You've got the Qs
I have a question if u could have any actress play one of your characters who would it be, like Cammie's mom? If YOU, and only you, had your choice to pick who played Cammie in the movie, who would you pick. The same for Bex, Liz, and Macey?
The answer to this question varies a lot all the time. For Mr. Solomon, right now I'm loving the idea of Kyle Chandler who is great in Friday Night Lights, but seeing him as the bomb squad guy on Grey's Anatomy really sealed the deal for me. He WAS Mr. Solomon in that.
I have oodles of actresses who I can see in the role of Rachel. All the time I was writing, I admit, I had a mental picture of Famke Janssen and/or Rachel Weisz in my head for Cammie's mom.
But now I can't stop thinking about Julia Roberts!!! Or Uma Thurman. Oh my gosh! Lauren Graham!!!! I'm obsessed. Ooh! Catherine Zeta-Jones!
And Josh...well I have to go back to my Friday Night Lights addiction for Zach Gilford, aka Matt the adorable. He does cute vulnerable so well I can't help but think he'd be the perfect Josh.
For the main girls (Cammie, Bex, Liz, and Macey) I'm really the worst possible person since by the time I've heard of a teen actress she's probably already too old for the role.
The only possible exception would be that I've always really, really liked Haden Panettiere (who was in a really great made-for-TV-movie calle
d "If You Believe" about a NY book editor who finds a rough manuscript--and love--over the holiday season and this movie totally made me want to be a writer even more than I already did, so it might be kinda fitting if she were to get the role.)
Haden is pretty, though. Really, really pretty. And I kinda think she'd have a hard time being "invisible." But Hollywood makeup artists can do anything, right?
How do you figure out the names for your characters? Like when did you decide Cammie should be called Cammie.
I knew the main girl was going to be "the chameleon" and I'm such a sucker for alleteration that I picked the first "C" name I thought of--Cammie--and it was perfect from the get-go. It absolutely stuck.
As for Bex, I heard the name as a nickname for Rebecca once and it stuck with me. Like Cammie, Bex was always Bex. I really like that she has this classic and beautiful name (because she is a classically beautiful girl) and yet she chooses to go by something edgier. That's Bex in a nutshell.
Liz, I admit, was named after my sister's neighbor. She too is very, very tiny. And sweet.
Macey....um. No idea where that one came from either. Macey McHenry was always just Macey McHenry.
I don't make this stuff up, folks. I just write it down.
Do you outline your stories before you write them? If you do, what sort of outline do you use?
Not really. I've tried everything under the sun--outlines, detailed synopses,, you name it. But the problem for me is that everything tends to sound good in theory. I won't know if it's working or not until I get there.
I do, however, still storyboard. Storyboarding is a screenwriting concept where you write scenes on cards (or in my case big Post-It notes) and line them up in order that they'd happen in the movie. I do this for everything I write. I've never stuck with one 100% though. Still, it's good to get ideas down and stick them on the wall before you forget them.
Okay, if you could go back and change something about LYKY, is there anything that comes to mind, and if so what (and why)?
I'd probably rewrite every page if someone would give me the chance--not because it's bad or I don't like it but because ALL writers never stop writing. When I do readings at events I never read it the way it is on the page--I always change the wording. I'll probably ALWAYS change the wording. It's my cross to bear.
Lately I've been seeing a lot of people online who don't like the ending of LYKY, and I have to say that despite that I would never, ever, ever change the ending. That is the CORRECT ending. Anything else would have been made up and it's my job to write the truest fiction possible.
That is the only way that book could end, for me. I know a lot of you would like the "riding off into the sunset" moment where everything is perfect.
But seriously? Where's the fun in that?
More Qs and some As
In terms of story line, do you just start writing and let the characters dictate what story they will tell, or do you have clear milestones mapped out and then figure out how the characters will get there?
Both. I think. Story always comes from character in my opinion. You change the character you change the story. (After all, can you imagine The Wizard of Oz if Dorothy had been a street-smart bully?) But in terms of mapping things out ahead of time I write best when I know generally what's going to happen--I know the story--but I don't always know the scenes, or the individual steps the story will take.
What does Cammie look like exactly? is she tall, average, brunette, blonde?
Cammie is average. In every way average. She's the chameleon, remember? She's not too tall, too short, too chubby, too thin, too anything. I think she's probably got light brown hair eyes that change color depending on what she's wearing. She is, however, prettier than she probably gives herself credit for (but who wouldn't feel ugly next to Macey or boring next to Bex or fat next to Liz?)
Who are friends of yours that are well known ya authors?
Unfortunately, I don't live in an area where there are a lot of fun YA authors who get together and write and make wacky videos. However, I have met some great writers at conferences and such and I still keep in touch via email with some.
But friends? Well, I don't know about you, but for me friendship has always been a really fickle thing (probably because I'm someone who tends to have a LOT of acquaintances and very few people calling to see if I want to do something Friday night.)
Anyway, I do know some amazingly cool YA authors, and I think I can best sum it up "the friendship paradigm" by thinking of the literary community like a high school...
I probably eat lunch with Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Maggie Marr (we read each others' work and listen when we need to gripe. And also talk about boys.)
I'd like to think that I'd be invited to any parties E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, Alan Gratz, Sara Zarr, and Tara Altebrando might be throwing.
John Green has a locker near mine and always says hello when he sees me.
Meg Cabot mentioned me once on her message boards so it's very much like finding out the head cheerleader knows my name.
Jenny O'Connell, Mari Mancusi, Kelly Parra and I all have the same agent, so I think that makes us cousins.
And Megan Shull sent me a Cornell T-Shirt, gourmet coffee, and autographed books once, so that was kind of like having the hippest girl in school come up to you and say, "Wow! You always look so cute!" And then you say, "No YOU always look so cute!" And that feels good for a long time.
And then there are the people who I've met, and who I TOTALLY remember meeting, but I highly doubt they remember meeting me...
Like how S.E. Hinton asked me to autograph a book for her once!
And one time, I got to ride in a limo with and get kissed on the cheek by Eoin Colfer!!!!! (Who is very European that way.)
And at BEA someone introduced me to Libba Bray and Holly Black and Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson and Bobby Kennedy, Jr. and Gail Carson Levine and a bunch of other people who are pretty much rock stars....but I highly doubt they remember me.
And then there are the people I don't know and have never met and yet I FEEL like I know them. Like Sarah Dessen. And Stephenie Meyer. And also Jennifer Garner (who isn't a YA author, and yet I feel so much like I know her because there are people who are related to me who are very close friends with people who are related to her, so I'm going to include her anyway.)
Do you like the Twilight books? are those the ones you were talking about when you said you and your agent agreed you didn't like them?
Yes, I really really like the Twilight books. (I have Eclipse but haven't had a chance to read it yet.)
But no, I'm not going to tell you what book it was my editor and I didnt' care for because...well...it's mean. And unfair. And I don't want to insult authors who are probably very, very nice people and whose work is probably justifiably beloved by lots of adoring readers.
My opinion is just my opinion. I'll talk about books I really like because I want to spread the good word, but I'm not going to spread the bad.
Have you ever thought about doing a "book tour"-esque thing where you visit some big cities to do signings and talk to people? I know that tons of people would love it. you should definitely come to Cleveland if you do ;)
Yes, I've absolutely thought about it (I think all writers d0), but the truth is that tours are probably a lot more fun in theory than they are in practice and unless you're a huge mega-star like Stephenie Meyer or Meg Cabot chances are there will only be two or three people who will come see you. And that makes you sad.
So while I do think it would be incredibly fun to go around and meet tons of you guys I'm probably more scared that there wouldn't be many of you, so I haven't toured.
I will be doing events, though...
Like the big LAUNCH PARTY on Oct. 2, 2007 at 7:00 at the Barnes and Noble on 41st Street in Tulsa.
And the Kansas Book Festival on Oct. 5th in Wichita.
And the Midwest Booksellers Association meeting on Oct. 7.
And I think I'll be doing something at the Manhattan, KS public library sometime in October as well (stay tuned for details).
So thanks for the great question. Touring is something I'd like to do eventually, and when that happens I'll let the whole world know--especially the good folks in Cleveland!
THANKS!!
Ally
--more questions?