Hi, Kaylee!  Well, you could try three different things: (1) take a break for a week and then go back to it with a fresh mind, (2) try writing something else for awhile, and then go back to your project, or (3) try outlining the story before you go back to it — just a plan, or a kind of road map or list, where you write down all the plot points from the beginning to the end of the story.  This happens, then this, then this, etc.  If you know where you’re going, the path gets easier.
I don’t really understand the difference between a moderator and an admin.  The people at Scholastic basically set me up and I just post away.

Hi, Kaylee.  Well, when I want to make a story pop I just put it in a microwave for exactly four minutes — no, wait, that’s corn.  Sorry, this is what I get for answering Guestbook entries just before lunch.  Herre are some tips:

Know what each character wants!  This is the essence of all writing.  Every scene, every conversation, is set in motion by this.  Humor and drama come from this simple thing.  Before you write, try to figure out what each character wants in the whole story.  Then, before each scene, figure out what they want in the scene.  Some will succeed in getting what they want, some won’t.  It could be a thing or an emotional need.  You will be amazed how this will make your story come to life.
Make sure you have a strong sense of place.  A lot of young writers know in their heads where the action is taking place, but they don’t bother to describe a setting.  Sometimes a cool setting can make the action pop.
Show your characters’ personalities through what they do.  Don’t describe someone as goofy, or smart, or athletic.  Show them doing something goofy, smart, or athletic.
Know when to use dialog and when to use description.  If you find the characters are clarifying what happened in the plot, it’s a good bet your readers will lose interest.
Keep the dialog real.  Say the lines aloud to yourself.  Do they sound like something real people will say?
Whenever possible, think of unexpected twists for your plot.  But those twists must be plausible.  They must make sense or they will seem contrived.  If you always know what the characters want, and you keep your setting vivid, these possibilities will make themselves clear to you.

Thanks so much for this sweet note, Ashley!  If it were up to us authors, we would visit the Philippines in a minute, and we all appreciate the tremendous energy of our fans in your country!  But we have no control over where we’re sent on tour, alas, so your best bet would be to contact Scholastic about this.  In the meantime, enjoy your reading and thank you again for your note.  It makes my day.

Well, then, V1, I’m hmef O xsuvi Cuul 3.

Well, howdy there, Vespy.  Not sure how you broke the anti-Vesper lock on this website, but I will stand proud and announce the following: You can’t fool me, or anyone else who breaks your nefarious code!

Hi, Ariel!  The School Games — I like the title!  Well, I’m assuming that (a) you’re young and (b) you are a voracious reader.  Those are two fantastic qualifications right there, to start.  Read as much as you can.  Read what you love.  Try to figure out what your favorite authors do to make their books so vivid.  What kind of words do they use?  What words do they leave out?  Every good story has a question that is not answered until the end.  What is the question in your story?  Make it have incredibly high stakes.  The better your question, the freer you may be to craft a unique story.  Allow yourself to sketch out a plan for your story — either a rough or a detailed outline.  You don’t necessarily have to stick to it, but it will give your story a shape and make it easier for you to focus.  If you are basing it on another book, see how far you can diverge from that book.  The more original your idea, the better.  The more it comes from YOU and expresses your interests, skills, excitements, humor, etc., the more exciting it will be for you to write.  And it’s a good bet that if it’s fun for you, it will be fun for others to read.  The important thing is to keep enjoying it, keep doing it, and don’t be afraid to try out some wild ideas.  The #1 secret to becoming a good writer is practice, practice, practice.  It’s a privilege and a talent, which means you can do it your whole life and you always get better with each attempt.  So go for it!

Hi, Madelyn! Well, as a professional writer I’m used to negative criticism.  Even Shakespeare has his haters among online reviewers.  Yes, it does make you feel horrible!  If you're talking about constructive, kind criticism from someone qualified to judge, then you can use it to improve your writing.  But if you mean mockery from a peer, well, that has more to say about the mocker’s feeling of inadequacy than it does about you.  Perhaps the person envies you — although they would never admit it.  When I was younger I often kept my writing to myself, or I would show it only to people I trusted.  There's nothing wrong with that.  Of course you would like the whole world to read what you write, but maybe for awhile you need to pull back and let the wounds heal.  Soon your criticizer will move on to other things, and good riddance.

Hi, Fernanda.  Oops, sorry, you need to click the links for your answers.  (And I wish I could respond to your final question, but I don’t understand it.)

Not one person!  Not even my family.  Although I thought I saw some people giving me strange, tentative looks.  But that may have been because of the false nose and purple wig.

Hello, Ariel!  I will be going on tour in February for a new book project that I’m incredibly excited about, but I don’t yet know the itinerary.  I will post it to my website’s home page the moment I know.  I hope I get to go to Ohio; it’s one of my favorite states.  As for your second question, as you can imagine, I may actually know that information, so for me to comment on it would be a violation of my Cahill duties — and you know what can happen if I break that!