YA Fresh

R. L. Stine 'N Me

R.L. Stine is announcing a new line of books for young readers through Scholastic Books called "Goosebumps HorrorLand."


I don't know this because I follow his career closely, but because of an interview on National Public Radio.

And I don't know that because I listen to NPR with great regularity, but because a family member heard the program and called me, and told me to find the transcript on the Internet, because there was something in it that would really interest me. So I did. And immediately, I understood why. Here is a paragraph from that transcript:

Stine's writing process is a little different from most authors; he says he begins with the title and figures out the rest from there. If he can't think of a title for a story he has in mind, he says,"I just throw away the idea."

OMG--that's me! That's how I work!

As Kelly can vouch, for me, the title comes first. Then I try to create the story that the title "tells me." For instance, I came up with the title, The ABC's of Kissing Boys, while watching a local Christmas parade.

Later, I e-mailed her. She thought it would fly, and then I had to try to figure out WHY a girl needed to learn about kissing, what she had to gain, and just as importantly, what she had to lose. I went through many plot variations, characters and opening chapters until it finally felt "right." (That book sold and hits shelves on January 13th.)

Conversely, like Mr. Stine, I have had sudden scenarios strike me that I simply couldn't bring to life without a good title.

So yeah...huh...R. L. Stine and me!

I couldn't be more thrilled to be in the esteemed company of one of the Young Adult world's most prolific and successful authors. Now if only I had as many ideas and could write as fast...