is to take it to my agent.
Do you journal?
Katie: Maybe in like ten years!
Gennifer: In some ways, but I don't actually journal about the character because I find that when I do and then I put them on the page they are not remotely like each other.
Blake: Once the book starts, all the inherent logic I create is in my sketchbook....there are notes about each character.
Amanda: I journal a little bit - it's about half sketch and half words. I usually keep a notepad in my purse....
Ruta: I have a project journal for every book I work on.
Kristin: I keep a vocabulary list for every single book that I work on. I think it helps me make them [characters] a little more three-dimensional. I also keep Pinterest boards for every project.
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