Hola -- I had such a great time visiting Westorchard. Your school has been wonderful to have me visit six years in a row! I think you guys did a fantastic job with the story of the 600-year-old rag doll. That was fun. As for languages, well, I speak a little Greek, because that's my family background. I also speak some German, because I studied that language in school. That's about it. I am working on many new books these days. I have all kinds of news about that on this web page. Yes, I LOVE reading. It's one of my favorite things to do. If you want to write something, maybe you can start with the rag-doll story and see if you can come up with a great ending. Or, spend a day really examining everything that happens around you. The minute you see something unusual, write it down: a funny thing someone says, a strange incident. Every story involves some sort of mystery, so if you think of even a small one, that could start you on the road to a great story. So think about that incident and spin it into a story by ask some of the questions we asked in the workshop: What happens after the incident? Where does this happen? Who are the characters involved? What's the problem? Remember, you can use your imagination to take a small, real incident into different settings. You'll be turning something real into something fictional! Another way is to use pure imagination, like we did in the workshop. Think of a crazy character, like the 600-year-old rag doll. Then really think about details to make that crazy character real -- remember when someone suggested, "He's looking for a job!" That was great. We were able to imagine what would happen when that character decided to look for a job. Soon we had a fun and complex plot, with interesting and unusual characters -- just by digging in and developing an idea that came from two suggestions. Good luck, and I hope this helps!

Whew, I'm so busy these days I don't read as much as I used to -- but I make sure to read as much as I can every day! I'd recommend spending some time at a nearby library or bookstore looking at the kinds of books (or the authors) you like best. Get a pile of books and read the first couple of pages of each. At least one of those books will draw you in. Read that one. And don't forget, only two weeks till April 5!

Yes, I can understand how frustrating this must be. As I mentioned before, I have never seen a family tree that connects the Cahills person-to-person across the generations. I don't know if one even exists. So, alas, I'm not holding anything back -- I simply don't know. So sorry....

No, sorry to say I haven't read them. These days I barely have time to read much at all! But I like the idea of them very much.

Hi, there! Whew, I'm breathless just reading these! Well, some of these require too much time and space for this guestbook, and some would take part of a semester to answer, but I'll do the best I can. Without knowing details, I can't recommend how to solve the "embarrassment" problem, but try to follow the character through the day realistically and come up with a situation that grows out of that -- there are a thousand ways people can face embarrassment, from buying something in a store and realizing you don't have enough money, to being at a party and not knowing you have a piece of food stuck to your cheek, to asking an innocent question that makes someone else cry, etc., etc. I do write every day, and I don't use prompts. (My deadline is my prompt.) Yes, you should try to describe your character right away -- not for fear of your editor, but to be considerate to your readers. They need to know. It's completely up to you how your character looks. The character is fictional, so it's all from your imagination. Be as specific as you can, but try not to list characteristics. It's best if you weave them into the storytelling. I don't generally use character sheets. I'm constantly rereading my own work, so the characters stay specific in my own mind -- but character sheets are a good idea! Chapter endings are a matter of feel, of rhythm. Generally they end on a note of tension (or partial resolution). If I'm writing material with historical context, yes, research is absolutely necessary. I know my story is moving too quickly if someone reads it and says so. Or if I read it myself and it feels rushed. I endlessly edit my own pieces, of course -- that's the only way to make them better. I don't worry much about titles. Sometimes I don't even think of one until I'm finished. Sometimes I let other people think of them for me. I'm not sure what you mean by the distinction between "short story" and "narrative." A short story is a narrative. A story's length has simply to do with the complexity of the idea. Novels have many colorations and subplots, short stories not so many. The answer to the question about writing a twisty novel, alas, could fill an entire book. My most concise answer is that you need to sit down and do an outline -- think of your main idea for the story, the problem and solution, the characters, setting, etc. Dig into those characters; really know them through and through. Launch them into the plot, see how they react to the circumstances and to each other. Give them secrets. The story will grow with all kinds of twists if you know the characters and you really think hard about how they would interact in real life. Yes, I use dialogue in short stories. It's hard to write one without dialogue. As for your last question -- again, the subject of a book! But quite simply, writing a short story is the same process as writing a novel, only you keep the story line simple, and every part of it is gearing toward the finish. Think of a novel as a sweeping landscape painting, and the short story as a detailed closeup of a door.

The only thing that will sway a publisher is sales -- or the promise of a surge in future sales. So spread the word, get your friends to buy the books, let your own passion for the series guide others. Write to the publisher letting them know how you feel, and urge others to do the same. They do pay attention!

Hello, Ms. Vang! Thank you for writing. Please tell Anthony to feel free to write me c/o Scholastic, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 -- but I hope you don't mind if I make a suggestion. Perhaps he can copy the text of the letter into this guestbook. That way he can be sure of getting a timely answer, which he can print out. The reason is that I am unfortunately swamped with mail and months behind in answering. Because the guestbook is so much easier, I do answer everything pretty promptly -- so at least he will have something tangible for his class assignment! (Of course, the letter is more than welcome, but I'm just afraid I may not get back in time.) Hope that's okay and best regards to Sioux Trails Elementary!

Hi, Kenzie! So glad you enjoyed THE VIPER'S NEST! The diamond bracelet scene was one of my favorite parts to write. I hadn't planned to handle the scene that way in my outline of the plot, but the idea came to me as I was writing. That's one of the coolest things about writing a book, the unexpected ideas that hit you at the last moment! The reason there were so many writers for the series is that the books came out so quickly -- one every three or four months. Because of all the research involved, and the complicated plots, it would have been impossible for one person to have written all of them. So Scholastic decided to try something new. The editors contacted some their personal favorite writers (all people they'd worked with before) and proposed the idea of a multi-author series. That way, while one person was writing a book, the other authors would get a head start researching and writing the subsequent books. No book series had ever been done this way before, and we all felt it would be a fun idea!

Hello, Ciro! Thank you so much for this lovely message, written with the great flair of a Janus! I will look forward to hearing of your book launch someday and will be very proud to know you. Regards to the awesome 39 Clues fans of Brazil!