1 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:28,960 anyone can be a good writer. I think 2 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:32,160 people are natural storytellers. 3 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:34,160 Everyone wants to know what happens 4 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:37,160 next. 5 00:00:55,199 --> 00:00:58,239 I have this one bit of advice 6 00:00:58,239 --> 00:01:01,120 which I I really believe it's really 7 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:04,320 worked for me and I think it's very 8 00:01:04,320 --> 00:01:06,640 important for writers. You don't have to 9 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:10,000 be afraid of writing. It's not scary. 10 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:11,680 Don't listen to all these people who 11 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,720 talk about how hard writing is. It's not 12 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:16,960 hard. You don't want to make it seem 13 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:19,200 like it's some something that's 14 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,759 complicated, something that you have to 15 00:01:21,759 --> 00:01:24,400 work at, something that has to come from 16 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,360 deep inside you. It doesn't. You can 17 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:29,920 just write for fun. Why Why do you have 18 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,079 to write from your heart? You know, the 19 00:01:32,079 --> 00:01:36,240 truth is I've written maybe 330 books 20 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:38,320 and I haven't written a single one for 21 00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:41,439 my heart. Not one. 22 00:01:41,439 --> 00:01:44,479 I'm RL Stein and this is my master 23 00:01:44,479 --> 00:01:47,479 class. 1 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,759 Every author, their most asked question 2 00:00:15,759 --> 00:00:18,720 is, "Where do you get your ideas?" 3 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,439 Everyone asks it. Adults ask it, kids 4 00:00:21,439 --> 00:00:24,560 ask it, reporters ask it. Where do you 5 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:28,480 get your ideas? I'd say maybe twothirds 6 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:32,000 of my fan mail starts out like this. 7 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,680 Dear RL Stein, our teacher is forcing us 8 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:38,719 to write to an author. I chose you. 9 00:00:38,719 --> 00:00:42,079 Where do you get your ideas? And I have 10 00:00:42,079 --> 00:00:44,960 to say in all honesty, I can't tell you 11 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:48,879 how to get ideas. I can't. Other authors 12 00:00:48,879 --> 00:00:51,520 I know people will say, well, why don't 13 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:53,520 you start by asking yourself the 14 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:57,039 question, what if? What if this happens? 15 00:00:57,039 --> 00:00:59,760 But that doesn't that's not an idea. You 16 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:01,440 have to have an idea to answer the 17 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:04,320 question. And I I can't I can't tell you 18 00:01:04,320 --> 00:01:06,880 how to get ideas, but I can tell you how 19 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,320 to go about getting ideas. I can tell 20 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:14,880 you how to stay alert for ideas. And 21 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,240 it's just a matter of thinking in the 22 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,799 right ways and 23 00:01:20,799 --> 00:01:24,159 staying alert and keeping yourself open 24 00:01:24,159 --> 00:01:28,479 and watching for ideas. For a long time 25 00:01:28,479 --> 00:01:31,439 I used to go to schools and I would say 26 00:01:31,439 --> 00:01:35,680 well there you can go to the idea store. 27 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:37,840 That's where I get my ideas. I get my 28 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:41,600 ideas at the idea store and there are 29 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:44,320 three different departments in the idea 30 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:47,680 store. There's experience, 31 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,960 memory, and imagination. 32 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:52,960 And those are the three departments you 33 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:58,880 can go to to find ideas. And actually, 34 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,040 I mean, I made up, you know, idea store. 35 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,479 It's ridiculous. But those three things 36 00:02:04,479 --> 00:02:10,520 are the way to get to lead you to ideas. 37 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:17,440 Being alert is so important. I was 38 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:19,680 taking a walk in my neighborhood. It was 39 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,640 walking up West End Avenue in New York 40 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:25,280 and it was after school time and a boy 41 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,160 walked by with his mother 42 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:31,520 and just as I passed the boy said to his 43 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,160 mother, "I'm the only boy in my class 44 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,680 who can color inside the lines." 45 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:39,440 And I thought, "Wow, I haven't thought 46 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,480 about that in so long. the whole idea of 47 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,760 having to color inside the lines. And 48 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,560 I've just thought about that that heard 49 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,599 the voice, what the boy said. And I went 50 00:02:51,599 --> 00:02:53,519 home and I wrote a story. It actually 51 00:02:53,519 --> 00:02:56,400 became like a little radio play on my 52 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:00,239 website called um How to Color a 53 00:03:00,239 --> 00:03:02,000 Monster. 54 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,159 And it was about some kids who start 55 00:03:04,159 --> 00:03:07,440 coloring a monster coloring book. And if 56 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,680 they go outside the lines, the monster 57 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,800 will come to life. But I I'm telling 58 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,400 this just as an example of how you can 59 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:18,640 you can get an idea just from anything, 60 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:21,200 from any brief moment. You just have to 61 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,239 be alert to it. One day I was in the 62 00:03:24,239 --> 00:03:26,959 airport in Los Angeles and I was 63 00:03:26,959 --> 00:03:30,000 watching a family say goodbye to their 64 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,920 kid, their son. He was nine or 10 years 65 00:03:33,920 --> 00:03:35,440 old 66 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:37,680 and he was flying by himself for the 67 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:40,879 first time and the parents were really 68 00:03:40,879 --> 00:03:42,720 nervous. They were hugging him and 69 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,360 kissing him and saying, "You'll be okay. 70 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:48,799 You'll be fine." He was kid was fine. He 71 00:03:48,799 --> 00:03:50,959 was perfectly okay, but they were very 72 00:03:50,959 --> 00:03:53,920 nervous. And finally, he turned to go to 73 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,239 the gate to get on the plane. And as he 74 00:03:56,239 --> 00:03:59,200 did that, his father handed him a white 75 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,040 envelope 76 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,159 and he walked off and went onto the 77 00:04:04,159 --> 00:04:06,879 plane. And I'm watching this whole thing 78 00:04:06,879 --> 00:04:10,640 and suddenly I'm thinking, what if 79 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:13,680 he gets on the plane, he sits down, he 80 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:17,199 opens the envelope, he takes out a note, 81 00:04:17,199 --> 00:04:20,959 and it says, "We are not your parents." 82 00:04:20,959 --> 00:04:23,440 How that I that just came to me. I don't 83 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:25,199 know, you know, why why would I think 84 00:04:25,199 --> 00:04:27,440 that, but 85 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:29,840 just from something that I that I 86 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:32,479 watched and I used that in a Goosebumps 87 00:04:32,479 --> 00:04:35,199 book actually. Uh it's a very scary 88 00:04:35,199 --> 00:04:37,040 moment in a book called Curse of the 89 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:40,520 Mummy's Tomb. 90 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,000 The other department in the idea store 91 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,280 that I talk about is memory. You can 92 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:53,520 think back to things that will inspire 93 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:55,520 you. Think back to things that will give 94 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:59,040 you some kind of spark of an idea. I 95 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,160 when we were kids, my brother and I, I 96 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:04,479 we used to we were worried my parents 97 00:05:04,479 --> 00:05:06,400 would go out and then maybe they'd be 98 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:08,960 late coming back and we'd worry about 99 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:10,960 it. We thought, gee, where are they? 100 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,039 It's like, you know, we were nervous 101 00:05:13,039 --> 00:05:16,960 where they were out. And and um I had 102 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:19,600 this idea. I mean, what if parents go 103 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,039 out and then they never come back? 104 00:05:23,039 --> 00:05:26,000 They're just gone. And I wrote this Fear 105 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,120 Street book called Missing where these 106 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,280 two teenagers are home and their parents 107 00:05:31,280 --> 00:05:34,240 are just gone. And at first they 108 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,720 celebrate. They have a big party. 109 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:38,560 They're real happy about it. But the 110 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,240 next day, the parents still don't come 111 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:42,800 back and they still don't and then they 112 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:45,680 call their office to find out where they 113 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:48,080 are. and the people at work have never 114 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:50,639 heard of them. 115 00:05:50,639 --> 00:05:52,800 They don't know who they are. They don't 116 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:54,800 know who their parents are and they're 117 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:57,120 gone. And that just came from 118 00:05:57,120 --> 00:05:59,759 remembering having this childhood memory 119 00:05:59,759 --> 00:06:02,000 of being nervous about parents being 120 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,479 gone. Let me think of another memory 121 00:06:04,479 --> 00:06:07,840 example. Uh my dad had on his front 122 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:10,800 lawn, he had these hideous lawn gnomes. 123 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:13,360 These made out of they were clay lawn. I 124 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:15,600 don't know what they were. Porcelain. 125 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:17,600 They were hideous and he loved them. He 126 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:19,919 had like three of them and they were so 127 00:06:19,919 --> 00:06:22,560 ugly and I just remember that years 128 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,039 later I remembered these things and I 129 00:06:25,039 --> 00:06:27,440 wrote Attack of the Lawn Gnomes, a 130 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:29,919 Goosebumps book about lawn gnomes who 131 00:06:29,919 --> 00:06:33,360 come to life at night. So you I you just 132 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:35,199 have to you have to be alert to these 133 00:06:35,199 --> 00:06:38,199 memories. 134 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,280 The third department in the idea store 135 00:06:45,280 --> 00:06:47,280 is imagination. 136 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:49,039 And you're going to use this more than 137 00:06:49,039 --> 00:06:51,039 anything. I I I have to say one thing 138 00:06:51,039 --> 00:06:53,600 people always say to me, do you you must 139 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,000 get a lot of ideas in your dreams. You 140 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,840 must have great dreams. And I say I 141 00:06:59,840 --> 00:07:02,160 would say this to writers, don't rely on 142 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,280 your dreams. I have never had an idea 143 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:08,880 from a dream. Never. Not once. And I 144 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:10,720 have I have well I have the most boring 145 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:13,199 dreams you can imagine. One night I 146 00:07:13,199 --> 00:07:16,880 dreamed I was making a bologn sandwich. 147 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:19,520 Really? It was I got out the white bread 148 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:21,840 then I got the baloney. This was like an 149 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:24,800 exciting dream for me. I've never had 150 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:27,280 never had an idea for dreams. So I I 151 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:28,880 don't you know I just don't recommend 152 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:32,080 that. But I was walking my dog in the 153 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,039 park and this is where the imagination 154 00:07:35,039 --> 00:07:37,360 part comes in. And I it's very hard to 155 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:40,000 explain, but if you open yourself up to 156 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,720 these things, I I think this is going to 157 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:44,800 happen to you. I'm walking my dog in 158 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:47,199 Riverside Park in New York, and these 159 00:07:47,199 --> 00:07:50,639 words flash into my mind. Say cheese and 160 00:07:50,639 --> 00:07:52,240 die. 161 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:54,560 Why? I mean, where where did that come 162 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:57,440 from? I have no idea. Say cheese and 163 00:07:57,440 --> 00:07:59,280 die. I'm thinking about it. Thinking 164 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:03,120 about it. I know it's a good title. 165 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:06,160 And so I think I then it just leads me 166 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:08,639 to think what if there is an evil 167 00:08:08,639 --> 00:08:11,759 camera? What if some kids discover the 168 00:08:11,759 --> 00:08:15,360 evil camera? What if the camera takes 169 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:18,240 pictures of things that happen, bad 170 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:21,199 things that happen in the future? What 171 00:08:21,199 --> 00:08:23,039 would happen then? And that's how that 172 00:08:23,039 --> 00:08:25,599 book developed. It just came from 173 00:08:25,599 --> 00:08:29,639 nowhere, I think. 174 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:35,680 I haven't never really figured out why 175 00:08:35,680 --> 00:08:38,959 did I like writing so much. Why? I was n 176 00:08:38,959 --> 00:08:41,360 years old. Why would I shut myself up in 177 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:44,080 my room and be typing and typing these 178 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:46,160 stories and writing? Why did I like it 179 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:48,560 so much? And I've given it a lot of 180 00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:51,120 thought and I think I grew up feeling 181 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:53,120 like an outsider and I always thought 182 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:56,720 maybe that's one reason why I would 183 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:58,800 wanted to write. I would I was like on 184 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,360 the sidelines. I was an outsider. I was 185 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,760 like observing. I could watch them and 186 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,320 see them, you know, and I would be in my 187 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:08,959 room and I I think I would be creating 188 00:09:08,959 --> 00:09:11,279 the world. I would be creating people. I 189 00:09:11,279 --> 00:09:13,920 would be I would be in charge. I'd be 190 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:17,040 part of it. And that's that's that's the 191 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:19,680 appeal of writing anyway. Whether you 192 00:09:19,680 --> 00:09:21,600 feel like you're an outsider in the real 193 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,480 world or not, the appeal of writing is 194 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:26,320 that you're here creating your own 195 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:28,720 universe and you can control people and 196 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:30,640 you can make them funny or you can scare 197 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:32,720 them and you can do all this. It's in 198 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,200 your head and it's on paper and it's on 199 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,640 the screen and you're building your own 200 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:42,560 world. It's a wonderful thing. 1 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:14,320 If you want to write and you want to get 2 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:15,839 ideas, 3 00:00:15,839 --> 00:00:18,080 um, you have to use everything. You have 4 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:21,439 to be alert and open to everything. 5 00:00:21,439 --> 00:00:23,359 Everything you read, everything you 6 00:00:23,359 --> 00:00:27,039 listen to, everything it you have to 7 00:00:27,039 --> 00:00:30,080 allow these things to inspire you. 8 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,600 When I was a kid, um, some of the early 9 00:00:33,600 --> 00:00:37,200 TV shows have inspired my writing a lot. 10 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,000 And of course, all those 1950s horror 11 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,480 films are, 12 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:44,800 you know, most of you can recognize them 13 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:48,320 in Goosebumps. Uh, when we were kids, my 14 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,559 brother and I used to go see a horror 15 00:00:50,559 --> 00:00:54,079 movie every Saturday afternoon. They had 16 00:00:54,079 --> 00:00:56,480 Tom and Jerry cartoons and then a horror 17 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:59,760 movie every Saturday. And we saw all the 18 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,760 films. The beast from 20,000 fathoms, 19 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,640 the creature from the black lagoon, it 20 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,119 walks among us, the brain that wouldn't 21 00:01:09,119 --> 00:01:12,799 die, it came from beneath the sea, all 22 00:01:12,799 --> 00:01:14,720 these great titles. And you I think you 23 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,040 can recognize some of them as Goosebumps 24 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,159 titles because most Goosebumps titles 25 00:01:20,159 --> 00:01:22,799 are sort of like 50s horror movies. But 26 00:01:22,799 --> 00:01:25,360 I, you know, I remember these films from 27 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:28,000 my childhood. I remember them. And then 28 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:30,799 you can like borrow the germ of an idea 29 00:01:30,799 --> 00:01:33,360 from it and you can take it and adapt it 30 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,079 in your own way. I was a huge Twilight 31 00:01:36,079 --> 00:01:39,200 Zone fan. Rod Serling is a big big hero 32 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,840 of mine and I know a lot of Goosebump 33 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:43,920 stories have come from, you know, 34 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:46,399 without even intending it have come from 35 00:01:46,399 --> 00:01:49,600 my memory of Twilight Zone episodes that 36 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:53,439 I watched back in the day. And I this is 37 00:01:53,439 --> 00:01:56,240 a great way for uh to to a very 38 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:00,079 important way I think to get inspiration 39 00:02:00,079 --> 00:02:02,320 um just from all the things that you 40 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:06,439 read and the things you love. 41 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:13,680 A good title is a real attention grabber 42 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,800 that doesn't give anything away. 43 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,680 Doesn't really tell you what anything. 44 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,040 It just it it establishes a little bit 45 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,360 about the book. I did a Fear Street book 46 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:30,319 called Give Me a K. Give me a K I L. 47 00:02:30,319 --> 00:02:32,560 So, you know, it's a cheerleader book 48 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:35,120 and you know someone's going to die, but 49 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:36,879 that's it. It's an attention getter. 50 00:02:36,879 --> 00:02:39,120 That's all. It tells you a little bit of 51 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,360 the premise, a little bit about what 52 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:43,280 you're going to get, but it doesn't 53 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,120 really tell you anything. I have to 54 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:47,760 admit that I, you know, I've written so 55 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,239 many books now that I don't really try 56 00:02:50,239 --> 00:02:53,360 to think of ideas anymore. I I never try 57 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,000 to think of ideas. I only think of 58 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,040 titles. I had this great title that I 59 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:03,040 loved. It was a little shop of hamsters. 60 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,640 It's a great title, right? But I, you 61 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:08,800 know, how then I'm thinking, how do you 62 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:11,360 make hamsters scary? That's the 63 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,360 challenge. And so I'm thinking, well, 64 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,080 what if there's a giant hamster? Or what 65 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,239 if there are a thousand hamsters? And 66 00:03:18,239 --> 00:03:20,319 what if a boy is trapped in a place, 67 00:03:20,319 --> 00:03:23,360 some place with a thousand hamsters or 68 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,480 something, but that all my books now 69 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:28,879 come from titles. I just think of the 70 00:03:28,879 --> 00:03:30,959 title and then work out the story from 71 00:03:30,959 --> 00:03:33,120 there. I know that's backward for most 72 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,840 authors. Most authors get an idea for 73 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,319 story, they start to write, later on 74 00:03:38,319 --> 00:03:40,799 they think of the title. But I always 75 00:03:40,799 --> 00:03:43,280 have the title first. Always start with 76 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:45,840 the title and it leads me to another 77 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,879 story. Um there's a book I want to write 78 00:03:48,879 --> 00:03:50,400 that they won't let me write called 79 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:54,000 Morons from Mars. I love that title. And 80 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,480 I submitted it to my editor, Morons from 81 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:58,560 Mars. And he said, "I'm really sorry. We 82 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:00,799 can't do it. It might offend the 83 00:04:00,799 --> 00:04:02,799 morons." 84 00:04:02,799 --> 00:04:06,640 And so I I have but I use that title. 85 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:08,879 And then from that title you get like a 86 00:04:08,879 --> 00:04:11,360 German idea. What if these really dumb 87 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,799 people came down from Mars? And then you 88 00:04:14,799 --> 00:04:17,440 build from that you you then you ask 89 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,680 what if. What if once you have that 90 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:21,759 basic thing you say what if this 91 00:04:21,759 --> 00:04:23,840 happened? What if that happened? And 92 00:04:23,840 --> 00:04:26,560 that's how you grow the story from you 93 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:29,520 get some little nugget some title some 94 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:32,479 basic idea and then grow the story from 95 00:04:32,479 --> 00:04:34,800 that. Are you I think if you're just 96 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:36,960 open to any experience that you're 97 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:39,680 having, if you just you have to have 98 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,320 this kind of just vision of seeing 99 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:44,400 things and thinking, "Oh, good. That'll 100 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:46,960 be a good title. Oh, that'll be you have 101 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,120 to be thinking about it all the time." 102 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,919 Um, I was in a a Walmart, which was a 103 00:04:51,919 --> 00:04:54,400 rare experience for me. I was down in 104 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:56,240 Florida because we don't have Walmart in 105 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:58,400 New York. I don't have it. And I'm 106 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,880 walking around. It was Halloween time. 107 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:02,639 And there was they were selling 108 00:05:02,639 --> 00:05:06,639 costumes, kids costumes. And on the wall 109 00:05:06,639 --> 00:05:10,400 was a sign. It said mostly ghostly. 110 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:13,120 I just stared at it. What a great title 111 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,880 for a book series. And that became that 112 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,520 became a book series. I I it came from a 113 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:22,080 wall in Walmart. That's where the idea 114 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:26,440 came from. Mostly ghostly. 115 00:05:30,479 --> 00:05:34,479 Sometimes you might want to start with a 116 00:05:34,479 --> 00:05:36,479 topic, 117 00:05:36,479 --> 00:05:39,280 not start with a title, not start with 118 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:42,080 an idea, not start I, you know, I have 119 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:44,720 to write just about every year I have to 120 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,360 write a Halloween book. 121 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:49,840 So I find myself I've done, you know, 122 00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:52,560 I've done a lot of Halloween books. I've 123 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:54,960 done haunted pumpkins and haunted houses 124 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:57,919 and haunted masks and haunted costumes 125 00:05:57,919 --> 00:05:59,919 and I've done 126 00:05:59,919 --> 00:06:02,639 um creatures from outer space coming 127 00:06:02,639 --> 00:06:05,840 down at Halloween time. I've done all 128 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:08,800 every Halloween day. But you know, so 129 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:10,639 but when I want to think of how to do 130 00:06:10,639 --> 00:06:13,360 that, I sit down and say, "Oh, another 131 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,160 Halloween book. Okay, Halloween. What is 132 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,360 it?" Um trickor treat. They trick or 133 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,440 what is going to happen? everyone's in 134 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:24,240 costume trick or treat or some some 135 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:26,400 summers they'll say well we need a 136 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:29,120 summer camp book 137 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:32,000 okay we need a camp book so but this is 138 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,639 a good way to you know to narrow your 139 00:06:34,639 --> 00:06:37,440 thinking down and say okay I'm going to 140 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,000 do a camp book now what is there about 141 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,120 camp that would be scary or what is 142 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,600 there about camp that would be fun for 143 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:49,120 kids and of course there's a lot 144 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,199 uh the camp first camp book I ever wrote 145 00:06:51,199 --> 00:06:54,400 was called Welcome to Camp Nightmare and 146 00:06:54,400 --> 00:06:56,800 it was based on my son's camp because I 147 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,479 hated his camp. It was terrible. It was 148 00:06:58,479 --> 00:07:01,440 a real low rent camp. They had like one 149 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:05,199 leaky canoe and they had archery had 150 00:07:05,199 --> 00:07:07,440 archery but they had one arrow so you'd 151 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:09,039 shoot the arrow and then you'd have to 152 00:07:09,039 --> 00:07:11,599 chase it into the woods and and bring it 153 00:07:11,599 --> 00:07:14,160 back. He loved it of course but I turned 154 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,199 that into welcome to camp nightmare. But 155 00:07:17,199 --> 00:07:19,599 uh and that that just started the whole 156 00:07:19,599 --> 00:07:21,440 book came about because I wanted to 157 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:23,919 write a camp book and you know there are 158 00:07:23,919 --> 00:07:26,479 all these other topics you can just 159 00:07:26,479 --> 00:07:28,319 figure out a topic and then start 160 00:07:28,319 --> 00:07:30,400 thinking about that. It's another way of 161 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:34,840 thinking about getting ideas. 162 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,759 You don't need a dozen ideas. 163 00:07:41,759 --> 00:07:44,000 You don't I I've seen other authors talk 164 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:46,319 about how they keep a card file with 165 00:07:46,319 --> 00:07:48,720 ideas or they keep I don't carry a 166 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,000 notebook around. I don't I I I do one 167 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,840 idea at a time. I only do one I do one 168 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,120 book at a time and I don't think about 169 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:01,120 the others. You know what else is coming 170 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:05,440 up. I you you don't need five ideas or 171 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:07,840 you don't need a whole book of ideas. 172 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:10,400 You only need one idea. You just need 173 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,680 one story. So I if I get an idea, I'm 174 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:15,520 thrilled. I just I remember it. I go 175 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:17,840 home. I start making notes about it. But 176 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:20,240 I don't keep a notebook of ideas or I 177 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:23,680 have nothing in advance. Nothing. Also, 178 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:25,759 I think that's one way, you know, keep 179 00:08:25,759 --> 00:08:28,720 things fresh. 1 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:14,880 Let's talk a little bit about how you 2 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:16,880 get to the point of developing your 3 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,680 outline, how you go from idea to 4 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:23,279 outline. I did a a Goosebumps book that 5 00:00:23,279 --> 00:00:25,760 people don't mention that much, but it's 6 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:27,519 actually one of my favorites. It's 7 00:00:27,519 --> 00:00:31,039 called Attack of the Mutant 8 00:00:31,039 --> 00:00:34,079 and it's about a boy who is a comic book 9 00:00:34,079 --> 00:00:37,600 fan and there's a superhero that he 10 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,960 really likes. He is named the Masked 11 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,040 Mutant 12 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,719 and one day he's reading the comic book 13 00:00:46,719 --> 00:00:49,680 and he finds that he's in it. He's a 14 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,320 character in the comic book 15 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:54,719 and he's just he can't believe what's 16 00:00:54,719 --> 00:00:57,199 going on here. why is he a character in 17 00:00:57,199 --> 00:01:00,879 the comic book? And he goes, it the 18 00:01:00,879 --> 00:01:03,920 comic book is printed. It's made in his 19 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,439 hometown. And so he works up his courage 20 00:01:07,439 --> 00:01:12,000 and he takes the bus to the comic book 21 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,400 company. And when he walks in, he walks 22 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,840 through this light beam that's red, 23 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:23,920 blue, and yellow. And it zaps him. and 24 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:26,240 he's then he's in the comic book. He's 25 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,680 in a comic book world and he's suddenly 26 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:33,280 he's the sidekick to this hero that he's 27 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:35,759 read about and now here he is trapped in 28 00:01:35,759 --> 00:01:38,000 another world which is really exciting 29 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:39,840 to him but horrifying and he's in 30 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,079 horrible danger. How could this happen 31 00:01:42,079 --> 00:01:45,920 to him? And this story just started. I I 32 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,240 love comic books. I when especially when 33 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,439 I was a kid and was just thinking about 34 00:01:51,439 --> 00:01:53,680 comic books. I hadn't done a goosebumps 35 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,720 about comic books and I had the title 36 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,240 Attack of the Mutant and I just the very 37 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,040 first thing I thought was what if you're 38 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:04,960 reading something and you find that 39 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,000 you're in it. That was the start. So I 40 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,399 write that down. And then I had some 41 00:02:10,399 --> 00:02:13,760 scenes of what the superhero would be 42 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:17,040 like, what what what his powers would be 43 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,480 or what he would look like or and so I 44 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:22,560 wrote that down. That was next. And then 45 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:24,480 I had to figure out a villain. Who is 46 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,360 the archeneemy? Who is the villain here? 47 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:29,520 And I wrote that down and just just I'm 48 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:31,760 just thinking thinking and no story yet. 49 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:33,840 No story at all. just trying to get 50 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,959 these basic ideas, figuring out what's 51 00:02:36,959 --> 00:02:39,920 the conflict here and then h then I had 52 00:02:39,920 --> 00:02:42,720 to figure before I even started outline 53 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,120 how do I get the boy out of the jam 54 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,560 what's the big what's the ending here 55 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,519 and then I had so I had like couple 56 00:02:51,519 --> 00:02:53,440 pages written written just a couple 57 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,239 pages of ideas and then then I go to the 58 00:02:56,239 --> 00:02:59,680 outline and then I start to write I have 59 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,800 basic scenes I have a basic idea of the 60 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:06,319 story and I have what the characters are 61 00:03:06,319 --> 00:03:08,800 basically and then I can I can really 62 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:13,000 start to plot it. 63 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,200 The outline is usually 15 to 20 pages 64 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,720 long and it's very complete because I 65 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:24,720 know the more complete I make the 66 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:27,440 outline, the easier it will be when I 67 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:31,440 start to write the book. And so I spend 68 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:34,319 at least a week on the outline, making 69 00:03:34,319 --> 00:03:37,200 sure the story makes sense, making sure 70 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,360 I track the characters all the way 71 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:41,760 through, making sure I have good chapter 72 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,400 endings, making sure the surprises are 73 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,040 there, that there's a good middle, the 74 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,239 middle of the book doesn't sag. Um, I go 75 00:03:50,239 --> 00:03:52,400 over and over the outline. The hardest 76 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,400 thing when you you sit down to write a 77 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,680 book is is the plot is making it hang 78 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,000 together. Is making it interesting all 79 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,480 the way through. And an outline allows 80 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,040 you to see what you have and to know 81 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:07,680 where you're going. You may not you may 82 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,000 hate it. You may hate the whole thing. I 83 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,439 say I had a writer friend who did teen 84 00:04:13,439 --> 00:04:15,920 horror and she said,"I don't want to 85 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:17,919 know what happens to my characters when 86 00:04:17,919 --> 00:04:20,160 they turn the corner. I want to be 87 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:21,680 surprised. 88 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:25,360 And I just I never buy that. I a lot of 89 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:27,759 authors in interviews, they always say, 90 00:04:27,759 --> 00:04:30,080 I wait for my characters to tell me what 91 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,280 to do. I always think that's just that's 92 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:36,160 garbage. That's ridiculous. Say, "Oh, I 93 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,560 wait for my characters will tell me 94 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:40,560 which one of them will be the main 95 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,040 character, and my characters will tell 96 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:45,759 me the plot." And and I I never buy 97 00:04:45,759 --> 00:04:47,919 that. I just think that's like phony 98 00:04:47,919 --> 00:04:51,040 interview stuff that you say because you 99 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:52,720 have to you have to be in control. 100 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,440 You're you're creating this world and 101 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:58,720 creating these people. And for me to be 102 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,280 able to sit down and just do the create 103 00:05:01,280 --> 00:05:03,759 the story, create the story and have it 104 00:05:03,759 --> 00:05:06,400 in front of me when before I start to 105 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:10,000 write is totally useful. Then I can sit 106 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,199 down and just relax and write. I don't 107 00:05:13,199 --> 00:05:15,440 have to think hardly because I've done 108 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,600 all the thinking. I've done all the hard 109 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:21,039 part. And that's that's why I can write 110 00:05:21,039 --> 00:05:23,280 so many books, I think. I mean, I don't 111 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:25,759 like outlining either, but now I can't 112 00:05:25,759 --> 00:05:28,560 work without one. I have to have it. And 113 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,199 it I have my whole plan and I sit down 114 00:05:31,199 --> 00:05:34,840 and enjoy the writing. 115 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,840 I was in a school once and I answering 116 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:44,560 kids questions and generally kids 117 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:46,479 questions are are the same every 118 00:05:46,479 --> 00:05:48,320 everywhere I go. What's your favorite 119 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:50,720 book you've written? What's what's your 120 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:52,960 scariest book? You know, where do you 121 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,000 get your ideas? And but a kid raised his 122 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:57,840 hand and he said, "Would you say your 123 00:05:57,840 --> 00:05:59,919 books are plot driven or character 124 00:05:59,919 --> 00:06:02,560 driven?" And I sort of stood there. I 125 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:04,319 was a little stunned because no one had 126 00:06:04,319 --> 00:06:06,720 ever asked me that before. But I 127 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:09,039 realized that my you my these books, the 128 00:06:09,039 --> 00:06:11,440 Goosebumps books and the Fear Street 129 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:13,840 books and most all the books I write are 130 00:06:13,840 --> 00:06:16,960 all plot driven. They're all just, you 131 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:19,120 know, what happens next? What happens 132 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:23,600 next? And um that's but that's that's 133 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:25,440 the style of it. I think if you want to 134 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:27,759 write a page turner, there's certain 135 00:06:27,759 --> 00:06:30,240 rules you you you have to follow. Well, 136 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:32,160 and one I think you have they have to be 137 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:36,319 fun. They have to be fun to read. Fun. 138 00:06:36,319 --> 00:06:39,280 It's a really important part. And there 139 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:41,759 have to be fun kids in them if you want 140 00:06:41,759 --> 00:06:43,360 people to read them through. There have 141 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,160 to be funny things that happen, funny 142 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,759 conflicts, funny fun things. I I think 143 00:06:49,759 --> 00:06:51,759 that's one thing. And then the rest of 144 00:06:51,759 --> 00:06:56,960 it is technical. um short chapters, 145 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:00,800 easy to read words, quick plot driven 146 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:04,319 stories that that that keeps them going. 147 00:07:04,319 --> 00:07:07,440 Um in my books, the chapter endings, the 148 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:10,319 cliffhers, a lot of cliffhers, a lot of 149 00:07:10,319 --> 00:07:12,400 just impetus to keep reading, keep 150 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:14,720 reading. You need enough stories so that 151 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:16,479 the kids while they're reading, they're 152 00:07:16,479 --> 00:07:19,280 saying, "What happens next?" That's the 153 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:21,759 big question. What happens next? You 154 00:07:21,759 --> 00:07:24,240 want them to want to ask that question. 155 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:27,280 They have to know what happens next. 156 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:29,520 Then if if you can do that, if you can 157 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:31,520 create something where they're saying 158 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:33,039 they're turning the pages, what 159 00:07:33,039 --> 00:07:34,960 happened? I got to know what happens 160 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:41,639 next. Um that's the key to this. I think 161 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,039 the Goosebump stories are more adventure 162 00:07:47,039 --> 00:07:49,759 than horror really. It's kids who are 163 00:07:49,759 --> 00:07:51,599 out of the house. They're out at night. 164 00:07:51,599 --> 00:07:53,840 They're they're having adventures. And 165 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:56,160 there are some Goosebumps books that 166 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:57,919 aren't pretty much aren't that are 167 00:07:57,919 --> 00:08:01,199 adventure books. The deep trouble books. 168 00:08:01,199 --> 00:08:04,720 Billy Deep and his sister who are out on 169 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:08,560 their uncle's marine lab out on the 170 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:10,879 ship, out on the ocean, and they have 171 00:08:10,879 --> 00:08:13,199 adventures with all kinds of sea 172 00:08:13,199 --> 00:08:15,280 creatures. Those are basically adventure 173 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:17,120 books. And then there's some that are 174 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:19,280 pirate books that are just adventure. 175 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:21,039 They're not really they're not horror 176 00:08:21,039 --> 00:08:24,479 books. Um, and so I they're books that I 177 00:08:24,479 --> 00:08:27,120 just consider as advent adventure books. 178 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:29,599 A good adventure is like any other book. 179 00:08:29,599 --> 00:08:32,399 It's where the kids are in danger. They 180 00:08:32,399 --> 00:08:34,159 have a mission. They have something they 181 00:08:34,159 --> 00:08:36,399 have to do, but someone is trying to 182 00:08:36,399 --> 00:08:38,959 keep them from achieving their mission. 183 00:08:38,959 --> 00:08:40,800 Someone is after them. Someone's trying 184 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:43,360 to hurt them. They've got to do what the 185 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:45,040 whatever the mission is. They have to 186 00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:47,040 find the missing jewel. They have to 187 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:52,399 find something and keep themselves safe. 1 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,040 Once I have the scenes in my head and 2 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,240 I'm ready to start my outline, I try to 3 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:20,720 figure out the ending. I always try to 4 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,000 get the ending first if I can. Sometimes 5 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,800 you can't do it, but this is just a 6 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:29,840 trick. If you have the ending, if I know 7 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:31,920 what the big surprise at the end, the 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:33,760 big finish, I know what's going to 9 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:36,320 happen. Then when I go back and start 10 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,719 writing my outline, 11 00:00:38,719 --> 00:00:42,399 I can make sure that I keep the reader 12 00:00:42,399 --> 00:00:44,879 from guessing the ending. I know what 13 00:00:44,879 --> 00:00:47,920 the ending is and I can keep them away 14 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:50,640 from it. I can deliberately move them in 15 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:52,879 a different direction. Move them in this 16 00:00:52,879 --> 00:00:54,800 direction, then move them in that 17 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:57,440 direction. And so that the ending is a 18 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,160 huge surprise. And it's just easier to 19 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:02,480 write it. If I know what the ending is, 20 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:04,400 then it's easier to go back from the 21 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:07,200 very beginning and fool them. It's it's 22 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:12,200 just it's a trick. That's all it is. 23 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:18,640 Kids will not accept an unhappy ending 24 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,799 to these kinds of horror novels. 25 00:01:22,799 --> 00:01:27,520 I once um just for fun, I wrote a Fear 26 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:29,520 Street book 27 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:32,560 and I had a I put an unhappy ending on 28 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:36,240 it. And in the very end, the good girl 29 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,200 is taken away as a murderer 30 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,360 and the girl who committed the murder 31 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,320 gets off scot-free and she's fine. I 32 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:46,560 just did it for fun. I just I have never 33 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,520 done it before to see what happened. 34 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:53,200 this. The kids turned on me immediately. 35 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,399 It was a huge mistake and I started 36 00:01:56,399 --> 00:01:58,880 getting letters right away. Dear RL 37 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,399 Stein, you [ __ ] Dear RL Stein, how 38 00:02:02,399 --> 00:02:05,119 could you do that? You idiot. Are you 39 00:02:05,119 --> 00:02:07,280 going to write a sequel to finish the 40 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,479 story? They could not accept an unhappy 41 00:02:10,479 --> 00:02:12,879 ending. And I would go to schools. I'd 42 00:02:12,879 --> 00:02:15,040 visit schools and every time someone 43 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:17,120 would raise their hand and say, "Are you 44 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,360 going to finish that book? Why did you 45 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:21,280 write that? Why did you do that? 46 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,000 Everywhere I went, it haunted me. And I 47 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,800 actually had to write a sequel to put a 48 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:29,520 happy ending on it. The readers of Fear 49 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:31,440 Street and Goosebumps like a happy 50 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,840 ending because they've been through all 51 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,239 this trouble. They've been through all 52 00:02:36,239 --> 00:02:38,879 these monsters and horrible things and 53 00:02:38,879 --> 00:02:40,560 they've been chased and they've had all 54 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,120 these creepy, terrible adventures and 55 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:45,040 they want relief from it. They want to 56 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,000 and you know my my books are they're 57 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,959 like a roller coaster ride really and 58 00:02:50,959 --> 00:02:53,840 kids who like roller coasters but they 59 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:56,879 like these books because they know like 60 00:02:56,879 --> 00:02:59,599 a roller coaster kids know what to 61 00:02:59,599 --> 00:03:02,560 expect when they read a Goosebumps book. 62 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:04,879 They know they're going to get on. It's 63 00:03:04,879 --> 00:03:07,280 going to be a very fast ride. There's 64 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,120 going to be a lot of turns, a lot of 65 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:11,920 twists, a lot of turning around, a lot 66 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:14,319 of screaming. and then it's going to let 67 00:03:14,319 --> 00:03:17,599 them off. Okay. And I think like a 68 00:03:17,599 --> 00:03:19,280 roller coaster, that's what they want in 69 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:21,360 these books. What I try to do is I give 70 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:23,599 it a good happy ending. Every book has 71 00:03:23,599 --> 00:03:26,000 to have a happy ending. And then I throw 72 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:28,560 in like a little twist at the end. Just 73 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:31,360 something that's a little odd. And I I 74 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:33,200 the one that comes to mind right now is 75 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,000 from Stay Out of the Basement. Um the 76 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,640 very second Goosebumps book. And it's a 77 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:41,040 book about these two kids are horrified 78 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:44,080 because they learn that dad, who's been 79 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:46,239 down in the basement all the time, is 80 00:03:46,239 --> 00:03:49,680 turning into a plant. And now they have 81 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:52,720 their real father is is here and the 82 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:54,640 plant father is here. And they have to 83 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,760 decide which is which. And there's a big 84 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,680 finish of surprise ending. They figure 85 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,640 it out which one. The plant father is 86 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,280 destroyed. The real father is back. 87 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,319 Hugs. Lots of hugs. Everyone is happy 88 00:04:08,319 --> 00:04:10,239 and you have your happy ending to the 89 00:04:10,239 --> 00:04:12,879 book. The two kids walk out of the house 90 00:04:12,879 --> 00:04:14,959 and the flowers in the backyard start 91 00:04:14,959 --> 00:04:17,519 talking to them. 92 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:20,959 So that's that's what a surprise ending 93 00:04:20,959 --> 00:04:23,440 is. You have your big happy ending, 94 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:25,759 everything's nice, and then something 95 00:04:25,759 --> 00:04:28,320 right at the end says, "Wait a minute, 96 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:32,919 kids. You're not out of it yet. 97 00:04:36,639 --> 00:04:38,720 Where did I learn the value of a 98 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:40,320 cliffhanger? 99 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,440 Well, I have to say I learned it when I 100 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:47,919 was a kid, a little kid. My brother and 101 00:04:47,919 --> 00:04:49,520 I 102 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,639 shared a room. We were My family was 103 00:04:52,639 --> 00:04:54,960 very poor and we lived in a tiny little 104 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:57,120 house like three doors from the railroad 105 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:00,880 tracks. And my dad finished the upstairs 106 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,759 for us. And that was Bill. Bill and me. 107 00:05:03,759 --> 00:05:07,360 We shared this very narrow room, long 108 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:11,520 room. And we had twin beds on each side. 109 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,880 And at night, Bill and I, we just got 110 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,680 into the habit of telling each other 111 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,479 scary stories. We would try to scare 112 00:05:20,479 --> 00:05:23,520 each other. And I was, I don't know, I 113 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:25,680 was nine, maybe. He would be six or 114 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:27,280 seven. He was three years younger than 115 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:29,759 me. Every night we would like tell scary 116 00:05:29,759 --> 00:05:34,080 stories to each other. But I loved 117 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:36,880 being the older one. I loved torturing 118 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,840 him. Loved it. And anyway, we would tell 119 00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:41,440 these scary stories. But I had this 120 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,000 great idea. I was this kid and I would 121 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,560 say um I would tell this thing and I'd 122 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:49,520 say and the ghost crept into the room. 123 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:53,120 The ghost came closer and closer and uh 124 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:55,360 I'll finish it tomorrow night, Bill. 125 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:57,759 That's it for tonight. And he'd say, 126 00:05:57,759 --> 00:05:59,759 "No, finish the story. Finish." I say, 127 00:05:59,759 --> 00:06:02,240 "No, I'm going to sleep. I'm going to 128 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:04,639 sleep. No, forget it." And I would keep 129 00:06:04,639 --> 00:06:06,720 him waiting till the next day. And I 130 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:08,400 think this was like the beginning. I was 131 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,039 like 10 years old, right? And already I 132 00:06:11,039 --> 00:06:12,800 was doing cliffhanger. I was doing 133 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,280 chapter endings. And I was just it was 134 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:17,440 driving him crazy. I would get such a 135 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:21,039 good reaction that I kept doing it. And 136 00:06:21,039 --> 00:06:24,080 now I I'm still doing it. In my books, 137 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:28,000 every chapter has a has a cliffhanger 138 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:30,479 ending. Every single chapter, there's 139 00:06:30,479 --> 00:06:32,720 some shock at the end. There's something 140 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,600 hang that leaves you hanging. I mean, 141 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:37,680 that's what a cliffhanger is. It leaves 142 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:40,639 you hanging off a cliff. You're you're 143 00:06:40,639 --> 00:06:44,160 stranded in space and you you don't know 144 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,080 are you going to survive? Are you going 145 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:48,000 to make it? You have to go on to the 146 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:50,319 next chapter. Now, a lot of writers 147 00:06:50,319 --> 00:06:53,039 think this is a really cheap trick. They 148 00:06:53,039 --> 00:06:55,520 think it's what a cheap gimmick to end 149 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:58,800 every chapter with a cliffhanger. But, 150 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:00,960 you know, my idea is to get kids reading 151 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,360 and to keep them reading. And this is a 152 00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:05,120 trick. It is a trick. I don't know if 153 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,680 it's a cheap trick, but it's a trick. 154 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:09,440 And they have to go on to the next 155 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,080 chapter. And I love it when parents tell 156 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:14,080 me, "Oh, my kids start reading." And I 157 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:15,520 say, "You have to go to bed." And they 158 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:18,000 say, "One more chapter, please. one more 159 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,160 chapter, but but then they get to the 160 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:22,240 next cliffhanger and they have to go on. 161 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:24,880 For me, these cliffhanger chapter 162 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:26,880 endings are just as important as 163 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:29,599 anything else in the book. I it's I 164 00:07:29,599 --> 00:07:33,759 spend so much time and I I get from my 165 00:07:33,759 --> 00:07:36,639 editors when it comes back many of the 166 00:07:36,639 --> 00:07:39,120 comments are about the chapter endings 167 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:41,199 and they'll say you have too many 168 00:07:41,199 --> 00:07:44,160 chapter endings that are similar or 169 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:46,880 that's not scary enough or your your 170 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:49,599 cliffhers are boring that's that's too 171 00:07:49,599 --> 00:07:52,160 boring or you've done that it's it's 172 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:54,400 become a really hard part and now of 173 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:56,319 course now that I've written over a 174 00:07:56,319 --> 00:07:58,639 hundred Goosebumps books it's The real 175 00:07:58,639 --> 00:08:01,840 the challenge for me is to come up with 176 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:04,639 new cliffhers. How do you come up with 177 00:08:04,639 --> 00:08:06,639 new, you know, you can't just have 178 00:08:06,639 --> 00:08:08,639 someone grabs her from behind and she 179 00:08:08,639 --> 00:08:11,840 screams. I've got to find new things to 180 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:14,560 keep them moving on to the next chapter. 181 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:16,879 But I and it's something I spend a lot 182 00:08:16,879 --> 00:08:20,160 of time on. I don't but I don't think I 183 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:22,720 can explain how you do it. I it's just a 184 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:24,400 matter of leaving the reader in 185 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:26,720 suspense, doing something, having 186 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:28,960 something big happen, something that 187 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:31,120 maybe maybe it's a surprise, maybe it's 188 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:33,519 not that big a surprise, but it leaves 189 00:08:33,519 --> 00:08:36,159 them hanging and they have to go on and 190 00:08:36,159 --> 00:08:39,800 read the next chapter. 191 00:08:43,519 --> 00:08:46,000 The haunted mask, I think, is my best 192 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,120 Halloween story out of all of them. And 193 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:51,600 here, but here is a very typical 194 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:55,040 cliffhanger. It's it's very cheap. Very 195 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:57,600 cheap trick. And I've probably done it a 196 00:08:57,600 --> 00:08:59,839 hund in a hundred different chapters, 197 00:08:59,839 --> 00:09:01,920 but I think it really does keep reading. 198 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,560 And Carly Beth is wearing the haunted 199 00:09:04,560 --> 00:09:07,200 mask. It's stuck to her face and it's 200 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,680 turned her really evil and she can't do 201 00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:11,920 anything about it. And now she's done 202 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:13,760 something to her friends and now she's 203 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:17,920 running. She's running uh running wildly 204 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:20,160 over the front lawns, jumping over 205 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:22,959 shrubs and hedges, flying over the dark 206 00:09:22,959 --> 00:09:26,160 hard ground. She was running blindly, 207 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:29,040 the houses worring past on both sides. 208 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:32,080 She's out of control now. Carly Beth. 209 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:35,120 The blustery wind swirled, 210 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:37,920 and she swirled with it, rising over the 211 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:40,640 sidewalks, rushing through tall weeds, 212 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:42,720 blowing with the wind like a helpless 213 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,920 leaf, holding her bulging candy bag. She 214 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,240 ran past startled trick-or-treaters, 215 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:51,120 past glowing pumpkins, past rattling 216 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:53,680 skeletons. She ran until her breath gave 217 00:09:53,680 --> 00:09:56,640 out. Then she stopped panting loudly and 218 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,279 shut her eyes, waiting for her heart to 219 00:09:59,279 --> 00:10:01,519 stop pounding, for the blood to stop 220 00:10:01,519 --> 00:10:03,920 pulsing at her temples. And a hand 221 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:05,760 grabbed her shoulder roughly from 222 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:07,279 behind. 223 00:10:07,279 --> 00:10:09,920 And that's the chapter ending. 224 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:13,120 That's it. So you have who? Why? What? 225 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:15,680 Who grabbed her from behind? You have to 226 00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:17,920 read on to the next chapter. You have 227 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,640 her panic here, her total panic, out of 228 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:22,800 control, blowing like a leaf in the 229 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:26,880 wind. And then something grabs her and 230 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:28,720 it turns out to be her best friend 231 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:30,320 Sabrina. 232 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:32,640 It's it's all it's a tease. It's not a 233 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:36,079 real scare. And about half the half the 234 00:10:36,079 --> 00:10:39,120 cliffhers are teases and half of them 235 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:43,279 are real scares. And but it it's the 236 00:10:43,279 --> 00:10:46,959 trick I use to keep kids reading. 1 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,360 Too many children's books, YA books, 2 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:19,119 middle-grade books are too linear and 3 00:00:19,119 --> 00:00:22,320 they become predictable. They they may 4 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:24,640 be beautifully written and great 5 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:26,160 characterization, 6 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,640 but they just move along. They move 7 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,119 along, move along. They're just linear. 8 00:00:31,119 --> 00:00:34,640 And I think one reason that my books 9 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,920 have lasted so long, I mean, here's 10 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:40,879 Goosebumps 25 years later and Fear 11 00:00:40,879 --> 00:00:44,399 Street, which is even older. But it's 12 00:00:44,399 --> 00:00:47,600 the surprises in the books and it's the 13 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:49,440 twists and it's the fact that they're 14 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:51,760 not linear that they'll turn around and 15 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:53,280 suddenly they'll be going in a different 16 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,399 direction and they'll come back and they 17 00:00:56,399 --> 00:00:58,960 and there'll be something that kids 18 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,280 haven't guessed. It it sort of plays 19 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:03,840 with their minds. The books are a tease. 20 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,799 They're a real tease because they're not 21 00:01:06,799 --> 00:01:09,840 that scary really. But the it's it's the 22 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:12,240 teasing part. It's the joking part. 23 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,520 That's the surprising part that I think 24 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:18,000 keep kids reading these books. I did a 25 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,200 book called My Hairiest Adventure. 26 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,240 It's a Goosebumps book. And in the 27 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:26,960 beginning of the book, these kids are in 28 00:01:26,960 --> 00:01:29,520 a garage and they find an old bottle of 29 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:32,560 suntan lotion and they all splash it on. 30 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:34,799 They all want tans. They splash on this 31 00:01:34,799 --> 00:01:36,799 thing. 32 00:01:36,799 --> 00:01:40,479 And then a short while later, the main 33 00:01:40,479 --> 00:01:43,439 character looks down and he's growing 34 00:01:43,439 --> 00:01:47,600 hair. He's got hair growing and he's he 35 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:49,759 quickly shaves it off. He say he doesn't 36 00:01:49,759 --> 00:01:51,600 want anyone to see. He doesn't know 37 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:53,920 what's happening. And then he goes to 38 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:55,840 see one of his friends and his friend is 39 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,280 gone. his friend isn't there and no one 40 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:01,920 wants to talk about it and no one his 41 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:03,520 friends are disappearing for the kids 42 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:05,759 who are in the garage and he's got more 43 00:02:05,759 --> 00:02:08,080 hair growing on him more hair growing 44 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,080 and his parents finally he has to let 45 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:12,879 him know he's he's growing hairy and 46 00:02:12,879 --> 00:02:15,040 they is take they take him to a doctor 47 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:17,599 and he he's gets these shots and this is 48 00:02:17,599 --> 00:02:19,520 this is one of my best twists I think 49 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,720 this is like no I don't think kids are 50 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,400 going to guess this the he's not a boy. 51 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:29,440 He's actually a dog and he's reverting 52 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:32,720 back to his dogness. And all these 53 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:34,480 parents were in on it where they took 54 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,920 these dogs and gave them shots that 55 00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:40,560 turned them into kids, but it's all 56 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:45,360 wearing off and he's actually a dog. And 57 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,480 to me, you know, I I think kids are 58 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:50,400 they're shocked by this. It's got you 59 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:52,800 you got a great surprise here. Oh, wait, 60 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:54,640 wait a minute. Wait a minute. And then 61 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:56,560 he's looking at his sister and his 62 00:02:56,560 --> 00:03:00,879 sister has eyes just like the family cat 63 00:03:00,879 --> 00:03:03,680 and he's wondering what what is his 64 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:07,599 sister really at the end. So is you got 65 00:03:07,599 --> 00:03:11,200 twist after twist on that. And I just I 66 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:13,440 think this this is especially writing 67 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:15,599 thrillers or writing horror. I think 68 00:03:15,599 --> 00:03:17,519 this is really important for kids 69 00:03:17,519 --> 00:03:19,920 writing. I try to have at least two or 70 00:03:19,920 --> 00:03:22,959 three twists in the book at least. I 71 00:03:22,959 --> 00:03:24,959 would love to even do more, but then it 72 00:03:24,959 --> 00:03:27,760 might get crazy. But I I like to have 73 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:29,760 right in the middle of the book, I like 74 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,159 to have a moment where the reader says, 75 00:03:32,159 --> 00:03:35,840 "Oh my gosh, I Oh, I had no idea. I Oh, 76 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,959 I I'm, you know, totally shocked because 77 00:03:38,959 --> 00:03:41,360 the whole book is suddenly turned around 78 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,280 and no one is who they thought they 79 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:45,680 were." And I try to do that in every 80 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,680 book. 81 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,080 To me, the middle of the book is the 82 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:57,840 hardest part. It's It's great. You get 83 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:00,000 started, you know your beginning. You 84 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,000 can get a really It's very easy to get a 85 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:04,400 very good beginning for a book. And you 86 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,799 can figure out a good end. You know your 87 00:04:06,799 --> 00:04:08,480 end. You get a good finish. You know 88 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:10,720 what the big surprise, what the action's 89 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:13,599 going to be, how it's going to end. But 90 00:04:13,599 --> 00:04:16,560 getting getting to the end is hard. 91 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:18,639 Getting through the middle, you've got 92 00:04:18,639 --> 00:04:21,519 to have a lot of story. You can't just 93 00:04:21,519 --> 00:04:23,600 try to get there. You can't. You've got 94 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:25,440 to have a lot going on. There's got to 95 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:27,680 be a lot of twists. It's got to turn. 96 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,000 It's got to move. The middle has got to 97 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,560 carry them through. The middle is, for 98 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:34,320 one thing, it's the longest part of the 99 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:35,840 book. 100 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:40,479 And so, I spend a lot of lot of time 101 00:04:40,479 --> 00:04:42,560 working on the middle, making sure the 102 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:45,840 middle is good. Sometimes I will write 103 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:49,120 an outline and have something in the 104 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:52,720 very middle and it turns out that he's 105 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,520 actually a werewolf. He's not a a normal 106 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,720 kid. Something like that. And uh it'll 107 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:00,479 come back from my editors and they'll 108 00:05:00,479 --> 00:05:04,000 say, "Oh, we guessed that in chapter 2. 109 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:05,840 You got to work on that. We guessed it 110 00:05:05,840 --> 00:05:07,520 already." 111 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:11,360 And so it's hard. It's hard to you've 112 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,479 got to come up with a way to either keep 113 00:05:14,479 --> 00:05:17,360 that same twist and go back to the m 114 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:21,440 beginning. Go back to the beginning and 115 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:23,520 figure out how to keep them from 116 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:26,320 guessing it. How to make it not obvious. 117 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:28,080 There was one great line in the 118 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:31,440 Goosebumps movie that I really loved. I 119 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:35,199 didn't write it. Jack Black is me at the 120 00:05:35,199 --> 00:05:38,560 end of the movie and he's a teacher. 121 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,400 He's teaching and he said, "I'm going to 122 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:42,560 teach you about writing. We're going to 123 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,919 learn about how to every how to write. 124 00:05:45,919 --> 00:05:48,960 Every book has a beginning, a middle, 125 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:52,080 and a twist. And I just I think that's 126 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:55,080 great. 127 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:01,199 I always try to put in a lot of false 128 00:06:01,199 --> 00:06:04,400 leads in the books. It's very important 129 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:07,039 to mislead the kids and I try really 130 00:06:07,039 --> 00:06:09,600 hard to fool the kids. And one of the 131 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,560 best ways to do that is to put somebody 132 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:14,960 in the book to some character that 133 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:18,000 everyone is going to think is evil. 134 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,160 Everyone. And that they're going to be 135 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:22,560 very some guy lurking around. They're 136 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:24,960 going to be terribly afraid of him. And 137 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:26,800 then the big surprise then halfway 138 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:28,720 through the book you say, "Oh," he says, 139 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:31,280 "Yes, I'm with the FBI. I've been 140 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:33,199 investigating this monster. you're 141 00:06:33,199 --> 00:06:36,720 after. I'm not the monster. I'm I'm 142 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:39,680 Yeah. And it's just it's a red herring. 143 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,800 It's it's just the character is just 144 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,000 there to lead the reader off the path. 145 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,120 The teenager who you think is behind all 146 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,520 the trouble and the teenager who you 147 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:53,280 think is the one who's torturing the 148 00:06:53,280 --> 00:06:56,240 girl who is is going to be the one who's 149 00:06:56,240 --> 00:07:00,000 not and in Fierce Street especially, it 150 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,160 turns out to be your best friend. the 151 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:04,720 books are a cheat and that's deliberate 152 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,720 and that generally there are no clues as 153 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,520 to the surprises that are coming. I 154 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:12,960 don't want to I don't want them guess 155 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:15,280 and I want to be so careful that they 156 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:18,720 don't guess that the gorilla is actually 157 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:20,880 not a gorilla, it's actually a chicken 158 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:25,520 or whatever that I I don't plant to be 159 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:28,639 in in mysteries, adult mysteries to be 160 00:07:28,639 --> 00:07:31,360 fair, you have to plant clues. You have 161 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:34,800 to be fair with the reader. Um so that 162 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:36,560 when they get to the solution of the 163 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:38,720 mystery, they say, "Oh, I should have 164 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:40,400 seen that. I should have seen that 165 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:42,639 coming. I didn't guess. But I don't do 166 00:07:42,639 --> 00:07:47,400 that. I don't give them a clue. 167 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:54,160 Cell phones have ruined just about every 168 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:57,440 mystery plot. And this is another real 169 00:07:57,440 --> 00:07:59,759 problem for writers who want to write 170 00:07:59,759 --> 00:08:02,400 mysteries or horror. How do you get rid 171 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:04,319 of the cell phones? Get them out of 172 00:08:04,319 --> 00:08:07,120 there. Um, in the old days I'd write a a 173 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:09,919 Fear Street plot where a teenage girl is 174 00:08:09,919 --> 00:08:12,160 getting these phone calls. She's getting 175 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:13,840 these threatening phone calls. She said, 176 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:16,800 "Who is this? Who is this?" Now she 177 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:18,960 looks on the dial, she sees who it is, 178 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:22,160 and the book is over. You can't That's 179 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:24,960 it. The cell phone's ruined everything. 180 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:27,520 Now we've got kids trapped in a cabin. 181 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:29,520 They're trapped in a woods with a 182 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,320 murderer. They pick up their phone. Hi, 183 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:34,399 bring help, please. There's a murderer 184 00:08:34,399 --> 00:08:36,719 in the woods, right? The book, that's 185 00:08:36,719 --> 00:08:41,039 it. Cell phones ruin ruin every story. 186 00:08:41,039 --> 00:08:44,080 So, this is these kinds of things, you 187 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:46,640 know, think it's funny, but you've got 188 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,360 to think about it. I I did a Fear Street 189 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,600 book recently, a new Fear Street book 190 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:55,760 called Party Games where there uh uh one 191 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,959 of the Fear Kids has a birthday party on 192 00:08:58,959 --> 00:09:01,839 Fear Island and invites everyone in the 193 00:09:01,839 --> 00:09:04,399 winter to his summer house and they're 194 00:09:04,399 --> 00:09:07,200 on this deserted island. And the very 195 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,360 first thing he does when they arrive on 196 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:11,920 the island is he collects all the cell 197 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:14,000 phones and says, "We're not we're going 198 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:16,240 to have a non- cellphone weekend. it's 199 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:18,160 going to be great. And he takes all 200 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:20,240 their phones away. And that's how I 201 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:22,959 dealt with it. 1 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:10,000 I put two outlines online on masterclass 2 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,719 resources for you to download and 3 00:00:12,719 --> 00:00:16,320 compare. One is the first outline of I'm 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,359 Slappy's Evil Twin, which was rejected 5 00:00:19,359 --> 00:00:22,160 by my editors. And then the second one 6 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,160 is the one that they accepted and the 7 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:26,240 one I wrote the book from. And you will 8 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:28,320 see quite a difference between the first 9 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,640 version of the outline and the second 10 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:33,040 version because the first outline was 11 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:36,079 totally rejected by my editors. If you 12 00:00:36,079 --> 00:00:38,399 look at them, you'll see that in the 13 00:00:38,399 --> 00:00:40,640 first outline, it's supposed to be a 14 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,840 slappy book, but Slappy doesn't appear 15 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,960 until chapter 13. And this was a real 16 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:49,280 problem. They said, "How how can you do 17 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:51,680 a slappy book when he isn't there? He 18 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,399 doesn't even appear till nearly, you 19 00:00:54,399 --> 00:00:56,079 know, twothirds of the way through the 20 00:00:56,079 --> 00:00:57,840 book. 21 00:00:57,840 --> 00:00:59,359 I was trying something a little 22 00:00:59,359 --> 00:01:02,879 different, but they hated it. So, I you 23 00:01:02,879 --> 00:01:06,720 will see in the second outline that we 24 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,119 have a prologue and then Slappy appears 25 00:01:09,119 --> 00:01:12,000 in chapter 1 and Slappy and his twin 26 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,159 both appear in chapter 1 and the book 27 00:01:14,159 --> 00:01:16,560 gets off to a really fast start. I'm 28 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:18,640 going to read uh the first three 29 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,640 chapters of the second outline. This is 30 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,759 actually like a 12page outline. And this 31 00:01:25,759 --> 00:01:28,479 is the prologue. The book has a prologue 32 00:01:28,479 --> 00:01:30,799 that happens before the story actually 33 00:01:30,799 --> 00:01:34,799 starts. And I'm just going to read the 34 00:01:34,799 --> 00:01:37,600 read it to you and you can see just I 35 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:39,600 think this gives you a better idea of 36 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,280 how how the outline thing works. This is 37 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:47,439 chapter one of the prologue. 1920 a farm 38 00:01:47,439 --> 00:01:50,960 village puppeteer France Mayahar working 39 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:52,960 in his workshop finishing a 40 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,840 ventriloquist dummy you were made of the 41 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,399 finest coffinwood and I've given you the 42 00:01:58,399 --> 00:02:01,280 dark powers I learned on my tour of 43 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:03,759 Europe someone will pay a million 44 00:02:03,759 --> 00:02:05,920 dollars for you when they learned of the 45 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:09,360 abilities and powers I have given you so 46 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:11,760 you see I put dialogue it's it's not 47 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,560 just action in the outline there's also 48 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:15,840 dialogue 49 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:17,680 And of course, when I go to write the 50 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:19,520 book, there'll be a lot more. There'll 51 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:21,840 be it it'll be stretched out. This just 52 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,879 gives me an idea of where I'm going. But 53 00:02:24,879 --> 00:02:27,440 wait, a pounding on the door. Who is 54 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:29,920 beating on the door like that? Mayhar 55 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:31,840 opens the door to find the entire 56 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:34,560 village storming his cabin. They carry 57 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:38,319 guns and torches. What do they want? End 58 00:02:38,319 --> 00:02:41,280 of chapter. Here he's in this bad 59 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,680 situation. and he's got these menacing 60 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:47,200 villagers outside and the chapter ends. 61 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:49,680 So you pretty much that's the 62 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,680 cliffhanger for this first chapter 63 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,480 two. They angrily accuse him of bringing 64 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:58,959 bad luck to the village. The crops have 65 00:02:58,959 --> 00:03:01,440 withered and died and the cows are all 66 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,800 giving sour milk. It's the doll, they 67 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,599 cry. Look at that evil face. The doll 68 00:03:07,599 --> 00:03:10,000 has brought evil and bad fortune to our 69 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,800 village. They grab the dummy. Mayhart 70 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,040 pleads with them. No, it's my life's 71 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,680 work. I beg you. But the villagers build 72 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:20,959 a tall bonfire and they burn the dummy. 73 00:03:20,959 --> 00:03:24,080 As the flames consume it, a scream of 74 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,040 pain and horror rings out over the 75 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:31,200 village. End of the chapter. 76 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,879 Chapter 3. The scream came for Mayar as 77 00:03:34,879 --> 00:03:37,920 he watched his dummy burn. The villagers 78 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,879 warn him to stop his evil work. My work 79 00:03:40,879 --> 00:03:43,360 is over, he tells them, appearing to be 80 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,000 a broken man. You have destroyed my 81 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:48,159 life's work. 82 00:03:48,159 --> 00:03:50,959 Mayor slinks back to his workshop. The 83 00:03:50,959 --> 00:03:53,519 fools, the stupid fools, he mutters 84 00:03:53,519 --> 00:03:55,920 bitterly. Did they really think I'd give 85 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:59,360 up my precious dummies so easily? They 86 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,720 burned one of Mayhar's copies, a fake. 87 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,120 He has two dummies on the shelf. He 88 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,239 picks one up. They burned a fake, a 89 00:04:08,239 --> 00:04:10,640 useless, lifeless hunk of wood, he tells 90 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:13,840 it. He and the two dummies toss back 91 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,799 their heads and laugh. 92 00:04:16,799 --> 00:04:18,799 And that's the end of the prologue. And 93 00:04:18,799 --> 00:04:21,199 that's, you know, 94 00:04:21,199 --> 00:04:23,280 those are the three chapters. And those 95 00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:25,840 chapters each become five or six pages 96 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:28,400 long. But you see, I I think one reason 97 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:30,240 that I read this prologue and that I 98 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:32,720 like it is that you get your very first 99 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,919 twist right in the beginning of the book 100 00:04:35,919 --> 00:04:39,120 because here's Mayhar and you think he's 101 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:43,680 ruined and he screams in horror and he's 102 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:46,560 says, "You've ruined my life's work. I'm 103 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,919 over. I'm finished." And he's he's 104 00:04:49,919 --> 00:04:52,880 actually playing them. It's that and 105 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:55,199 that is a very first twist and it's 106 00:04:55,199 --> 00:04:58,400 right in chapter three already and he 107 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,639 knew what he was doing the whole time. 108 00:05:00,639 --> 00:05:03,440 And the kids reading the book, people 109 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:05,600 reading the book know that one of those 110 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,240 dummies has to be Slappy. And because 111 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:10,800 the book is called I'm Slappy's evil 112 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,440 twin, the other one has to be Slappy's 113 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:15,840 twin. So we've established what's going 114 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:18,240 to happen later on. 115 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:20,880 By the way, I this it's a scene out of 116 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,120 Frankenstein where the villagers with 117 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,000 their torches come up and bang on the 118 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,639 door and bang on the door and invade the 119 00:05:28,639 --> 00:05:32,000 house. Um, that was my reference for 120 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,320 that. But the outline is the hardest 121 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:37,039 part of the process. Of course, the 122 00:05:37,039 --> 00:05:39,120 outline allows you to have fun writing 123 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:42,240 because you've done the hard part. And 124 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,120 each time I then I revise the outline, 125 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,840 it gets better. I've done I've done some 126 00:05:47,840 --> 00:05:49,919 books where I've done maybe three four 127 00:05:49,919 --> 00:05:53,120 outlines before I started to write and 128 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:55,120 but I could see the book getting each 129 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:57,199 time it's better. It's better. It's 130 00:05:57,199 --> 00:06:00,639 better. It's it's I hate this part but I 131 00:06:00,639 --> 00:06:03,120 know I see it getting better and 132 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:04,800 especially when I've written three or 133 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,199 four outlines sometimes I'll call my 134 00:06:07,199 --> 00:06:10,319 editor and I'll say um have I written 135 00:06:10,319 --> 00:06:13,520 this book yet? I forget whether I am I 136 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:15,600 just outlining or maybe I've written I 137 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:17,600 feel like I've written the book already 138 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,560 since I've done so many outlines but it 139 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:23,280 it's a it's a struggle but it's always 140 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:26,520 worth it 141 00:06:29,759 --> 00:06:32,479 when you have an outline that you like 142 00:06:32,479 --> 00:06:34,720 and it really would be good to share it 143 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,039 if you don't have an editor to show it 144 00:06:37,039 --> 00:06:39,600 to somebody and get you know someone you 145 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:41,919 trust and someone who likes to 146 00:06:41,919 --> 00:06:44,560 That's really very helpful if you don't 147 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:48,000 have editors yet. Um, and have them 148 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:50,160 comment and say, "Do they think the 149 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,639 pacing is right? Do they think there's 150 00:06:52,639 --> 00:06:55,759 enough adventure? Is there enough plot 151 00:06:55,759 --> 00:06:58,319 in the story to keep people reading?" 152 00:06:58,319 --> 00:07:00,160 It' be nice to get other people's 153 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:04,400 advice. Um, if you then find you you 154 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,800 have an outline, you like it, you think 155 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:08,960 it's ready to go, you you're going to 156 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:10,639 find out when you're writing the book if 157 00:07:10,639 --> 00:07:13,120 it's a good outline or not. Once you 158 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:14,720 start writing, you're going to have a 159 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:16,400 feel. You're going to write your first 160 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:19,039 chapter. You're going to get into it and 161 00:07:19,039 --> 00:07:20,880 you're going to have a feeling that it's 162 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:23,599 going really well. Oh, this is good. I'm 163 00:07:23,599 --> 00:07:26,160 the plan is right. Or while you're 164 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:28,319 actually writing that, you might find, 165 00:07:28,319 --> 00:07:31,280 gee, this is it went too far here. I'm 166 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:34,240 got to pull back or go this chapter is 167 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:37,199 boring this outline and you want to you 168 00:07:37,199 --> 00:07:38,880 probably want to depart from the 169 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:41,360 outline. Um, that's how you find out 170 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:45,120 really whether an outline works or 1 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:17,279 I love the idea that people can turn to 2 00:00:17,279 --> 00:00:20,160 books for just for entertainment and 3 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,000 nothing else. 4 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,119 And so I have um in Goosebumps or Fear 5 00:00:27,119 --> 00:00:29,519 Street, there's nothing you can learn. 6 00:00:29,519 --> 00:00:32,239 There's no moral lesson. People always 7 00:00:32,239 --> 00:00:33,840 say, "What are the morals that you're 8 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:36,399 teaching? What are the There aren't any. 9 00:00:36,399 --> 00:00:38,800 There are none. The main moral lesson is 10 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:43,440 run. Run as fast as you can. That's it." 11 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:45,840 Because I just I don't want that. I You 12 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,360 know, adults have the right, they give 13 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:51,760 themselves the right to read all kinds 14 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:55,120 of trash, right? And adults can read 15 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,600 entertaining, you know, magazines, but 16 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,000 somehow they think when it comes to kids 17 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,079 reading that the kids have to be 18 00:01:02,079 --> 00:01:05,680 elevated by what they read. 19 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,880 There was always um a rule in children's 20 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:11,520 publishing that the characters in a 21 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:15,600 children's book have to learn and grow. 22 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:18,479 And I just rejected that idea. And I 23 00:01:18,479 --> 00:01:20,560 thought if adults can read something 24 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:23,920 just for fun with nothing else, no 25 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:26,799 socially redeeming value whatsoever, 26 00:01:26,799 --> 00:01:29,759 kids, kids have the same right. And 27 00:01:29,759 --> 00:01:31,520 you're competing now. If you're writing 28 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:34,000 books for kids, you're competing with so 29 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,439 many other things with, you know, 30 00:01:37,439 --> 00:01:42,159 tablets and phones and video games. And 31 00:01:42,159 --> 00:01:44,479 there's such competition. You've got to 32 00:01:44,479 --> 00:01:47,680 really work to get kids to read now. And 33 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:49,600 you've got to create something that 34 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:51,600 they'll think, "Oh, this is just as much 35 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,320 fun as watching something." People 36 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:56,000 always say, "Why do you write these 37 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:58,079 scary books, you know, if I'm in a crowd 38 00:01:58,079 --> 00:02:00,560 you speaking or something?" And I always 39 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,360 say, "Well, I just like to scare kids." 40 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:05,200 But that's not that's not really what 41 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,040 the books are about. They're about 42 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:08,959 getting kids to read. Believe me, 43 00:02:08,959 --> 00:02:11,680 there's nothing more satisfying to me 44 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:14,560 than these parents who come up to me all 45 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:18,480 the time and say, "My son never read a 46 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,680 book before. Last night I caught him in 47 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:23,760 the middle of the night under the covers 48 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:25,440 reading one of your books with a 49 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,160 flashlight." And I never get tired of 50 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:30,400 stories like that. And wherever I go, I 51 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,640 get these stories of my kid learned to 52 00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:36,080 read on your books or my kid learned to 53 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,200 like books from from yours. And that's 54 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,760 that's the whole point of it. It's not I 55 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:46,120 don't really want to terrify kids. 56 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:51,760 Some of you may be thinking of writing 57 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,160 for kids. You you might be starting to 58 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:58,160 think about your audience. Um you know 59 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,280 ju generally there's middle grade which 60 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:06,000 is generally 7 to 11 maybe 7 to 12 I 61 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:08,879 lose readers at 12 they move on to other 62 00:03:08,879 --> 00:03:11,680 authors and then there's you know young 63 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,840 adult which is very popular now um the 64 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:20,000 YA books are generally read uh maybe 65 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,280 kids starting at 11 or 12 and then up to 66 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,920 15. And the interesting thing about a 67 00:03:25,920 --> 00:03:30,400 young adult these days is that 40% 68 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,879 of the young adult novels are read by 69 00:03:32,879 --> 00:03:36,959 adult women. Adults read them. So that's 70 00:03:36,959 --> 00:03:39,599 something to really keep in mind if you 71 00:03:39,599 --> 00:03:41,120 want if you're going to write teen 72 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,280 books. Um that there's a giant adult 73 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,319 adult readership now which is didn't 74 00:03:48,319 --> 00:03:50,319 used to happen in the past. You know, I 75 00:03:50,319 --> 00:03:55,360 write for both. Uh, and I you have to 76 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:57,680 kind of know what age you have to start 77 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:01,200 with the age of the characters. And if 78 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:05,040 you write you kids like to read about 79 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:07,040 kids who are a little bit older than 80 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:08,640 them 81 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:12,560 and so not younger 82 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:16,479 and so kids in Goosebumps, they're all 83 00:04:16,479 --> 00:04:19,840 12 years old. everyone's 12 years old 84 00:04:19,840 --> 00:04:21,759 because the readers are mostly younger 85 00:04:21,759 --> 00:04:24,240 than 12. So, they're going to be really 86 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:27,520 interested in in that. Um, for young 87 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,120 adult, there's much more of a range. 88 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:33,120 Generally, my young adult, my Fear 89 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:37,040 Street books, they're all 16 and 17, 90 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:40,680 18 occasionally. 91 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:46,960 This is very important to when you pick 92 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,360 an audience and to get to know them. And 93 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:51,120 you know, I do a million book signings 94 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,160 and I visit schools all the time so that 95 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:56,960 I can see what the kids look like. So I 96 00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:59,680 can see who I'm writing for and then I 97 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:01,600 can remember that when I'm writing books 98 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:03,759 for them. When Goosebumps started, my 99 00:05:03,759 --> 00:05:05,759 son was the right age and he and his 100 00:05:05,759 --> 00:05:08,160 friends would be over all the time and I 101 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,960 could spy on them. I would listen to 102 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,360 what they said, listen to the, you know, 103 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,560 the things they the things they talked 104 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,120 about and I could watch and see what 105 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:22,720 they wear. And it's very important. I 106 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:25,199 for me, it's a big part of my job. It's 107 00:05:25,199 --> 00:05:27,840 a big part of a writer's job to know 108 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:30,479 that audience and to you don't want to 109 00:05:30,479 --> 00:05:33,360 sound like some old guy from Mars who 110 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:35,440 doesn't know anything. You really want 111 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,720 to be tuned in. And so I spent a lot of 112 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,360 time spying on kids. There are many ways 113 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:43,520 to get to know your audience. And once 114 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:46,560 you've chosen who you want to write for, 115 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,160 um, one way is to 116 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,720 actually see what you want to keep up 117 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,919 with their culture. Tune yourself in to 118 00:05:55,919 --> 00:05:59,520 that group and really get to know them. 119 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:01,840 I'm very lucky since I get to do a lot 120 00:06:01,840 --> 00:06:04,400 of school visits. I'm invited to a lot 121 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:07,440 of book festivals. So, I get to see kids 122 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:10,000 and I I spend a lot of time I take it 123 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:11,840 very seriously 124 00:06:11,840 --> 00:06:15,120 um getting to know them and talking to 125 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:19,600 them um just so that my books seem real 126 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:21,919 and don't seem out of date. You have to 127 00:06:21,919 --> 00:06:24,000 know teenagers 128 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,319 know pop culture. I try to keep up with 129 00:06:26,319 --> 00:06:29,039 music. I try to keep up with what you 130 00:06:29,039 --> 00:06:31,840 know what they watch on Netflix and try 131 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:34,160 to keep up with their culture. But you 132 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:36,319 have to be very careful about what you 133 00:06:36,319 --> 00:06:38,639 include in your books because you don't 134 00:06:38,639 --> 00:06:41,360 want to date your books. 135 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,199 When we were starting out Fear Street 136 00:06:43,199 --> 00:06:46,800 and back in 1990, 1991, we're doing 137 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:48,639 these Fear Street books and I I was 138 00:06:48,639 --> 00:06:50,880 looking at one the other day and it 139 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:53,360 said, uh, oh, we're going to a Rick 140 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:56,880 Ashley concert. Yes. Oh, Rick Ashley, 141 00:06:56,880 --> 00:06:59,520 we're going I thought, who is that? What 142 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:03,599 was I thinking? Why? He made me 1990 and 143 00:07:03,599 --> 00:07:06,000 that was it for Rick Ashley, right? And 144 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,240 now here he is in this book 20 years 145 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:11,039 later. It's a horrible mistake. You have 146 00:07:11,039 --> 00:07:15,000 to be careful about that. 147 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:20,240 One thing I would like to help you with 148 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,199 is to decide what audience you would 149 00:07:23,199 --> 00:07:26,000 like to write for. And I will tell you 150 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,880 right away, my audience is the best 151 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:31,680 audience in the world. the seven to 12 152 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:34,639 year old Goosebumps audience. They're 153 00:07:34,639 --> 00:07:37,039 amazing. It's there's no better 154 00:07:37,039 --> 00:07:39,919 audience. In fact, I cannot imagine why 155 00:07:39,919 --> 00:07:43,440 anyone would want to write for adults. I 156 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:46,160 don't know why they would. I get them 157 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,639 the last time in their lives they will 158 00:07:48,639 --> 00:07:51,360 ever be enthusiastic. 159 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,240 This is the last time 7 to 12 year olds 160 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:55,599 the last time they'll ever be 161 00:07:55,599 --> 00:07:58,800 enthusiastic about authors, about books. 162 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:02,000 When they turn 12, they discover sex. 163 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,000 They totally change. They have to be 164 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,360 cool. They're lost forever. That's it. 165 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:10,000 But I get them right before then. And 166 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,960 they are a wonderful audience. They want 167 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:14,879 to know you. They want to know all about 168 00:08:14,879 --> 00:08:17,520 you. They want to live in the Goosebumps 169 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:21,039 world. They want book after book. And 170 00:08:21,039 --> 00:08:23,280 they're just terrific. I'm going to read 171 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:25,440 a few letters to you. These are all real 172 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:27,919 letters from kids. and you'll see just 173 00:08:27,919 --> 00:08:32,280 how terrific these kids are. 174 00:08:34,959 --> 00:08:36,479 These are real letters that I've 175 00:08:36,479 --> 00:08:39,120 collected over the years from mostly 176 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:41,680 from Goosebumps readers. 177 00:08:41,680 --> 00:08:45,760 Dear RL Stein, I love your books. You're 178 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,880 like the scariest man on earth. I want 179 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:51,120 to know everything about you. Do you 180 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:52,959 have hair? 181 00:08:52,959 --> 00:08:55,120 Love Grace? 182 00:08:55,120 --> 00:09:00,080 I don't know. Dear RL Dear Relstein, 183 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:02,480 I don't know if you remember me or not, 184 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:05,279 but when you came to my school, I'm the 185 00:09:05,279 --> 00:09:08,000 one who stepped on your foot. 186 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,959 I do remember that kid. 187 00:09:10,959 --> 00:09:14,000 Here's a great letter. Dear RL Stein, 188 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:17,440 you are my second favorite author. 189 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:20,160 That was the whole letter. That was it. 190 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:23,440 Talk about keeping you in suspense. 191 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:27,040 Dear RL Stein, I'm not that smart, but I 192 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:29,040 like your books. 193 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:31,839 I guess that's a compliment, right? 194 00:09:31,839 --> 00:09:35,200 Here's a very odd one. Dear RL Stein, 195 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:38,160 I'm your biggest fan. I read your book 196 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:41,440 so much I need my parents to escort me 197 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:43,519 to the bathroom. 198 00:09:43,519 --> 00:09:45,680 I don't really get that one. I don't 199 00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:48,240 know. And here is my all-time favorite 200 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:50,640 letter over all the years. This is my 201 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:52,480 favorite letter from a kid. It's from a 202 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:56,399 boy. Dear RL Stein, I've read 40 of your 203 00:09:56,399 --> 00:10:01,120 books and I think they're really boring. 204 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:04,920 Perfect letter, right? 1 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:16,960 I work very hard to make sure that the 2 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,359 books are appropriate. 3 00:00:19,359 --> 00:00:22,000 I mean, I'm doing horror, so it's got to 4 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,760 be scary. It's got to be creepy. But I 5 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:28,960 hate it when parents come up to me and 6 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:31,279 I'm doing a book signing and they say, 7 00:00:31,279 --> 00:00:34,640 "Oh, you gave my kid nightmares. 8 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:36,640 You gave them nightmares for weeks. They 9 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:39,200 had to sleep with us. You I hate that. 10 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,600 It's not It's not what I want to do at 11 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,640 all. In fact, I a woman wrote to me once 12 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:46,559 with the perfect line. It was like the 13 00:00:46,559 --> 00:00:49,440 perfect letter. She wrote and she said, 14 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:51,920 "Um, I love your books for my kids 15 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,640 because they give them shuddters but not 16 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,120 nightmares." And that that's what I try 17 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,480 to do. I did a um a Goosebumps book 18 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:04,000 called The Girl Who Cried Monster. 19 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,760 And it's about a girl who uh goes to the 20 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:11,840 library and she knows that the librarian 21 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,799 is a monster. She's watching from the 22 00:01:14,799 --> 00:01:18,159 stacks and no one no one this the story 23 00:01:18,159 --> 00:01:19,840 is sort of the girl who cried wolf 24 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,159 because no one will believe her. No one 25 00:01:22,159 --> 00:01:25,200 believes her and then one she knows the 26 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,159 the librarian's a monster and then one 27 00:01:28,159 --> 00:01:30,560 day she's back in the shelves and 28 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:33,439 watching and in the original version of 29 00:01:33,439 --> 00:01:38,079 the manuscript the librarian eats a kid. 30 00:01:38,079 --> 00:01:40,560 So I handed this book in and they said, 31 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:44,240 "Bob, we're not having a kid eaten. The 32 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:47,680 librarian cannot eat a kid." This is one 33 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,000 place where I may one of the few times 34 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,560 where I went too far. They said, "That's 35 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,040 just we don't have kids eating." So I 36 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:58,159 said, "Okay." So I took that out and I 37 00:01:58,159 --> 00:02:03,280 put a large bowl of live turtles on the 38 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:05,600 librarian's desk 39 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:07,840 instead of the kid. 40 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,560 And every once in a while, the librarian 41 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:13,440 would reach over and take a pick up a 42 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:15,680 turtle and put it in his mouth and 43 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,360 crunch it up. And that was my solution 44 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:22,239 to, you know, having gone too far. And 45 00:02:22,239 --> 00:02:24,400 it actually it was better, I think, 46 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,200 because turtles are crunchier, 47 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,239 right? It's very crunchy and a great 48 00:02:30,239 --> 00:02:32,959 graphic, great, you know, image for a 49 00:02:32,959 --> 00:02:34,959 monster. So, you have to be careful when 50 00:02:34,959 --> 00:02:36,800 you're writing for middle grade. Well, 51 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,360 look at Goosebumps. Um, no one ever 52 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,120 dies. There are no guns. 53 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:45,440 No one ever dies. If there's a ghost, it 54 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:47,599 happened a long time before the story 55 00:02:47,599 --> 00:02:50,879 started. Um, the real world is pretty 56 00:02:50,879 --> 00:02:53,280 much kept out. That That's my one rule. 57 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:55,920 My big rule for writing middle-grade 58 00:02:55,920 --> 00:02:59,440 horror is that they have to know it's a 59 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,720 fantasy. They have to the reader has to 60 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,040 know this couldn't happen. Couldn't 61 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:07,920 really happen. It's all just a story. 62 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:10,319 And once they know that, if they know, 63 00:03:10,319 --> 00:03:12,879 you know, if you've established that and 64 00:03:12,879 --> 00:03:14,560 you've written it in a way they know 65 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:16,879 that it couldn't happen, then you can go 66 00:03:16,879 --> 00:03:19,680 pretty far. You can go pretty far with 67 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,920 the scares. 68 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:28,959 Writing for teens is kind of the 69 00:03:28,959 --> 00:03:32,799 opposite. It has to be very real or 70 00:03:32,799 --> 00:03:35,760 they're not going to buy it. every the 71 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,040 details have to be real. And I kill I do 72 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:40,799 in Fear Street kill off a lot of 73 00:03:40,799 --> 00:03:46,080 teenagers. So, we do that. But, um 74 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:48,239 the it's sort of the opposite of the 75 00:03:48,239 --> 00:03:52,000 middle-grade books because every detail 76 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:53,840 it has to be so real. They have to 77 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:55,840 believe it. They have to believe this is 78 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,879 happening. This is happening. it had if 79 00:03:58,879 --> 00:04:01,519 it's phony, if it's goes too far, if 80 00:04:01,519 --> 00:04:03,280 it's they're not they're just not going 81 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:05,920 to buy it. In the early days of Fear 82 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,200 Street, I got criticized a lot for 83 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:11,120 having violence 84 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,840 in these books where kids there was be 85 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:15,599 fighting and there'd be a lot of 86 00:04:15,599 --> 00:04:18,959 violence. And I always say that there's 87 00:04:18,959 --> 00:04:21,120 kids are really smart. That's one thing 88 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:23,199 I've learned 40 years of writing for 89 00:04:23,199 --> 00:04:26,560 kids that kids are really smart. And 90 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:29,360 there's a very big difference between 91 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,720 reading violence. You see read a thing a 92 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,360 scene in a book and it's exciting. It's, 93 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:37,680 you know, 94 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:40,400 horrifying maybe. 95 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,199 And then if you walk outside and you 96 00:04:43,199 --> 00:04:45,280 walk down the street and there's a fist 97 00:04:45,280 --> 00:04:47,680 fight going on, that's a totally 98 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:49,919 different thing. And it gives you a to 99 00:04:49,919 --> 00:04:52,240 that's too real. That's that's 100 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,320 frightening. That's real world 101 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:56,240 frightening. Someone's fighting, 102 00:04:56,240 --> 00:04:58,400 something's happening on the street, and 103 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:01,680 it gives kids a total different feeling. 104 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:03,440 They have a total different feeling from 105 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,320 reading about a fight or and from seeing 106 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,880 a real fight. 107 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,720 Kids have very violent feelings. When 108 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:19,440 kids write horror stories, for me, there 109 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:21,840 there'll be a contest or something and 110 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:24,000 kids will write horror stories. They're 111 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,560 so much more violent than my books. 112 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,120 They're so much more gruesome than what 113 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,240 I write. It It's amazing. Is it 114 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:36,000 cathartic for kids to read these books? 115 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,000 Well, I will tell you I I have one 116 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,360 example. I only have one. I think I well 117 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,000 my personally I think it is. Every book 118 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,800 is kids standing up to their fears. 119 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:50,240 Every single one. And every book has a 120 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:52,560 happy ending. They always win. they 121 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:54,880 always triumph 122 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,840 and so in that way I do think the books 123 00:05:57,840 --> 00:06:00,720 are cathartic. Um I was talking to a 124 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:04,080 child psychologist in Los Angeles 125 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:08,479 and he had a patient who ca a girl who 126 00:06:08,479 --> 00:06:12,080 came in every week and just all she did 127 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:14,639 was recite the plot to a Fear Street 128 00:06:14,639 --> 00:06:17,440 novel. She would just tell him the plot 129 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:19,759 of the Fear Street novel that she had 130 00:06:19,759 --> 00:06:22,960 read that week. And he said that it was 131 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:25,919 really helping her quite a lot, that she 132 00:06:25,919 --> 00:06:28,960 had was very troubled and that these 133 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:31,199 having these experiences and going 134 00:06:31,199 --> 00:06:33,520 through this scary stuff and reading 135 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:36,000 about other kids having these scary 136 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,560 adventures was really helping her. I 137 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:41,039 think it's a healthy outlet. And I think 138 00:06:41,039 --> 00:06:44,160 people who say, "Oh, the violence on in 139 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,479 these games or the violence in in the 140 00:06:46,479 --> 00:06:49,120 books is can lead to I don't believe 141 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,520 that at all. I don't believe that at 142 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:53,840 all. Kids have angry feelings. They have 143 00:06:53,840 --> 00:06:55,840 things the things to get out. They got a 144 00:06:55,840 --> 00:06:59,520 lot of energy and um I think it's very 145 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:01,520 healthy to read something that's 146 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:04,240 harmless and has a happy ending and 147 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,599 works out fine. You know what one secret 148 00:07:07,599 --> 00:07:10,080 of Goosebumps I think and I never talk 149 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:13,280 about this very much is that we have all 150 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:15,919 these monsters in Goosebumps. These 151 00:07:15,919 --> 00:07:18,880 horrible monsters, angry monsters. And I 152 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,440 think one reason, we never talk about 153 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:25,039 this. One reason kids like Goosebumps so 154 00:07:25,039 --> 00:07:27,280 much is that they identify with the 155 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:29,360 monsters, 156 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:31,440 not the protagonists. 157 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:34,319 I think they identify with these raging 158 00:07:34,319 --> 00:07:36,880 creatures because they all feel out of 159 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,680 control at sometimes. They have feel the 160 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,160 anger and I think they I think they 161 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,960 identify with the monsters. 162 00:07:49,759 --> 00:07:51,520 When I'm writing the books, I think 163 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,000 about the age of the audience constantly 164 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,039 and I keep pictures in my mind of what 165 00:07:57,039 --> 00:07:58,879 the audience looks like. If I'm writing 166 00:07:58,879 --> 00:08:02,800 a young adult, I try to see an 17, 18 167 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:05,840 year old person I or younger, a little 168 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:08,479 younger, I try to for middle grade, I 169 00:08:08,479 --> 00:08:10,400 try to picture those kids and it helps 170 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:12,960 me as I'm writing. But if you're 171 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,120 developing, if you're just developing 172 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:18,400 your style and you want you're trying to 173 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:22,160 figure out um vocabulary level for what 174 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:26,000 you write, how how far you can go, the 175 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,199 best way is to read read 176 00:08:29,199 --> 00:08:31,919 what's out there and read what's selling 177 00:08:31,919 --> 00:08:33,760 and 178 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:36,399 you will you'll pick up all these style 179 00:08:36,399 --> 00:08:38,640 tips and you'll see what authors are 180 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:41,360 doing and you will by osmosis you will 181 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:43,680 get a thought of it, but it's also 182 00:08:43,680 --> 00:08:46,399 really informative. When I was an editor 183 00:08:46,399 --> 00:08:48,160 at Scholastic, 184 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:51,519 I was given a magazine to edit. It was a 185 00:08:51,519 --> 00:08:54,560 social studies magazine. It was for 186 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:56,640 junior high kids, seventh and eighth 187 00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:00,000 graders who read at a fourth grade 188 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,000 reading level. 189 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,760 So, I had to write a magazine that had 190 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:08,480 the interest level of seventh and eighth 191 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:10,720 graders. It would keep them interested, 192 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:12,959 but the reading level had to be fourth 193 00:09:12,959 --> 00:09:16,240 grade. And there are all these systems 194 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:20,480 and I I had to learn there was a Dalech 195 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:24,560 system of grades, what writing grades 196 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:26,959 you write for. And I had to learn to 197 00:09:26,959 --> 00:09:29,279 write for fourth grade level and fifth 198 00:09:29,279 --> 00:09:32,080 grade level and what the vocabulary was 199 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:35,040 for both. And at the time it was kind of 200 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:37,920 annoying. I didn't, you know, I didn't I 201 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:40,959 I wanted to do this magazine, but it was 202 00:09:40,959 --> 00:09:43,839 kind of a chore to figure out what the 203 00:09:43,839 --> 00:09:46,399 vocabulary was for fifth grade or fourth 204 00:09:46,399 --> 00:09:48,240 grade. But then when I started 205 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:52,000 Goosebumps, it came in so handy because 206 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:54,480 I wanted to be I want to keep it simple 207 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:56,880 and I want Goosebumps to be on a fifth 208 00:09:56,880 --> 00:09:59,360 grade reading level and I know how to do 209 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:02,320 that from from learning that. And 210 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:03,920 that's, you know, that's a very 211 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:07,120 important part of of the style of the 212 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:09,680 books is that the reading level is 213 00:10:09,680 --> 00:10:11,920 pretty much straight fifth grade reading 214 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:15,200 level. Here's my big secret. 215 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:18,240 I never challenge them in reading. 216 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,800 There's nothing challenging. There's no 217 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:24,079 hard vocabulary word, no new vocabulary 218 00:10:24,079 --> 00:10:26,959 words to learn. They don't have to learn 219 00:10:26,959 --> 00:10:29,200 new words. There's nothing that 220 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:32,160 challenges to keep them from reading on 221 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:36,160 and on and on. It's so simple and so 222 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:39,279 short sentences, 223 00:10:39,279 --> 00:10:42,959 easy to read words, short chapters, 224 00:10:42,959 --> 00:10:47,720 and that's my writing style. 225 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:53,440 Questions I get all the time are, "How 226 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:55,279 far can you go? What can you do in 227 00:10:55,279 --> 00:10:57,519 Hawaii? What's the language? Can you use 228 00:10:57,519 --> 00:11:00,720 bad language in YA? Can you have real 229 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:05,279 sex? Can you have sex scenes in YA? Now, 230 00:11:05,279 --> 00:11:07,440 and the way to figure out what you want 231 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:10,320 to do is to read read the books. Read 232 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:12,480 what's out there. Read what's popular. 233 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:15,279 It's easy to see the bestseller list and 234 00:11:15,279 --> 00:11:18,640 see see what people are reading, how far 235 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:21,040 book some people go farther than others, 236 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:24,399 some don't. But as far as figuring out 237 00:11:24,399 --> 00:11:27,040 what kids will read, the best way to do 238 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:29,440 it is not to just start writing and 239 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:33,279 experimenting is to is to read 240 00:11:33,279 --> 00:11:35,519 read a lot of the stuff and see what's 241 00:11:35,519 --> 00:11:38,079 going on. These are older readers and 242 00:11:38,079 --> 00:11:40,720 they demand more detail. They demand 243 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:42,720 more characterization. 244 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:45,680 They it has to be real. If if I'm going 245 00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:49,519 to scare someone who's 14, 15 years old, 246 00:11:49,519 --> 00:11:52,320 I have to really build up the world and 247 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,519 build up the details. It has to be and I 248 00:11:55,519 --> 00:11:57,519 have to bring in real world things that 249 00:11:57,519 --> 00:11:59,600 I wouldn't do in a middle-grade book. In 250 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,320 Fear Street, there's a lot of heavy 251 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:05,600 kissing. That's as far as I go. A lot of 252 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:08,079 my authors go farther, but I I don't do 253 00:12:08,079 --> 00:12:10,160 it. I that's I'm it's not what I'm 254 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:13,040 interested in. But the dialogue has to 255 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:15,839 be very current and very real. And I do 256 00:12:15,839 --> 00:12:19,440 have family problems. Kids whose uh 257 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:22,800 parents are out of work. I I do just 258 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:24,320 real problems that they're going to 259 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:27,040 know. Father loses his job. The kids are 260 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:28,720 desperate. They're thinking maybe 261 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:32,639 they'll rob a store or something. Um, it 262 00:12:32,639 --> 00:12:36,160 has to be real uh in order otherwise it 263 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:39,680 it's just going to be silly to 1 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:14,240 Here's an example of writing for 2 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,039 teenagers as opposed to writing middle 3 00:00:17,039 --> 00:00:19,279 grade. And you'll see that the 4 00:00:19,279 --> 00:00:21,840 characters are different. They're older. 5 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:24,080 There's more sophisticated. 6 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:27,199 This is from a book I wrote called A 7 00:00:27,199 --> 00:00:30,480 Midsummer Night Scream. And you can see 8 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:32,719 the difference in the writing level 9 00:00:32,719 --> 00:00:36,320 between a a middle-grade story and we 10 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,640 have these kids, these teenagers in a 11 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,480 car. Um, and it's takes place in the 12 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:45,480 1950s 13 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,039 and this is the very beginning of the 14 00:00:49,039 --> 00:00:52,079 book. This is chapter one. 15 00:00:52,079 --> 00:00:54,480 One hand on the wheel, one hand around 16 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:57,600 Darlene's shoulders, Tony pounded the 17 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,320 gas pedal, and the van roared over the 18 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,840 bumps and pits of the narrow dirt road. 19 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:05,920 So, we have a picture right away, a te 20 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:08,159 we have a teenage picture right away of 21 00:01:08,159 --> 00:01:10,400 a guy driving one-handed with his arm 22 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:12,479 around a girl. 23 00:01:12,479 --> 00:01:14,799 Leaning against the window on Darlene's 24 00:01:14,799 --> 00:01:17,759 right, Sue gritted her teeth and 25 00:01:17,759 --> 00:01:21,119 absorbed every jolt and jerk in silence. 26 00:01:21,119 --> 00:01:23,759 Tony was driving too fast, trying to 27 00:01:23,759 --> 00:01:26,400 impress Darlene, and Sue had to fight 28 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,439 down her fear. The van was roaring 29 00:01:29,439 --> 00:01:32,000 through thick woods, and the overhanging 30 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,799 trees blocked the evening light, making 31 00:01:34,799 --> 00:01:37,040 Sue feel as if the world had gone black 32 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:38,799 and white. 33 00:01:38,799 --> 00:01:41,200 In the back seat, Randy, Brian, and 34 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,479 Cindy were singing a children's song, 35 00:01:44,479 --> 00:01:47,200 singing and laughing at the same time. 36 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:49,520 Darlene shook her head. Sue covered her 37 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:52,240 ears. Sue was the shy one in the group 38 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,240 of friends. She appeared on edge with 39 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,479 them as if she'd love to be somewhere 40 00:01:56,479 --> 00:01:59,759 else. The van hit a big stone and the 41 00:01:59,759 --> 00:02:02,159 six kids flew up from their seats, their 42 00:02:02,159 --> 00:02:04,640 heads thumping the ceiling. The wheel 43 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:07,280 spun wildly in Tony's hand. Sue and 44 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,080 Sydney screamed as they veered toward 45 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:11,920 the trees. 46 00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:14,080 So, it gives you an idea of it's 47 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,520 fastpacing, but the vocabulary is higher 48 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,959 and than a a middle-grade book. And you 49 00:02:20,959 --> 00:02:22,959 can you get these s you have six 50 00:02:22,959 --> 00:02:25,360 characters right away and you pretty 51 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:27,120 much start to get an idea of what 52 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:29,360 they're like. The danger is very 53 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:31,840 believable. They're roaring down this 54 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:34,319 road. He's showing off. They're in a big 55 00:02:34,319 --> 00:02:37,920 van. They hit a rock. It's nighttime. 56 00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:40,400 They're in the middle of a forest. Uh 57 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,840 it's a a very real kind of uh uh 58 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,840 beginning. 59 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:52,800 Now, here's a little section from a 60 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:56,640 Goosebumps I wrote called Here Comes the 61 00:02:56,640 --> 00:02:59,519 Shaggedy. And the Shaggedy is this 62 00:02:59,519 --> 00:03:02,080 horrible swamp monster. 63 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:03,920 And I thought I would read this to you 64 00:03:03,920 --> 00:03:08,080 because it's a an example of how you 65 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:10,640 could write a monster for middle grade, 66 00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:13,840 how middle-grade kids will react to it, 67 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:16,239 and gives you a sort of an idea in 68 00:03:16,239 --> 00:03:19,360 contrast to the teenage thing of the 69 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,680 different style that I would use for 70 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:23,360 middle grade and the different 71 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,400 vocabulary level. And I'm describing 72 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:28,879 this monster who comes popping up out of 73 00:03:28,879 --> 00:03:30,879 the river. This horrible, hideous thing 74 00:03:30,879 --> 00:03:34,000 comes up and staring at this brother and 75 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:37,760 sister and um but you can see the 76 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:39,680 different it's a different fright level 77 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,879 alto together I think uh its face was 78 00:03:42,879 --> 00:03:46,000 blue and puffy its eyes were an eerie 79 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,040 yellow water rolled off its head its 80 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,599 bare shoulders the creature appeared to 81 00:03:51,599 --> 00:03:53,920 grow taller as it rose in the water and 82 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,720 began to stomp toward the shore it 83 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,680 pulled a tangle of weeds from its long 84 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,439 sea green hair down past its shoulders. 85 00:04:03,439 --> 00:04:06,640 Its mouth hung hung open in a silent 86 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:11,280 roar. A slender silvery fish slid out of 87 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,920 one of its nostrils and splashed into 88 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,639 the water. "Run, Kelly! Run!" Shawn 89 00:04:16,639 --> 00:04:18,880 screamed. He spun away from the 90 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:21,680 terrifying creature, his shoes pounding 91 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,800 the soft ground. Kelly turned to run, 92 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,120 but then she stopped. She remembered 93 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,840 Ranger Saul's words. The shaggedy would 94 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:32,160 rise out of the water and do whatever 95 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:34,720 she asked it to do. She was the boss. 96 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:37,680 She was its master. She took a deep 97 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:40,560 breath and summoned all her courage. She 98 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:42,479 could still hear Sha's footsteps as he 99 00:04:42,479 --> 00:04:45,360 ran away. But she was determined to 100 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:48,080 stay. I called it up. Now I will control 101 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:50,160 it. 102 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:52,320 Its bare chest was covered in thick 103 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,880 brown fur. Its arms were powerful and 104 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,919 long. Its massive hands hung below his 105 00:04:57,919 --> 00:05:00,880 knees. Its legs were the size of tree 106 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:02,400 stumps. 107 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:05,440 It uttered a low grunt. So, you can see 108 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,000 how Goosebumps differs from Fear Street. 109 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:09,919 In Fear Street, you've got these six 110 00:05:09,919 --> 00:05:12,560 teenagers in a van and they're in the 111 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:16,240 woods and they're they've hit a rock. 112 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:18,160 They're going to be lost in the woods. 113 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:20,639 It's very real. Here you have this 114 00:05:20,639 --> 00:05:23,360 incredible monster, this hideous monster 115 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,080 rising up from out of nowhere. And maybe 116 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:28,880 it's going to obey Kelly. Maybe not. But 117 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:30,960 we know right away that it's silly. It 118 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:34,000 can't it can't really happen. And the 119 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,759 vocabulary is less the is lower. The 120 00:05:37,759 --> 00:05:40,320 vocabulary level is lower in the 121 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:42,720 goosebumps book and the sentences are 122 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,520 shorter. This is sort of a rare example 123 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:48,560 that I picked uh because this is a third 124 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:50,800 it's written third person and I think 125 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,280 that has to do with the plot that has to 126 00:05:53,280 --> 00:05:56,560 do with some surprises that come later. 127 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,120 But um even with the third person I 128 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:01,520 tried to get as close to Kelly as I 129 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,960 could try to get even third person try 130 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:07,440 to get right there so that she's seeing 131 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:10,000 the monster and smelling it and hearing 132 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,280 the sounds of it. 1 00:00:06,319 --> 00:00:08,240 One of the decisions you have to make 2 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,200 when you're starting to write a book is 3 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:13,519 are you going to write it first person? 4 00:00:13,519 --> 00:00:15,519 Is it going to be from the point of view 5 00:00:15,519 --> 00:00:18,800 of your protagonist or are you going to 6 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,199 write it third person from the point of 7 00:00:21,199 --> 00:00:23,279 view of the author? If you're interested 8 00:00:23,279 --> 00:00:25,920 in writing horror, the secret to making 9 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:29,920 it scary is close point of view with 10 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:31,920 your main character. 11 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,200 I almost write all my books, almost all 12 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,640 of them are first person because it's so 13 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,360 much scarier to be in the protagonist's 14 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:43,520 head. 15 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:46,239 Everything that happens in the book, 16 00:00:46,239 --> 00:00:48,719 your the main character sees. It's 17 00:00:48,719 --> 00:00:51,120 everything she sees, everything she 18 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:53,840 hears, every smell, everything 19 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:56,000 everywhere she goes. It's you're right 20 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:57,840 with her. 21 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,520 It's such close such close point of 22 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:03,840 view. That's the whole secret of horror, 23 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,400 I think, is being able to do this close 24 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:08,400 point of view because then when 25 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:10,640 something har terrible happens, your 26 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:13,040 reader is the protagonist. your reader 27 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,360 is right with it and the reader is 28 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:19,520 experiencing this horror close up. The 29 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:21,840 closer you get to the character, the 30 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:23,759 better your scares will be and the 31 00:01:23,759 --> 00:01:26,240 better your story will be. That's the 32 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,799 whole secret to being scary. That's it 33 00:01:28,799 --> 00:01:30,960 in one sentence. 34 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:34,159 Close point of view. close point of view 35 00:01:34,159 --> 00:01:37,960 with your main character. 36 00:01:41,439 --> 00:01:44,240 When you're writing first person and 37 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:48,240 it's a point of view of the teenage girl 38 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,360 who's being terrified by something, you 39 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,640 have to be very careful to keep the 40 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,680 balance between what she's feeling and 41 00:01:57,680 --> 00:01:59,759 what she's seeing 42 00:01:59,759 --> 00:02:02,960 and what she's thinking. The one 43 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:05,920 advantage of first-person writing is 44 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,000 that you can write the thoughts of your 45 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,239 character. But you have to be real 46 00:02:10,239 --> 00:02:12,480 careful. You can't overdo that. If 47 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,040 there's too much thinking in a book, it 48 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,800 slows it down. It It makes it tedious. 49 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,959 If the girl is thinking, um, 50 00:02:22,959 --> 00:02:26,000 be braver, Julia. You got to be braver. 51 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,840 Go in there. I I'm I know I can do it. 52 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:31,520 You don't want that kind of thing. You 53 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:33,440 don't want that kind of thinking. You 54 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:35,599 don't want to put in too much thinking. 55 00:02:35,599 --> 00:02:38,720 It's a real fine line. And it's a fine 56 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,000 line between what how she how scared she 57 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:44,959 is and what's scaring her. And that's 58 00:02:44,959 --> 00:02:48,080 that's just takes experience, I think. 59 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:49,840 And you have to be careful. You you're 60 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:52,400 going to really describe what the scare 61 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:56,319 is and what what danger she is in. But 62 00:02:56,319 --> 00:02:58,160 but you don't want to spend a whole lot 63 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,280 of time saying, "Oh, I'm so scared. Oh, 64 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,920 I'm you should know that from what's 65 00:03:03,920 --> 00:03:06,640 going on." So you you've got to be very 66 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:09,519 careful of the balance between feelings 67 00:03:09,519 --> 00:03:12,920 and actions. 68 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,000 Of 69 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:19,760 course, there are limitations to writing 70 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,599 for first person in that it's at some 71 00:03:23,599 --> 00:03:25,840 point at sometimes you want to skip from 72 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:28,879 character to character. And this is why, 73 00:03:28,879 --> 00:03:31,360 you know, most authors do a lot of third 74 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:33,760 person writing because you can't go, 75 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,400 it's very hard if you're a first person 76 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:39,120 with someone and then you want to tell 77 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,000 you want them not in the story. you want 78 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,720 to tell someone else's point of view, 79 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:47,120 it's very hard to switch over. And if 80 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,000 you're doing a whole book first person, 81 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,480 um it that can be confusing. You know, 82 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,760 Robert Grace writes these um the police 83 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:58,560 procedurals that are really excellent 84 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:02,480 and he has two characters and sometimes 85 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,120 both characters are in the same book and 86 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:07,360 he'll do one 87 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:10,400 character first person and then he'll do 88 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:12,640 the story with the other character third 89 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,680 person and then you can tell you can 90 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:17,919 tell the difference that way. It's it 91 00:04:17,919 --> 00:04:20,639 helps you. It's I I don't know. Some 92 00:04:20,639 --> 00:04:22,960 people find that a little confusing, but 93 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:24,800 I think it's a good technique if you 94 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,199 want to switch from person to person. If 95 00:04:27,199 --> 00:04:29,360 you write first person, you're stuck 96 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,000 with that character and she can't she 97 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:34,320 has to be in every scene. She has to be 98 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:38,120 there all the time. 99 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:45,199 I wanted to show you a an example of 100 00:04:45,199 --> 00:04:48,800 close point of view and how close point 101 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:53,040 of view makes a scene much scarier. And 102 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:55,360 I'm going to read a little section of a 103 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,320 short story I wrote called The Ghostly 104 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:00,400 Stare. 105 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:04,080 And it's about a girl named Lauren and 106 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:07,199 her brother Mark. And during the day, 107 00:05:07,199 --> 00:05:09,520 their teacher takes them to a graveyard 108 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:12,479 to do gravestone rubbings. 109 00:05:12,479 --> 00:05:16,000 It's winter and Lauren has this pair new 110 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,000 pair of gloves that her grandmother has 111 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,360 given her, very special. And she leaves 112 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:24,240 them in the graveyard. 113 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,199 And that night, she realizes that she 114 00:05:27,199 --> 00:05:29,759 left her gloves. And she and Mark go 115 00:05:29,759 --> 00:05:32,560 back to the graveyard at night uh to 116 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:34,400 find them. 117 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:36,479 And they can't. She they go back to the 118 00:05:36,479 --> 00:05:38,720 tombstone where they were working and 119 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,280 they're not there. 120 00:05:41,280 --> 00:05:43,600 And I just thought this would be a good 121 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,720 example of uh close point of view 122 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:51,120 writing. Okay. And Lauren 123 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:55,199 uh Lauren is telling the story. 124 00:05:55,199 --> 00:05:57,840 And there they are in the graveyard. The 125 00:05:57,840 --> 00:06:01,360 wind sighed again. The trees groaned and 126 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:04,560 shook. I heard a shrill cry far in the 127 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:08,639 distance, probably a cat. So there she's 128 00:06:08,639 --> 00:06:10,960 hearing it. You're telling what Lauren 129 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:13,520 hears. What you know, she feels the wind 130 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:16,160 and she hears the cat. 131 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:18,720 Bending low, I circle the grave. Where 132 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:21,280 are they? Maybe they blew down the hill, 133 00:06:21,280 --> 00:06:23,280 Mark suggestion. 134 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:25,520 He walked slowly down the hill, sweeping 135 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:27,520 the light from side to side over the 136 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:29,680 ground. Where are they? Where are they? 137 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:32,880 I repeated, rubbing my tingling nose, my 138 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,120 frozen face. 139 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:37,759 I almost bumped right into the girl. Her 140 00:06:37,759 --> 00:06:39,919 long dark hair fell over her face, 141 00:06:39,919 --> 00:06:42,800 hiding it from view. She wore only a 142 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,240 thin dress with long sleeves and a long 143 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:49,280 pleated skirt down to the ground. She 144 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:52,479 stood very stiff and erect, hands behind 145 00:06:52,479 --> 00:06:55,759 her back. "Who are you?" I gasped, and 146 00:06:55,759 --> 00:06:57,840 then a gust of wind blew the hair away 147 00:06:57,840 --> 00:07:00,639 from her face. I stared, stared in 148 00:07:00,639 --> 00:07:04,720 horror at her skeletal face. No skin, no 149 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,160 lips over her broken teeth. No eyes, 150 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:11,120 just empty eye sockets. So deep and 151 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,479 dark. I'm Abigail, 152 00:07:14,479 --> 00:07:17,039 she croked, her voice dry. Dry as 153 00:07:17,039 --> 00:07:20,960 sandpaper, dry as crackling leaves. And 154 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:23,199 then she lifted both arms. There was no 155 00:07:23,199 --> 00:07:26,319 skin on her arms either, only bone. And 156 00:07:26,319 --> 00:07:29,360 at the end of her gray bony arms were my 157 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:32,479 gloves. She took a silent step toward me 158 00:07:32,479 --> 00:07:35,360 as I stood there frozen in horror. "I'm 159 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:38,240 so cold," she moaned through her rotted 160 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:41,520 teeth. "It's so cold here, Lauren. 161 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:43,599 Please," I whispered, staring at my 162 00:07:43,599 --> 00:07:46,240 gloves, my gloves at the ends of those 163 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:49,039 bony arms. "I need your coat," she 164 00:07:49,039 --> 00:07:51,599 moaned, reaching out with both gloved 165 00:07:51,599 --> 00:07:54,560 hands. the deep empty eye sockets, the 166 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:57,440 bony head tilting toward me beneath the 167 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:01,280 blowing hair. Lauren, I need your coat. 168 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:04,080 No, please. I turned, looking everywhere 169 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:07,120 for my brother. Mark, I cried. I saw him 170 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:10,400 running, running full speed, arms flying 171 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:12,639 in front of him, running from a tall 172 00:08:12,639 --> 00:08:15,360 skeleton in a flapping black overcoat. 173 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:18,319 Get going, I ordered myself. Lauren, go 174 00:08:18,319 --> 00:08:20,879 now. But my legs were shaking too hard. 175 00:08:20,879 --> 00:08:23,680 They wouldn't move. Lauren, I need your 176 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:27,440 sweater. No, stop. The fingers inside my 177 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,720 gloves grabbing for me. Lauren, I need 178 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:34,080 your clothes. Lauren, it's so cold here. 179 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:36,880 I need your coat. I need your sweater. 180 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:39,279 No, get away from me. I shrieked. 181 00:08:39,279 --> 00:08:42,959 Lauren, I need your shoes. Lauren, I 182 00:08:42,959 --> 00:08:46,480 need your skin. 183 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:49,519 And that's a sample from a short story, 184 00:08:49,519 --> 00:08:52,640 The Ghostly Stair. And I think you can 185 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:55,200 see that if if you had written that 186 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:57,040 third person, I don't think you could 187 00:08:57,040 --> 00:08:59,920 get that fright. I don't think you're 188 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:02,320 right in Lauren's head. And I think 189 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:04,880 that's what makes that scene so scary. 190 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:07,120 And if you I think if you try to write 191 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:09,519 this third person, you're going to lose 192 00:09:09,519 --> 00:09:12,000 a lot of that closeness. 193 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,640 And at the end of her gray bony arms 194 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:18,240 were Lauren's gloves. And to me, that's 195 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:20,160 not as good. It's not as scary as 196 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:22,560 saying, "And at the end of her gray bony 197 00:09:22,560 --> 00:09:26,800 arms were my gloves." My gloves. It's 198 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:28,800 much more frightening. Just changing 199 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,480 that one word and just um doing it first 200 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:34,560 person. Maybe you don't agree with me. 201 00:09:34,560 --> 00:09:37,360 Maybe you you think, you know, some 202 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:39,440 people think writing everything first 203 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:42,720 person like that is just a trick or it's 204 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:46,720 not. I think try it. Try it out. Try try 205 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,200 writing the same scene. The girls in the 206 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,000 graveyard, this figure appears. Try 207 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:54,800 writing the same scene, first person and 208 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:58,880 third person, and see which one you 1 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,480 In the first chapter of a book for kids, 2 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,359 they have to know the first chapter has 3 00:00:19,359 --> 00:00:21,279 to tell them what what's happening, what 4 00:00:21,279 --> 00:00:24,160 the book is. It pretty much has to tell 5 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,039 them what they're going to expect. 6 00:00:27,039 --> 00:00:30,080 It has to establish an awful lot. And 7 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,120 kids know right from the start that it's 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:34,960 something they're going to want to read, 9 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:36,880 that it's something, it's characters 10 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:40,160 that they like right away, and something 11 00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:42,719 bad has happened right away. And first 12 00:00:42,719 --> 00:00:45,680 page, first two pages, they can see 13 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:47,520 what's going to develop, what the 14 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:49,680 problem is going to be, what's going to 15 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,399 happen right away. We get them get the 16 00:00:52,399 --> 00:00:55,360 kids in, get them described, and then 17 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:57,840 get into the action and get it going. 18 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:00,559 Chapter one ends in some kind of shock, 19 00:01:00,559 --> 00:01:03,840 some kind of cliffhanger. No time for 20 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:07,280 background, nothing. Nothing interfering 21 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:09,439 with the action and keeping the plot 22 00:01:09,439 --> 00:01:13,439 going. And that's that's one of the 23 00:01:13,439 --> 00:01:16,439 tricks. 24 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,400 I thought I would read a section of I am 25 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:25,280 Slappy's evil twin. There's a prologue 26 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:27,920 and then this is the first chapter and I 27 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:29,840 I'm reading it because I think it's a 28 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:33,040 really good example of what you want to 29 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:34,960 do in the first chapter. You want to 30 00:01:34,960 --> 00:01:37,360 meet the kids. You want to kind of find 31 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:39,520 out what they're like a little bit. And 32 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:41,119 then you want to know what's going to 33 00:01:41,119 --> 00:01:43,280 happen right away. And this chapter 34 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,799 pretty much uh does that. Hey guys, I'm 35 00:01:46,799 --> 00:01:50,320 Luke Harrison. I'm the red-headed kid 36 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:52,560 poking around in the tool chest in the 37 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:54,640 garage trying to figure out what a 38 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,439 Phillips screwdriver looks like. Yes, 39 00:01:57,439 --> 00:02:00,960 I'm 12, as are all Goosebumps, kids. I 40 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,119 probably should know more about tools by 41 00:02:03,119 --> 00:02:06,079 now, but I'm not the mechanical type. I 42 00:02:06,079 --> 00:02:08,000 mean, the most complicated thing I ever 43 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,959 built was a snowman. 44 00:02:10,959 --> 00:02:12,720 That's a joke. Actually, I've never 45 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,200 built anything in my life until we 46 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:17,680 decided to build this drone for a school 47 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:20,319 contest. So, there now you you've met 48 00:02:20,319 --> 00:02:22,800 the Luke. He's the main character and 49 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:25,040 you you pretty much you know quite a bit 50 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:27,440 about him just in the first two 51 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,160 paragraphs. Hurry up, Luke. I can't hold 52 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,959 this forever. That's my sister Kelly 53 00:02:32,959 --> 00:02:35,680 across the garage. She's holding two 54 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,239 pieces of the frame together. Kelly 55 00:02:38,239 --> 00:02:40,480 isn't much help either. Well, she's good 56 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:42,720 at holding things, and she's good at 57 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,120 telling us what we're doing wrong, so I 58 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:47,440 guess that's helpful. 59 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,480 Now we know Kelly. Luckily, our friend 60 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,280 Jamal is a mechanical genius. No, 61 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,239 seriously. He's a genius at this stuff. 62 00:02:56,239 --> 00:02:58,879 He was one of those kids who built an 63 00:02:58,879 --> 00:03:01,120 entire city as big as his living room 64 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,120 out of Legos when he was still in 65 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:04,720 diapers. 66 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:06,879 Jamal bought the make your own drone kit 67 00:03:06,879 --> 00:03:09,040 we're using. And when he spread all the 68 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:11,280 pieces out in our garage, he didn't like 69 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,000 the instructions, so he threw them out. 70 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:15,760 He said he could do it better, and we 71 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,800 believed him. The drone had four motors. 72 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,280 We had special batteries for the motors 73 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,080 and then a small propane tank for the 74 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,760 back of the frame, I guess, for liftoff. 75 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:29,840 Kelly and Jamal began to assemble 76 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,400 another side of the frame. The afternoon 77 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,360 sun slid behind some trees and shadows 78 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,000 swept over the garage. I stepped to the 79 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:39,760 back wall and clicked on the garage 80 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,480 lights. Don't say I'm not helpful, I 81 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,840 called to them. They ignored me. I 82 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,000 turned and stumbled over the big propane 83 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,480 tank. The tank was huge, about 3 ft 84 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:52,640 taller than me. It looked like the water 85 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:54,799 heater we have in the basement. I 86 00:03:54,799 --> 00:03:56,720 stumbled into it, and as I watched in 87 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,439 horror, the tank began to tilt and fall 88 00:03:59,439 --> 00:04:02,480 over. I made a wild grab for it, but it 89 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:04,560 was too heavy. It slipped right out of 90 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:07,519 my hands. Like a nightmare, the whole 91 00:04:07,519 --> 00:04:09,280 thing seemed to be happening in slow 92 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:11,840 motion. The tank was going down, about 93 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,480 to crash onto the hard concrete floor. I 94 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:16,160 grabbed for it again, missed, and then I 95 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:17,840 screamed, "Look out! It's going to 96 00:04:17,840 --> 00:04:19,840 blow." 97 00:04:19,840 --> 00:04:22,240 That's the chapter ending. So, you can 98 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:24,400 see that's designed. Then what? Then 99 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:26,639 what? You got to go on to the next one. 100 00:04:26,639 --> 00:04:29,280 And so you see we've we've established 101 00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:32,560 the characters very quickly and you kind 102 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,000 of know their personalities and we've 103 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:37,840 started the action right away in the 104 00:04:37,840 --> 00:04:39,840 very first chapter. There's one other 105 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:42,720 thing that first chapter does and that 106 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:45,280 aside from the characters, it 107 00:04:45,280 --> 00:04:48,320 establishes the propane tank. And of 108 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:50,639 course the propane tank doesn't blow 109 00:04:50,639 --> 00:04:53,840 right after this. It's there. But the 110 00:04:53,840 --> 00:04:56,880 propane tank we now know is there and of 111 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:59,360 course the reader forgets about it. And 112 00:04:59,360 --> 00:05:02,479 it's there because it plays a major role 113 00:05:02,479 --> 00:05:05,680 in the end of the book. And I'd already 114 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:07,919 I'd planned the ending. So, I had to 115 00:05:07,919 --> 00:05:12,080 establish the propane tank right 1 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,599 I was a really fearful kid. I was afraid 2 00:00:15,599 --> 00:00:18,800 of a lot. Um, I think that's why I 3 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,359 stayed in my room typing all the time 4 00:00:21,359 --> 00:00:23,760 because I really was I it was a terrible 5 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:28,240 way to grow up. I was uh uh afraid of 6 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:32,160 the dark. I was afraid we we had this um 7 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:34,800 freezer down in the basement. It was 8 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:36,719 sort of shaped like this desk. It was 9 00:00:36,719 --> 00:00:39,680 shaped sort of coffin shaped, a white 10 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,879 enamel freezer that they my parents kept 11 00:00:42,879 --> 00:00:46,800 meat in it and frozen candy bars and 12 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:49,520 things. And my dad would say, "Bob, go 13 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,879 down and uh bring up some lamb chops." 14 00:00:52,879 --> 00:00:55,280 And we had a creepy basement and I was 15 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:57,280 it was the stairs creaked. It was, you 16 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,960 know, it was typical. It was I It was a 17 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:03,440 scary basement. And then I would go up 18 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,320 to this freezer and here was this white 19 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:08,560 enamelled this freezer and the lid came 20 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:10,880 up like this. And I knew I was always 21 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:13,520 afraid I was going to lift up the lid 22 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,320 and there would be some body frozen, 23 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:20,799 some sprawled corpse sprawled on top. I 24 00:01:20,799 --> 00:01:23,759 just imagine I could picture it and 25 00:01:23,759 --> 00:01:26,479 lifted up the lid to get the thing. And 26 00:01:26,479 --> 00:01:28,320 I, you know, I had a lot of fears like 27 00:01:28,320 --> 00:01:30,400 that. I used to ride my bike around the 28 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,360 neighborhood and come back at night and 29 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,840 I was always sure something was lurking 30 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,079 in the garage. There was something in 31 00:01:38,079 --> 00:01:40,400 there waiting and I would take my bike 32 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,560 and heave it into the garage and go 33 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:44,479 running into the house. I was really 34 00:01:44,479 --> 00:01:47,040 afraid of things. But it how lucky was 35 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:49,600 that? Because then here I am writing 36 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:53,439 scary books, right? And I can now I can 37 00:01:53,439 --> 00:01:56,399 remember that feeling of panic, that 38 00:01:56,399 --> 00:01:59,840 feeling of being a kid and being afraid. 39 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:02,240 And I can bring it back. I can remember 40 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,600 it and try to put it into my books. So 41 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:10,040 it turned out it was something lucky. 42 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,480 Any place can become scary. when I first 43 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,440 started doing uh the Goosebumps books 44 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:21,840 and was thinking it was no one had ever 45 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,720 done a scary book series for seven to 12 46 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,599 year olds. It had never been done and I 47 00:02:27,599 --> 00:02:30,720 had to try to figure out what will be 48 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:33,280 scary and what will work, what will they 49 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:35,519 be able to identify with and what will 50 00:02:35,519 --> 00:02:39,440 they be able to see when it create these 51 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:40,959 stories. 52 00:02:40,959 --> 00:02:44,160 And of course, the impulse with horror 53 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:48,239 is to set it in some dark castle in in 54 00:02:48,239 --> 00:02:51,599 the middle of a forest in middle Europe. 55 00:02:51,599 --> 00:02:54,560 And I like the werewolf movies. They're 56 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:58,239 deep in some European forest and these 57 00:02:58,239 --> 00:03:01,599 strange people. And I thought kids just 58 00:03:01,599 --> 00:03:04,879 can't they can't identify with that. 59 00:03:04,879 --> 00:03:07,519 That's not part of their lives. You have 60 00:03:07,519 --> 00:03:10,720 to make it location part of their lives, 61 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:12,480 something that they can really see and 62 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:15,040 know. And that's how I made the decision 63 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,440 that most Goosebumps books would take 64 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:19,519 place in the backyard. They take place 65 00:03:19,519 --> 00:03:22,319 at school. They would be in a in a 66 00:03:22,319 --> 00:03:25,360 neighborhood and not in somewhere in 67 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:27,360 middle Europe or like, you know, a 68 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,000 Dracula's castle. We don't do that at 69 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,640 all. You take these normal places that 70 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:35,599 kids know and then you have to make them 71 00:03:35,599 --> 00:03:38,560 scary. Um, a kid is in school and the 72 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:40,560 teacher says, "Would you go down to the 73 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:43,440 basement, please, and ask the custodian 74 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,599 to come up in there?" And the kid goes 75 00:03:45,599 --> 00:03:48,000 down and he gets lost down in the 76 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,000 basement of the school. And he's in some 77 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,879 area he's never seen before. There's all 78 00:03:52,879 --> 00:03:54,799 this the furnace and all this dark 79 00:03:54,799 --> 00:03:57,519 equipment and weird things going on down 80 00:03:57,519 --> 00:04:00,159 in the basement. That's a scary 81 00:04:00,159 --> 00:04:02,720 location. His right in school, but it 82 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,360 becomes a scary location. You can do 83 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,920 that. Um, a kid is going to stay with 84 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:12,159 his aunt who he's never really seen 85 00:04:12,159 --> 00:04:14,480 before, but his parents have a business 86 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:16,560 trip and the kid has to go with the 87 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:18,959 aunt. And the aunt has this strange 88 00:04:18,959 --> 00:04:21,519 house and she's got a collection of 89 00:04:21,519 --> 00:04:25,280 knives and she says, "Whatever you do, 90 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:27,520 don't go in that room. 91 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,040 Don't go in that room because Henry's in 92 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,000 that room. So, don't go in that room. 93 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,080 So, you have a normal house here, but 94 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:40,000 suddenly it's a he's he's in a scary 95 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,560 situation. Well, who's Henry? What's he 96 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:44,400 doing? I just made that up. And what's 97 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,440 he doing? What's he doing in the in 98 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:50,000 locked in there? Why is he? So, you 99 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:52,320 know, the kid has to is forced. He's got 100 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,479 to go over and knock on the door. He's 101 00:04:54,479 --> 00:04:57,040 got to find out what's behind the door 102 00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:59,759 and you've t just taken a house and made 103 00:04:59,759 --> 00:05:03,040 it a scary location. So yes, you take 104 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,720 any location and you make the kids 105 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,199 vulnerable. You make the kids helpless 106 00:05:09,199 --> 00:05:11,520 in it. You do something that's just 107 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,160 changes it and makes it horrifying for 108 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,360 them. and and then you've got you have a 109 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,360 story. 110 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,800 How do you create suspense? 111 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:30,160 You first of all, there has to be some 112 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:34,000 unknown to have suspense. There has to 113 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,240 be something that your character doesn't 114 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,479 know. There's something on the other 115 00:05:38,479 --> 00:05:41,360 side of the door. What's pounding on the 116 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:43,919 door? What are those sounds? There has 117 00:05:43,919 --> 00:05:46,639 to be one of those scraping sounds on 118 00:05:46,639 --> 00:05:49,039 the ceiling. What is that? There has to 119 00:05:49,039 --> 00:05:51,199 be something they don't know that they 120 00:05:51,199 --> 00:05:54,400 have to find out or it has to be really 121 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,759 dark or they have to be lost somewhere 122 00:05:57,759 --> 00:06:00,000 or they have to be somewhere they've 123 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,720 never been before. And then you can 124 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:05,280 really create suspense pretty easily. 125 00:06:05,280 --> 00:06:07,520 And what you have to do is get inside 126 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:10,240 that person's head and talk about what 127 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:12,960 they see and not not so much what they 128 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:14,560 feel. You don't talk. You don't want to 129 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:16,800 write and say, "Oh, it was the scariest 130 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,360 moment of my life. Oh, I'd never been so 131 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,759 terrified." You have to show it. You 132 00:06:21,759 --> 00:06:23,440 don't want to say it. You don't want to 133 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,240 say, "I was in a total panic. I You 134 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:27,840 don't want to write that. Don't write 135 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:31,600 that. You want to You want to have more 136 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,319 sounds, more scraping sounds. they're 137 00:06:34,319 --> 00:06:36,560 coming closer. You want to write it 138 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,280 really slowly. You want to know what 139 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:42,400 that kid feels like. What is what his 140 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:44,400 skin is tingling? Maybe his teeth are 141 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:47,199 chattering. What what smell? What does 142 00:06:47,199 --> 00:06:50,000 he smell? What does he hear? What can he 143 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,479 see in the darkness? You want to know 144 00:06:52,479 --> 00:06:54,639 all of that. And you want to tell it 145 00:06:54,639 --> 00:06:57,919 really slowly. Really slow. You don't 146 00:06:57,919 --> 00:06:59,919 want to skip anything. You don't want to 147 00:06:59,919 --> 00:07:04,680 leave anything out. And that's suspense. 148 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,440 In horror, you want to really set the 149 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:14,400 scene. You want to know where the kids 150 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:17,520 the kids are out late at night. They're 151 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:20,319 in lost in the woods. They they don't 152 00:07:20,319 --> 00:07:22,479 know how this happened. 153 00:07:22,479 --> 00:07:24,560 You have to really set the make the 154 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:28,000 woods real. Make the background real. 155 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:30,560 So, you have to spend time and just pick 156 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:33,520 out those details that will bring the 157 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:35,360 setting to life, that will make the 158 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:37,840 reader see. They're in the woods. Maybe 159 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:40,639 they hear a howl in the distance. May 160 00:07:40,639 --> 00:07:43,360 they look up and there's just a tiny 161 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:46,400 little sliver of a moon, but it's making 162 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:49,440 the trees shimmer like silver. Something 163 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:52,000 like that. Just details like that that 164 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,280 make that make a picture and make it 165 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:58,560 real. You want to take something if you 166 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:00,080 want to write something really 167 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,240 terrifying. You want to take something 168 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:05,440 that people can see and you want to make 169 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:07,039 it different. You want to make it 170 00:08:07,039 --> 00:08:09,919 frightening. You want to have I there's 171 00:08:09,919 --> 00:08:13,199 a book called Goosebumps book called The 172 00:08:13,199 --> 00:08:16,240 Scarecrow Walks at Midnight 173 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,720 where the scarecrows in this field come 174 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,280 to life. This is one I think one of the 175 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:23,599 scariest books I ever wrote. It's not on 176 00:08:23,599 --> 00:08:26,800 a farm and just the sound of these 177 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:28,319 scarecrows 178 00:08:28,319 --> 00:08:31,360 brushing through the corn, brushing 179 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:34,240 through the tall corn stalks. It's late 180 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:36,800 in fall and the corn stalks are just 181 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:39,839 there and the sound of these scarecrows 182 00:08:39,839 --> 00:08:42,320 moving toward the house, moving toward 183 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:44,800 the house through the corn was a really 184 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,440 terrifying scene, I think. And I think 185 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:50,160 anytime you take some inanimate object 186 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,040 like that, especially something that's 187 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:55,279 almost human 188 00:08:55,279 --> 00:08:57,600 and you make give it these humanlike 189 00:08:57,600 --> 00:08:59,760 things, I I think that's very 190 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:02,760 terrifying. 191 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:08,800 Now, here's a scene with the sponge 192 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:12,640 being scary. The sponge is just a little 193 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:16,080 kitchen sponge, a little round sponge, 194 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:18,320 but he's actually a creature. It's a bad 195 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,120 luck creature called a grl. He's 196 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:24,720 actually alive, the sponge. This is from 197 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,839 It came from beneath the sink. 198 00:09:27,839 --> 00:09:30,320 And I think this is I picked this out 199 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:34,480 because I think it's it shows you how 200 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,920 you slowly scare people. 201 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:40,640 You scare your readers. You slow things 202 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:46,080 down. You you make it you create tension 203 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:49,120 by not going fast, by not giving away 204 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:51,839 what you're doing, by not telling them 205 00:09:51,839 --> 00:09:54,480 what's going to happen. You make it very 206 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:57,519 slow and it makes it much scarier. Much 207 00:09:57,519 --> 00:10:01,600 scarier. And the kid says, um, um, he's 208 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:03,680 looking under the sink. He's looking. 209 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:08,320 Then I heard it breathing the grl. But 210 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:11,440 where? I held my breath and stood 211 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,640 completely still. I concentrated really 212 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:18,079 hard, trying to figure out exactly where 213 00:10:18,079 --> 00:10:21,200 in the inky blackness the breathing came 214 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:25,680 from. Whoa. Whoa. Somewhere to my right. 215 00:10:25,680 --> 00:10:27,519 I knew I had to walk over there and 216 00:10:27,519 --> 00:10:30,079 snatch the grl, but I was afraid to let 217 00:10:30,079 --> 00:10:32,640 go of the ladder. Finally, I decided to 218 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:35,600 count my steps there, find the grl, then 219 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:37,760 count the same number of steps back to 220 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:40,720 the ladder. I swallowed hard and let go 221 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:42,640 of the ladder. I stepped into the 222 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:45,040 blackness. It's totally darkened and 223 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:51,279 started counting. 1 2 3 4 The breathing 224 00:10:51,279 --> 00:10:55,279 sounded a little closer. Five six. You 225 00:10:55,279 --> 00:10:58,079 see how I've slowed it all down? I keep 226 00:10:58,079 --> 00:11:00,079 you waiting. They have to wait. You're 227 00:11:00,079 --> 00:11:02,079 anticipating. You're waiting for the 228 00:11:02,079 --> 00:11:05,519 horror. I stopped. I listened hard. Huh? 229 00:11:05,519 --> 00:11:06,959 I cried to myself. What's that 230 00:11:06,959 --> 00:11:09,680 scratching sound? Then I saw the eyes. 231 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:12,480 Not the gr small round eyes. Big bright 232 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:15,360 eyes. Several pairs of them all glowing 233 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:17,839 at me in the dark. That's the 234 00:11:17,839 --> 00:11:21,040 cliffhanger chapter ending. What is it? 235 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:22,800 The scr and then you go on to the next 236 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:25,120 chapter. The scratching grew louder. The 237 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:27,839 eyes stared up at me. yellow eyes 238 00:11:27,839 --> 00:11:30,160 glowing in the darkness. I heard a 239 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:32,640 creature scrabble over the floor. Felt 240 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:34,959 something warm and furry brush against 241 00:11:34,959 --> 00:11:38,720 my leg. Were they raccoons? Rats? I 242 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:41,200 didn't want to know. Another one brushed 243 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:43,200 against me. They were all starting to 244 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:45,760 scrape around on the floor. They were 245 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:48,320 growing restless. I forced myself to 246 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:50,880 breathe. I turned and started to run. 247 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:52,959 Get me out of here, I thought. Get me 248 00:11:52,959 --> 00:11:56,399 out of here before they attack. 249 00:11:56,399 --> 00:11:59,440 That passage illustrates one, the power 250 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:03,279 of darkness. He was in total darkness. 251 00:12:03,279 --> 00:12:06,720 Two, you're right inside his mind. This 252 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:09,920 is another, I think, a good example of 253 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:12,399 why first person really works for 254 00:12:12,399 --> 00:12:15,600 scariness. You're inside his mind when 255 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:18,079 he sees these eyes. He hears first he 256 00:12:18,079 --> 00:12:20,959 hears the breathing. So you have you 257 00:12:20,959 --> 00:12:23,680 hear the sound, then he sees the eyes, 258 00:12:23,680 --> 00:12:26,480 then he feels something brush his leg. 259 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,279 So you're using all the senses, all of 260 00:12:29,279 --> 00:12:31,279 his senses, and you're doing it through 261 00:12:31,279 --> 00:12:34,639 him. You're feeling all this. And I I 262 00:12:34,639 --> 00:12:38,000 think that's um what this passage uh 263 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,480 demonstrates. 1 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:15,839 What makes a monster a monster? 2 00:00:15,839 --> 00:00:20,080 Yeah. I think it's anything that not 3 00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:22,000 controlled. 4 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,880 And I think kids have this fear. I mean, 5 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:26,960 they have these feelings of wanting to 6 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,840 be out of control. They have feelings of 7 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,200 anger and they have anxiety and they and 8 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,239 it's mostly suppress it all the time. 9 00:00:36,239 --> 00:00:38,640 Have to suppress it and hold it in. And 10 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,440 a monster is something that doesn't 11 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,960 suppress it at all. A monster is out of 12 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,280 control. And what's scarier? I don't 13 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:49,520 think anything is scarier than something 14 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,000 that's completely out of control and 15 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,640 something you can't do anything about. 16 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,760 That's a monster. You have to be open 17 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,239 and remember things that you've seen. 18 00:01:00,239 --> 00:01:02,800 Remember all the old monsters and try to 19 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,040 come up with new ones. I did um a 20 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:09,200 Goosebumps called Frankenstein's Dog 21 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:11,760 where the dog is a vicious horrible 22 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,799 monster. I try to picture the monsters. 23 00:01:14,799 --> 00:01:18,080 I I I can't draw. If I could draw, I 24 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:21,040 would draw them. Some people can draw. I 25 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:24,320 can't draw anything. But I I do try when 26 00:01:24,320 --> 00:01:26,479 I was doing a swamp monster, you have to 27 00:01:26,479 --> 00:01:28,720 try to picture what exactly it looks 28 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,159 like. If you're doing um even something 29 00:01:32,159 --> 00:01:35,040 like monster blood, monster blood, they 30 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:37,280 open the jar and it starts to grow and 31 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:39,439 it's sticky. People stick to it. You 32 00:01:39,439 --> 00:01:42,159 have to kind of picture is it bubbly? Is 33 00:01:42,159 --> 00:01:46,000 it smooth? You have to you have to force 34 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,880 yourself to be visual. 35 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:56,399 Some writers talk to me and say, "How do 36 00:01:56,399 --> 00:01:58,719 you do a new monster? How can you do 37 00:01:58,719 --> 00:02:00,719 it?" And I say, "Anything can be a 38 00:02:00,719 --> 00:02:04,079 monster." Take anything. Anything. You 39 00:02:04,079 --> 00:02:06,880 know, a teddy bear. Take something. It 40 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:09,280 came from beneath the sink. Was about a 41 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:10,879 sponge. 42 00:02:10,879 --> 00:02:13,360 Now, who writes a horror novel about a 43 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,239 sponge, right? But in this book, the 44 00:02:16,239 --> 00:02:18,400 monster was a sponge. It was just a 45 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,440 sponge that actually had eyes, but it 46 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:24,480 was a sponge. If I can turn a sponge, a 47 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,760 little tiny sponge into a monster, you 48 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,239 can take anything. Just take anything 49 00:02:30,239 --> 00:02:32,800 and give it power, make it terrible, 50 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:34,959 have it do horrible things. Even an 51 00:02:34,959 --> 00:02:39,680 inanimate object uh like a camera. I'm 52 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,080 thinking of say cheese and die and the 53 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,959 evil camera. Even a camera becomes like 54 00:02:44,959 --> 00:02:48,319 a monster. This camera in this book 55 00:02:48,319 --> 00:02:50,400 shows terrible pictures of things 56 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:52,560 happening to the kids who have the 57 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,080 camera. A few minutes later 58 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:57,760 they take a picture and then a few 59 00:02:57,760 --> 00:02:59,920 minutes later they take a picture and 60 00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:02,720 the one of a kid's in a car accident. 61 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:04,800 It's showing the kid in a car accident. 62 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:06,400 They say, "Well, that's" and then a few 63 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:08,400 minutes later the kid is in a car 64 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,519 accident. The photos always come true. 65 00:03:11,519 --> 00:03:13,200 But here's something. It's not a big 66 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,920 creature. It's not a giant King Kong. 67 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:18,560 It's not a big, you know, dinosaur. It's 68 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:20,879 just a camera. But it's just as 69 00:03:20,879 --> 00:03:23,879 horrifying. 70 00:03:27,599 --> 00:03:29,599 Of all the creatures I've create, all 71 00:03:29,599 --> 00:03:32,640 the ones I've created, there's only one 72 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:35,360 that's really captured everyone's 73 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:37,920 imagination. And it's kind of a surprise 74 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,440 to me. Of all these monsters, Jelly Jam 75 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:46,080 and um the Shaggedy and all these 76 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,319 things, only Slappy has become like 77 00:03:50,319 --> 00:03:53,840 universal. Slappy, the evil dummy. This 78 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:57,760 idea of a doll coming to life is very 79 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:02,159 scary to people. And I and I I don't I I 80 00:04:02,159 --> 00:04:04,000 don't I don't know. I love writing it. 81 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:06,239 It's it's it's a lot of fun to write. 82 00:04:06,239 --> 00:04:09,599 I've written 12 slappy books. I keep 83 00:04:09,599 --> 00:04:13,920 doing new ones and which is hard because 84 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,079 it's just a dummy coming to life. It's 85 00:04:16,079 --> 00:04:18,479 a, you know, how do you get more plots 86 00:04:18,479 --> 00:04:22,000 more plots about about that? But it and 87 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:26,240 it surprises me how people are afraid uh 88 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:28,320 of this kind of thing. I get all kinds 89 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:30,720 of singing saying I can't I can't look 90 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,520 at dummies. I'm terrified. But for real, 91 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:35,680 people who are really scared of it, and 92 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:37,280 I think it's oh, it's crazy, you know, 93 00:04:37,280 --> 00:04:41,280 it's silly, but I I don't know. I keep 94 00:04:41,280 --> 00:04:44,240 writing it. We We did I had a TV series 95 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,520 called The Haunting Hour, 96 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,000 which was a lot like The Goosebump Show. 97 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,280 It was a little a lot scarier. And we 98 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:56,800 did an episode about a doll. These pe 99 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:00,320 this company sells uh life-sized dolls. 100 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:02,479 and you can send in the picture of your 101 00:05:02,479 --> 00:05:04,560 daughter or your son. You send them a 102 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:07,120 picture and they make the doll look like 103 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:09,840 your kid. So, you get a doll, a 104 00:05:09,840 --> 00:05:11,759 life-sized doll that looks like your 105 00:05:11,759 --> 00:05:14,639 kid. And we did a few episodes of the 106 00:05:14,639 --> 00:05:18,800 haunting hour with this doll, Ellie D. 107 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:23,520 Ellie D named Ellie. and she would come 108 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:26,400 into the house and the little girl would 109 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:29,199 have her, you know, identical doll, but 110 00:05:29,199 --> 00:05:32,080 the doll would then come to life and the 111 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,080 doll would look around and the doll 112 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,120 slowly took over the girl's life and 113 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,440 became the girl and the girl was like 114 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:43,199 out. And I hear about this show all the 115 00:05:43,199 --> 00:05:46,160 time, how frightened people were and how 116 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,120 scary they thought it was. This idea of 117 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:53,440 an inanimate object coming to life. 118 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:57,120 Um, I don't know what that proves, but 119 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:02,000 um, it's kind of amazing to me um, how 120 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,800 effective it is and then how popular 121 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,440 Slappy 1 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:14,799 For me, the function of dialogue in the 2 00:00:14,799 --> 00:00:19,359 story is actually to tell the story. Um, 3 00:00:19,359 --> 00:00:21,199 my books, I would say, are maybe 4 00:00:21,199 --> 00:00:24,080 twothirds dialogue because that's the 5 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:26,880 fun part. Kids talking to kids. Kids 6 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:30,240 talking to creatures. Kids shouting and 7 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,120 screaming and talking and kids fighting 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,520 with their parents and fighting talking 9 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:41,120 and and to me I I actually as a writer 10 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:43,600 I'm not great at description and I find 11 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:46,079 it difficult. I don't know all the names 12 00:00:46,079 --> 00:00:48,399 of trees and I don't know all the names 13 00:00:48,399 --> 00:00:51,120 of flowers. A lot of authors that's very 14 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:52,960 that's an important thing but I'm not 15 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,760 good at that part. And but I think I'm 16 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:59,280 really good at writing very believable 17 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,559 dialogue of kids talking and I try to 18 00:01:02,559 --> 00:01:05,040 tell my stories and I I just think this 19 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:07,920 works and it's more fun for kids to 20 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,880 read. They instead of reading paragraphs 21 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:12,960 paragraphs they have all this short 22 00:01:12,960 --> 00:01:15,200 dialogue and the whole story is told 23 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,360 through the dialogue and you get their 24 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:19,600 character you get their personalities 25 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,560 you get their fear from what they're 26 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,600 saying and instead of describing it but 27 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,479 the conversation also has to tell you 28 00:01:28,479 --> 00:01:30,479 something. It has to reveal something 29 00:01:30,479 --> 00:01:33,040 about the characters or it has to reveal 30 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,520 something about what's going to happen. 31 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:37,600 a little foreshadowing maybe in a 32 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:41,119 conversation. It it can't just be I mean 33 00:01:41,119 --> 00:01:43,600 the way we talk we'll just chat and be 34 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,240 talking or something. But that's that's 35 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:47,840 the kind of stuff you're reading a book, 36 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,560 you skip it. You say, "Oh, they're just 37 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:52,399 they're just talking, not anything." And 38 00:01:52,399 --> 00:01:54,720 you just go past it to find out what's 39 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:56,720 really going to happen. And you don't 40 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,119 want your reader to skip parts. You want 41 00:01:59,119 --> 00:02:00,799 to you want to take out all the parts 42 00:02:00,799 --> 00:02:03,600 they're going to skip. And you want to 43 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:06,320 make sure they're not going to skip. So 44 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:08,959 I think every every dialogue, every 45 00:02:08,959 --> 00:02:11,760 conversation that they have has to 46 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:14,800 either reveal something about them some 47 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:16,800 reveals something the reader didn't know 48 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,800 before. 49 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,680 Here are my rules for writing dialogue. 50 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,440 One, use as little current slang as you 51 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,280 can. 52 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,840 I find I made a lot of mistakes early on 53 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,800 and if you you know if if you try to 54 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,599 sound like teenagers now or if you 55 00:02:43,599 --> 00:02:45,840 really s you know and put what they're 56 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:48,879 saying in two months it's all going to 57 00:02:48,879 --> 00:02:52,160 be out of date. It's all changed. 58 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,360 And so you have to be very careful to 59 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:57,599 that your characters sound like real 60 00:02:57,599 --> 00:03:00,800 kids and real people. But you've got to 61 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,440 try to stay away from all those words 62 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:05,840 and things that that will be gone in two 63 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:09,280 months. The same is true for technology. 64 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:11,120 You know, you have to be very careful 65 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:15,040 about you you can't I I write a book 66 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,599 about 10 years ago where the kids are 67 00:03:17,599 --> 00:03:20,640 all walking around with Walkman. 68 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:23,120 Now what you know what's a Walkman? They 69 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,080 don't know what it is. You the the 70 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,680 technology changes every two weeks. So 71 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:31,840 you have to be very careful and try to 72 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,440 avoid all that. Try to keep it out 73 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:37,360 because you don't want your book to 74 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,080 become dated so quickly. The other thing 75 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:43,360 is you've got to be really careful with 76 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:45,519 your references. 77 00:03:45,519 --> 00:03:49,920 Now my readers were born in 78 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,799 2010 79 00:03:52,799 --> 00:03:55,760 and so they don't know anything. They 80 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:57,840 have no references. 81 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:00,080 If you're writing for 10 year olds, they 82 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,720 don't know anything that happened and 83 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:06,400 maybe two years before. And so you can't 84 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:10,879 talk about some rock group, some music 85 00:04:10,879 --> 00:04:13,280 group, or you can't talk about even a 86 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:15,840 president. You can't talk, they have no 87 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,639 references. And so I think it's very 88 00:04:18,639 --> 00:04:22,000 important to keep that stuff out and to 89 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,280 because it they'll just be baffled. They 90 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:27,680 don't know anything. My other rule of 91 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:30,320 dialogue is 92 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:32,400 that kids don't talk in complete 93 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,120 sentences. I don't know any kids who 94 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:38,800 talk in full sentences. Uh guys, teenage 95 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:41,440 guys mostly grunt. They mostly just 96 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:43,120 grunt. There's no words. There's 97 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:45,600 nothing. Kids don't speak in really 98 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,560 long, difficult words. So you need to 99 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:50,560 have 100 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,919 sentence fragments, very short sentences 101 00:04:53,919 --> 00:04:57,600 and low vocabulary level. I think when 102 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,400 you have kids talking 103 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,639 when you start to write the way there a 104 00:05:08,639 --> 00:05:11,120 couple ways to figure out your pro 105 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:13,919 style. 106 00:05:13,919 --> 00:05:16,320 One is to write. 107 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,199 See what your style is. If you you start 108 00:05:19,199 --> 00:05:21,440 writing, you're going to have a style. 109 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:23,840 You you're going to you have an idea and 110 00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:26,320 you have a plan for your book. And you 111 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:27,840 start writing the book, you're going to 112 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:31,199 see what you know what what naturally 113 00:05:31,199 --> 00:05:34,240 what your language naturally falls into, 114 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,880 what kind of style. The other thing is 115 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,840 to model it after somebody. There was a 116 00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:41,759 um 117 00:05:41,759 --> 00:05:45,520 a Midwestern humorist named Max Schulman 118 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:48,240 and he wrote u maybe people remember the 119 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:51,360 many loves of Doby Gillis which was a TV 120 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,800 series. This is going back and he wrote 121 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:58,240 a book. I read a a Max Showman book uh 122 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:00,960 once I was a teenager I think it was 123 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:04,160 called Barefoot Boy with Cheek 124 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:06,639 and it made me laugh so hard I just 125 00:06:06,639 --> 00:06:08,880 laughed on every page. He's like 126 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:10,880 forgotten now. People just forget 127 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:14,240 humorists. They they're just gone. But 128 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:17,120 it was so funny. And then I sat down and 129 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,880 one summer I wrote a novel just copying 130 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,680 him, just trying to do what he did. 131 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:26,479 Spent an entire summer writing a novel 132 00:06:26,479 --> 00:06:30,319 like that, just copying that. Um I I 133 00:06:30,319 --> 00:06:32,720 just loved it so much. I think it's a 134 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:34,960 really good thing if you find an author 135 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:37,919 that you really like and you like the 136 00:06:37,919 --> 00:06:41,039 style of the writing that you could try 137 00:06:41,039 --> 00:06:44,240 to do that same style. I it was sort of 138 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,840 a challenge. I love um 139 00:06:47,840 --> 00:06:52,319 Robert B. Harker the Spencer novels and 140 00:06:52,319 --> 00:06:56,560 the writing is so tur and it's so clean 141 00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:00,400 and it's just there'll be dialogue 142 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:02,960 dialogue dialogue a paragraph of 143 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:06,000 description dialogue dialogue dialogue 144 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,800 and I it's it's just you know nothing 145 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:11,520 wasted and I always try to do that I try 146 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,080 to copy that style and I think this 147 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:16,400 happens if you find books that you 148 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:19,039 really like and authors that you know 149 00:07:19,039 --> 00:07:21,599 appeal to you in that way that it's it's 150 00:07:21,599 --> 00:07:23,520 a I think it's a good thing to try to 151 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:25,919 copy the style. I would say if there's a 152 00:07:25,919 --> 00:07:28,160 writer you really admire, if there are 153 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:30,319 books or kinds of books that you really 154 00:07:30,319 --> 00:07:33,199 like that just pay attention. It's a 155 00:07:33,199 --> 00:07:35,520 matter of read while you're reading, 156 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:38,319 paying attention to the way the author 157 00:07:38,319 --> 00:07:40,800 handles things and that will get you to 158 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,199 a style. 1 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,960 It's hard to talk about what is funny 2 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:11,679 and and what makes you laugh. I mean, we 3 00:00:11,679 --> 00:00:13,519 all have this is why I think humor 4 00:00:13,519 --> 00:00:16,080 writing is much harder. It's much harder 5 00:00:16,080 --> 00:00:18,080 to write funny stuff than it is to write 6 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:20,160 horror because we're all afraid of the 7 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,039 same things. We all have the same fears. 8 00:00:23,039 --> 00:00:25,519 We're all afraid of the dark and we're 9 00:00:25,519 --> 00:00:27,920 all afraid of being lost in the woods. 10 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,080 We're all We're all the same when it 11 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:32,559 comes to horror, but we don't all laugh 12 00:00:32,559 --> 00:00:34,880 at the same things. We all have 13 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:38,239 different senses of humor. I laugh at 14 00:00:38,239 --> 00:00:41,360 stupidity humor. I When people are 15 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,320 really like Dumb and Dumber, that movie, 16 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,559 I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. 17 00:00:46,559 --> 00:00:49,840 From the time I was little, I always 18 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,360 liked funny stuff. I loved cartoons when 19 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:57,680 I was little and comedians and all kinds 20 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:01,039 of comedy shows and comedy films. I was 21 00:01:01,039 --> 00:01:04,879 just drawn to it. And so when I started 22 00:01:04,879 --> 00:01:07,360 writing, that's what I wanted to write. 23 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,560 And I wrote humor for years. I wrote 24 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,200 maybe a hundred joke books for kids. My 25 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,840 first book was called How to Be Funny. 26 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,200 When it came time to writing scary stuff 27 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,680 and changing gears, 28 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,040 I knew that I'd have to carry over what 29 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,080 I love and carry over the humor into the 30 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:30,479 horror. And it's proven very effective 31 00:01:30,479 --> 00:01:32,079 because, you know, I don't really want 32 00:01:32,079 --> 00:01:35,280 to terrify kids. It's not really why I 33 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:38,000 write Goosebumps. Um, we write to 34 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,400 entertain them and you give them little 35 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,119 creepy stories. So, I use a lot of humor 36 00:01:43,119 --> 00:01:45,920 in that book to keep in those books to 37 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:49,520 keep them from getting too scary. Now, 38 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:51,840 there's something I have to say there's 39 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:53,840 something wrong with me. I mean, there's 40 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,960 something strange about my brain and 41 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:00,000 that horror doesn't scare me. When you 42 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,640 go into the movie theater and you're 43 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,840 seeing the shark comes up and eats a kid 44 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,080 and is chewing the kid and there's blood 45 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,399 splattered, I'm the one in the theater 46 00:02:10,399 --> 00:02:12,800 who's laughing. 47 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:15,840 Horror makes me laugh. And I've never 48 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:17,599 had that feeling. You know, people come 49 00:02:17,599 --> 00:02:19,920 to me and they say, "Oh, when I read 50 00:02:19,920 --> 00:02:22,640 your book, I had to lock all my doors 51 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:24,720 and I left my lights on the whole 52 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,599 night." I've never had that feeling. 53 00:02:27,599 --> 00:02:29,680 I've I don't know what that's like to 54 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:32,879 read a book or a movie and be scared. It 55 00:02:32,879 --> 00:02:36,879 just it it always makes me laugh. And I 56 00:02:36,879 --> 00:02:40,640 think it's the same visceral reaction. 57 00:02:40,640 --> 00:02:44,720 Um when you come up to somebody, come up 58 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,120 behind somebody, a baby or even a 59 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,720 grown-up, and you go boop, 60 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,959 the person always gasps and then laughs. 61 00:02:54,959 --> 00:02:58,000 It's so closely connected. I think when 62 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,959 you uh go to an amusement park and you 63 00:03:00,959 --> 00:03:03,120 walk up to the roller coaster, what do 64 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,000 you hear? You hear people screaming and 65 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:08,640 laughing at the same time. What if you 66 00:03:08,640 --> 00:03:11,440 got on a roller coaster and it went up 67 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:13,200 up up up and then it came down and then 68 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,200 it came down again and then it came down 69 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:16,879 again and then it went upside down again 70 00:03:16,879 --> 00:03:18,800 and then it came down and there was no 71 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,760 no pause in between it. I don't think it 72 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,480 would be very much fun. I think it would 73 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,519 be one exhausting and two just too 74 00:03:27,519 --> 00:03:29,440 terrifying. And that's why roller 75 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:31,599 coasters are built. You go up, you come 76 00:03:31,599 --> 00:03:32,879 you come all the way down, you're 77 00:03:32,879 --> 00:03:34,480 screaming, and then there's like a 78 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,120 pause. There's like a nice part and and 79 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:39,360 you're lulled into this thinking you're 80 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:42,000 safe and then it happens again. And then 81 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,000 you're lulled again. And then it happens 82 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,280 again. And that's so much more fun than 83 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:49,280 if it were just thrill after thrill 84 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,599 after thrill. 85 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,400 Now, if you are thinking about writing 86 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,840 scary stories for kids or for grown-ups, 87 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:03,760 if you're thinking about writing for 88 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:07,920 horror, and you also agree with me that 89 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,000 putting in a lot of humor really helps 90 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,280 the horror along and helps make it more 91 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:17,120 fun. Um, it's here's the hard part. It's 92 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,479 just such a careful fine line. You have 93 00:04:20,479 --> 00:04:24,320 to be so careful of one not to have too 94 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,120 much horror in your book. I always say 95 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,720 people who who start out writing horror 96 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,360 for kids or adults. They start out they 97 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:35,520 want to pile on the horror. They want to 98 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:37,280 start off and it's good to get the first 99 00:04:37,280 --> 00:04:39,440 chapter have something terrible 100 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:41,120 happening. But there I know there are 101 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,000 these TV shows where something terrible 102 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:45,440 happens in the first 10 and then 103 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,360 something else terrible happens and then 104 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:49,520 something really scary happens and some 105 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,000 and there's no normal life. There's no 106 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,080 humor in between. There's nothing in 107 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:57,360 between and it becomes ridiculous. You 108 00:04:57,360 --> 00:04:59,120 can't buy it and it loses its 109 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:01,680 effectiveness. But I don't know if I can 110 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:03,919 advise you on how to do it. But you have 111 00:05:03,919 --> 00:05:08,000 to be very aware that there's this very 112 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,560 fine line. You have to have so much 113 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:15,600 horror and so much normal life. So much 114 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:19,039 niceness, so many nice things happening 115 00:05:19,039 --> 00:05:22,000 and then horror and so much pause in 116 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,400 between. Otherwise, you're just you're 117 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:28,840 going to the reader just going to laugh. 118 00:05:32,639 --> 00:05:36,080 This is a chapter from a book I wrote 119 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:38,880 called Young Scrooge. It's a 120 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:41,680 middle-grade book. It's a Christmas 121 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:45,360 book. It's totally stolen from Dickens. 122 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,160 Scrooge is a 12year-old 123 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:50,720 and he's a total bully and he's a 124 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:53,039 horrible kid. His name is Rick 125 00:05:53,039 --> 00:05:55,280 Scroogeman. 126 00:05:55,280 --> 00:05:58,720 And in this chapter, he has gone up. He 127 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:01,440 knows where his mother hides a Christmas 128 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:05,360 present. All the Christmas presents. and 129 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:08,240 he goes, it's in the attic closet and he 130 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:10,479 sneaks up there 131 00:06:10,479 --> 00:06:14,000 and he tears open the rappers to make 132 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:16,639 sure she got him really good presents. 133 00:06:16,639 --> 00:06:18,479 And he also opens his brother's 134 00:06:18,479 --> 00:06:21,840 presents. And he's in this closet doing 135 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:24,800 this when the door slams shut and 136 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,039 suddenly he can't get out and he's 137 00:06:27,039 --> 00:06:30,080 locked in the closet. 138 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:32,000 No air in here. This is, by the way, 139 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,520 this is an example of doing a scary 140 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:38,880 scene, but also adding a lot of humor. 141 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:40,880 This is I think you'll see how I did 142 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:43,120 this. No air in here, I thought. It's 143 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,199 getting hard to breathe. That thought 144 00:06:45,199 --> 00:06:47,600 sent a chill of panic, shooting down my 145 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:51,039 body. The light went out, too. I reached 146 00:06:51,039 --> 00:06:53,039 for the light switch, clicked it several 147 00:06:53,039 --> 00:06:55,680 times. No light. The bulb was definitely 148 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:58,479 burned out. Should I call for help? It 149 00:06:58,479 --> 00:07:00,880 was worth a try. I opened my mouth to 150 00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:03,440 shout, but I stopped when I saw the 151 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:06,800 eerie green yellow mist swirling at the 152 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:09,440 other end of the closet. I uttered a 153 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,080 sharp gasp. It looked like a cloud. It 154 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:14,880 curled in on itself like a snake. I 155 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,440 stared without breathing, without moving 156 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:20,319 as the mist curled and uncurled up to 157 00:07:20,319 --> 00:07:23,440 the closet ceiling, then down again. Was 158 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,319 it going to wrap itself around me? No. A 159 00:07:26,319 --> 00:07:28,800 cry escaped my throat. The mist grew 160 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:32,240 brighter. Flames sparked out. "What is 161 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:34,400 happening?" I choked out in a whisper. 162 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:36,800 The air suddenly felt cold. I was 163 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:38,800 shivering now, shivering from the cold 164 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,520 and from my fear. And when I opened my 165 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:44,720 eyes, I found myself staring at a face, 166 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,400 a pale yellow face, an old man's face 167 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:51,199 with scraggly white hairs on a craggy, 168 00:07:51,199 --> 00:07:54,080 bald head, white whiskers down both 169 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:57,199 cheeks. I couldn't look away from his 170 00:07:57,199 --> 00:08:00,000 glowing red eyes. They held me as if I 171 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,400 were hypnotized. And then I suddenly 172 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:04,080 realized what had happened. The closet 173 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:06,400 was so warm. I'd fallen asleep. I 174 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:08,160 drifted off to sleep. And now I was 175 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:10,879 having a nightmare. Am I dreaming this? 176 00:08:10,879 --> 00:08:13,199 The words escaped my throat in a horse 177 00:08:13,199 --> 00:08:16,560 trembling voice. Can I wake up now? 178 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:18,960 You're not dreaming? The old man 179 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:20,479 replied. 180 00:08:20,479 --> 00:08:22,479 The words sounded as if they were coming 181 00:08:22,479 --> 00:08:24,960 from somewhere far away. 182 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:27,520 I swallowed. My mouth was dry as 183 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:29,039 sandpaper. 184 00:08:29,039 --> 00:08:30,879 I told you there's only one thing in the 185 00:08:30,879 --> 00:08:32,880 world I'm afraid of, and that's ghosts. 186 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:35,360 And now I was staring at a ghost locked 187 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,240 in a closet with a terrifying ghost. Who 188 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,760 are you? Don't you recognize me? He 189 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:45,360 boomed. No. Why should I recognize you? 190 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:47,920 A wave of heat washed over me. The old 191 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:51,920 ghost's eyes bulge. I'm Marley's ghost. 192 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,959 My mouth dropped open. Huh? His eyes 193 00:08:54,959 --> 00:08:58,160 narrowed on me. I'm Marley's ghost. I've 194 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:01,680 come to warn you. William Delaney. 195 00:09:01,680 --> 00:09:04,320 Whoa. I raised both hands, signaling him 196 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,839 to back off. William Delaney? The old 197 00:09:07,839 --> 00:09:10,399 ghost raised a bony finger. You are 198 00:09:10,399 --> 00:09:13,040 William Delaney. Don't try to escape 199 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:15,519 your fate. William, you cannot run from 200 00:09:15,519 --> 00:09:19,040 your doom. But I'm not William Delaney. 201 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:21,120 I'm Rick Scroogeman. 202 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,760 A flash of light made me blink. 203 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:26,880 Scroogeman, you're telling the truth. I 204 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:29,200 let out a long shuddering breath. The 205 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:31,600 Delaneies live across the street, the 206 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:33,440 red brick house on the corner. You got 207 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:36,480 the wrong house. Marley's ghost nodded 208 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:39,040 slowly. His eyes appeared to sink deep 209 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:42,560 in their sockets. Sorry about that. My 210 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:45,440 bad. I'll be gone now. I have to haunt 211 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:48,480 William Delaney. Uh, wait. I said, 212 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:50,560 before you go, could you do me a favor? 213 00:09:50,560 --> 00:09:52,480 Could you open the closet door for me 214 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:55,519 and let me out? He nearly disappeared. 215 00:09:55,519 --> 00:09:58,399 He floated closer. Your turn is coming, 216 00:09:58,399 --> 00:10:00,640 Scroogeman. You must remain in this 217 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,839 closet. Your journey is about to begin. 218 00:10:03,839 --> 00:10:06,160 You won't help me. He lowered his head 219 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:08,480 and began to vanish. Don't let the door 220 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:11,760 hit you on your way out, I said. 221 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:14,079 So, there you have Marley's ghost. He's 222 00:10:14,079 --> 00:10:16,399 in the wrong house. So, you've got a 223 00:10:16,399 --> 00:10:18,480 good creepy scene. It's scary. He's in 224 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:22,000 the closet with a ghost, but the ghost 225 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,640 says, "My bad." And he leaves. You don't 226 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:28,480 expect this. It's Marley's ghost. A lot 227 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:30,880 of people know the Dickens story. And 228 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:32,959 they know that Marley's ghost comes to 229 00:10:32,959 --> 00:10:35,839 warn him that three ghosts are coming to 230 00:10:35,839 --> 00:10:38,320 take him away. And you know, this is a 231 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:40,880 really terrifying moment. So, we have 232 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:43,120 this nice twist. Suddenly, the reader 233 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:44,560 said, "Wait, wait a minute. The ghost 234 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:46,880 made has made this stupid mistake and is 235 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:49,519 in the wrong 1 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:16,320 When I write a Goosebumps book and I I 2 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,680 figure out the characters, I don't do 3 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:23,439 very much. In fact, I'm criticized a lot 4 00:00:23,439 --> 00:00:26,240 for not having much characterization in 5 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:29,920 my book. But the idea 6 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:33,040 in a Goosebumps book is that the you 7 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,920 want the reader to identify with the 8 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,559 main character. You want the reader to 9 00:00:38,559 --> 00:00:41,600 become part of the book. The reader is 10 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:43,920 seeing what the protagonist is seeing is 11 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,160 having is experiencing all these 12 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:48,399 horrible things. So you want the reader 13 00:00:48,399 --> 00:00:51,440 to be able to closely identify with your 14 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:54,239 main character. So I do very I don't 15 00:00:54,239 --> 00:00:56,559 characterize the main character much. I 16 00:00:56,559 --> 00:00:58,879 give them a little description, but I 17 00:00:58,879 --> 00:01:02,000 leave it open so that the reader can 18 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,280 become the protagonist. My longtime 19 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:07,760 Goosebumps editor, Susan Luri, we've 20 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:09,840 done over a 100 Goosebumps books 21 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,920 together. She says that I am fabulous at 22 00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:16,479 creating full-blown cardboard 23 00:01:16,479 --> 00:01:18,960 characters. 24 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:21,040 And that's really what I do. And I do 25 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:23,360 get criticized a lot for this. You say, 26 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:25,439 "Oh, he doesn't do any characterization. 27 00:01:25,439 --> 00:01:28,000 and he doesn't but it's it's deliberate. 28 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,040 It's totally deliberate because it 29 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,600 brings the reader closer. It brings the 30 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:36,400 reader into the book by not having a 31 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,439 really strong not not really developing 32 00:01:39,439 --> 00:01:42,479 the character. We have these ordinary 33 00:01:42,479 --> 00:01:46,640 kids in extraordinary circumstances 34 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:48,399 solving these problems, trying to get 35 00:01:48,399 --> 00:01:51,680 out of danger, saving their own lives on 36 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,240 on their own with their own smarts and 37 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:57,840 their own imagination. The kids in 38 00:01:57,840 --> 00:01:59,360 Goosebumps 39 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,320 are always well, they're always 12 40 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:04,079 because the readers are a little bit 41 00:02:04,079 --> 00:02:06,320 younger and they like to read about kids 42 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:08,399 who are older. 43 00:02:08,399 --> 00:02:11,520 They're always normal kids. They're not 44 00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:15,040 especially smart. They're not talented. 45 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:17,760 Almost always they have no talent. 46 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:19,920 Sometimes maybe they play an instrument 47 00:02:19,920 --> 00:02:22,959 or something. They're not special in any 48 00:02:22,959 --> 00:02:26,000 way. And 49 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,720 that's because that's just this is all 50 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:32,239 so more readers can identify with them. 51 00:02:32,239 --> 00:02:36,480 And when you have some average kids, 52 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,040 it they're they're more vulnerable, I 53 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:41,120 think, and they can get into more 54 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,239 trouble because they're just regular 55 00:02:44,239 --> 00:02:49,080 kids. And it makes it more scary. 56 00:02:52,959 --> 00:02:55,360 When you start to write, 57 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:59,200 you want to create a likable character. 58 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,280 You want to create a character people 59 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:03,440 are going to want to root for or read 60 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,239 about through a whole book. But you have 61 00:03:06,239 --> 00:03:08,959 to be careful as an author. You have to 62 00:03:08,959 --> 00:03:11,920 remember that you are not the 63 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:14,959 protagonist friend. And I'm mainly 64 00:03:14,959 --> 00:03:17,519 talking about writing horror, writing 65 00:03:17,519 --> 00:03:20,879 thrillers, writing mysteries. 66 00:03:20,879 --> 00:03:25,360 You have to remember that you are 67 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,640 actually the enemy of the protagonist. 68 00:03:28,640 --> 00:03:30,959 And this is a very important thing I 69 00:03:30,959 --> 00:03:34,159 think because you have to take your 70 00:03:34,159 --> 00:03:37,680 protagonists and put them in trouble and 71 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:39,920 then you have to cause more trouble. You 72 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,560 have to cause more difficulty for them. 73 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:44,879 They you have to cause all kinds of 74 00:03:44,879 --> 00:03:47,680 problems all through the book for them. 75 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:49,920 You're not their 76 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:53,120 hero. You're not their friend. you. The 77 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:56,239 idea is to get the protagonist in as 78 00:03:56,239 --> 00:03:58,959 much trouble as possible and then 79 00:03:58,959 --> 00:04:01,120 finally get them out at the end because 80 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:03,360 remember the more trouble you get your 81 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,799 protagonist in the tighter the net you 82 00:04:06,799 --> 00:04:10,000 wrap around them the more fun the book 83 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,319 will be and the more satisfying your 84 00:04:12,319 --> 00:04:15,879 ending will be. 85 00:04:19,199 --> 00:04:21,359 The other thing talking about characters 86 00:04:21,359 --> 00:04:24,240 is the parents in the Goosebumps book. 87 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:26,880 They're they all have parents of course 88 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,680 and the parents are totally useless. The 89 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,080 parents are always useless. Either 90 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,960 either they're not there or they don't 91 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:37,280 believe the kids. The kids come to them 92 00:04:37,280 --> 00:04:40,160 and say, "Mom, dad, the dummy, it's 93 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:42,240 talking. The dummy came alive." You say, 94 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,280 "Sure, have a nice time. Go play." and 95 00:04:45,280 --> 00:04:47,919 they're on their own and they have to 96 00:04:47,919 --> 00:04:50,479 use their own wits. They have to use 97 00:04:50,479 --> 00:04:53,280 their own imagination to get out of 98 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:55,840 trouble. And that's pretty much every 99 00:04:55,840 --> 00:04:59,160 single book 100 00:05:02,639 --> 00:05:05,600 with Goosebumps. I've made it everything 101 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,639 as hard as I possibly can for myself 102 00:05:08,639 --> 00:05:11,039 because every Goosebumps book starts all 103 00:05:11,039 --> 00:05:13,440 over again with a whole new cast of 104 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:16,560 characters. Most series you have a 105 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:18,400 character and the characters continue 106 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:20,639 from book to book and you get to know 107 00:05:20,639 --> 00:05:24,320 them and it's easy. I have a whole new 108 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:27,440 cast every I need five or six kids every 109 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:30,639 time I start a book. When we were back 110 00:05:30,639 --> 00:05:32,560 in the day when we were starting 111 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:35,440 Goosebumps back in the 90s I had my 112 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,160 son's school directory and it had all 113 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:40,639 the kids' names in it because I need I 114 00:05:40,639 --> 00:05:42,320 need a lot of names, right? I didn't 115 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:44,639 need five or six names. And I think I 116 00:05:44,639 --> 00:05:47,919 used every kid in his school, but 117 00:05:47,919 --> 00:05:51,199 sometimes my son would come home 118 00:05:51,199 --> 00:05:53,520 and he'd say, "Dad, you have to put 119 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,080 Jamie in the next one." Or, "Dad, you 120 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,880 have to put Will in the They paid him to 121 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,440 be in the next Goosebumps book." I think 122 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,319 they paid him 10 bucks so they could be 123 00:06:04,319 --> 00:06:06,479 a character in the book. But that's how 124 00:06:06,479 --> 00:06:09,680 I got the names. Now I use I use I try 125 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:14,560 to use names that are really popular and 126 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,280 current and you know online you can see 127 00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:20,880 the the 20 most popular boys names the 128 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,680 20 most and I use those names because 129 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:26,400 then more kids will be able uh to 130 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:29,120 identify with 1 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:14,559 To me, a lot of teen fiction is too 2 00:00:14,559 --> 00:00:18,080 grim. No one ever cracks a joke. No 3 00:00:18,080 --> 00:00:20,640 one's ever laughing about anything. And 4 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:23,439 I I I put a lot of that in these books. 5 00:00:23,439 --> 00:00:26,000 I think it's more true to life. I mean, 6 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,320 when you if you observe a bunch of 7 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,480 teenagers, they're laughing all the 8 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:32,880 time. They're laughing and it's they're 9 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:35,040 fun. And then when you read a lot of 10 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,760 teen literature, no one's laughing. I 11 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:39,360 don't know why. I think you you need 12 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:41,760 that in the book. I think it helps to 13 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,879 make it seem like real teenagers, which 14 00:00:44,879 --> 00:00:46,960 is what you want to create. And you you 15 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:48,879 want to do characters that aren't 16 00:00:48,879 --> 00:00:52,320 cliches, but they're still they do fall 17 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:55,120 into groups. And there some of it is 18 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:56,719 unavoidable. 19 00:00:56,719 --> 00:01:00,000 And so you have your different types and 20 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,320 it helps the plot along. If you know 21 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:05,199 that there's a guy who's very angry and 22 00:01:05,199 --> 00:01:08,159 his par his household is a mess and he 23 00:01:08,159 --> 00:01:11,040 wants to drop out. I mean this creates a 24 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:15,680 lot of tension immediately and um you do 25 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,560 you have you know the cheerleaders. I do 26 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:22,479 a cheerleaders books um which actually 27 00:01:22,479 --> 00:01:24,799 may be a little dated now I don't know 28 00:01:24,799 --> 00:01:26,720 but everyone likes to read about the 29 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:29,759 cheerleaders and what how evil they are 30 00:01:29,759 --> 00:01:31,759 and how terrible they are to each other 31 00:01:31,759 --> 00:01:35,920 and how they're murdering each other and 32 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,400 your characters really determine your 33 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,520 plot. Whoever what you choose, the 34 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:45,920 characters you choose, they they're set. 35 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,720 You that's what sets off your plot. And 36 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:50,560 you always you have to know when you're 37 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,040 writing these characters what what they 38 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:56,079 want. What they want. You can't just 39 00:01:56,079 --> 00:01:59,040 describe them. You have to tell what's 40 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,119 their aim. What is their goal? Their 41 00:02:01,119 --> 00:02:07,200 goal is not to be so shy. The goal is to 42 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,160 meet some guy or get somebody's 43 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,520 attention, but you constantly have to 44 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:15,440 know and usually you do it through 45 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:17,360 dialogue, of course, and what they say 46 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:19,920 to each other, but it's very important 47 00:02:19,920 --> 00:02:22,000 to get across 48 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,720 exactly what they're about and what they 49 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,720 want. 50 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,239 When I'm planning any book, a Goosebumps 51 00:02:34,239 --> 00:02:37,200 or Fear Street or any novel, I figure 52 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,160 out I populate it. That's the first 53 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,280 thing I do. I have basically I know the 54 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,640 story. I I I have the idea in my mind 55 00:02:46,640 --> 00:02:49,120 and then I I populate it. I come up with 56 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:52,640 characters and I make a cheat sheet of 57 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:54,400 the characters 58 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,200 um and with their traits sort of what 59 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,400 they look like uh so that I I know who's 60 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:02,640 in the book I have it I don't do it for 61 00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:05,280 every single character not for everyone 62 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,720 some I improvise as I'm writing the book 63 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,280 but for the most of the main characters 64 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:13,599 I like to have at least a chart of what 65 00:03:13,599 --> 00:03:17,680 they're like and this is um the one I 66 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:19,920 wrote wrote when I was planning out the 67 00:03:19,920 --> 00:03:24,239 Fear Street book called Give Me a K I L. 68 00:03:24,239 --> 00:03:26,319 It's a fear the evil Fear Street 69 00:03:26,319 --> 00:03:29,840 cheerleaders are back. And this is uh 70 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,920 I'll just read a little of it. This this 71 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:34,640 is what I wrote and I scribbled 72 00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:37,040 scribbled. This is what I came up with 73 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,920 for character planning. 74 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,360 Gretch and Paige. Straight blonde hair, 75 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,080 olive colored eyes, not happy with her 76 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:49,280 looks, nose too short, hates the cleft 77 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,879 in her chin, tense, has nightmares. 78 00:03:52,879 --> 00:03:56,080 Small town girl, Shadyside High is big 79 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:59,280 to her, uncomfortable in new school, 80 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:03,280 ambitious, determined to win. 81 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:05,760 And that's so I had a pretty good idea 82 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:07,680 of Gretchen. I mean, she's the main 83 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:09,920 character in the book. And I had a 84 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:11,680 pretty good idea. I mean, she was moving 85 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:14,319 from a small town, even smaller than 86 00:04:14,319 --> 00:04:17,120 Shadyside and going to Shadyside High. 87 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:19,280 And so I I had that and I had the 88 00:04:19,280 --> 00:04:21,840 tension from doing that and the 89 00:04:21,840 --> 00:04:24,800 problems. I I had that all in mind. So 90 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:26,720 that's what I did. And you see, I did a 91 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:29,440 little bit of description of what she 92 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:31,919 looks like. And of course, that that 93 00:04:31,919 --> 00:04:34,400 really gets fleshed out. Uh in a Fear 94 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:36,560 Street book, you do a lot of detail on 95 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:40,479 the characters. Gretchen's mom. Tall, 96 00:04:40,479 --> 00:04:43,360 athletic, short blonde hair stre with 97 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:47,440 white. Youngl looking for 43. Haggarded 98 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:49,759 since her divorce, wears too much 99 00:04:49,759 --> 00:04:53,759 makeup. Gretchen thinks, and there's, 100 00:04:53,759 --> 00:04:55,759 you know, just a picture of her mom. So, 101 00:04:55,759 --> 00:04:58,400 it's just a start. It gives me a start. 102 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,320 And when I get to writing that 103 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:03,040 character, at least I have something. I 104 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:04,800 don't have to sit there and stare at the 105 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:07,440 screen and say, "What does Gretchen's 106 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:10,160 mom look like? What do I I have I have a 107 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:12,639 head start." And that's what I I always 108 00:05:12,639 --> 00:05:15,680 think. Give yourself a head start. 109 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:18,080 Don't, you know, don't stare at a 110 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:19,840 screen. 111 00:05:19,840 --> 00:05:23,199 Coach Walker, cheerleader. Coach, very 112 00:05:23,199 --> 00:05:26,639 tall and thin, black, all business, but 113 00:05:26,639 --> 00:05:29,280 sympathetic, very fair-minded and 114 00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:31,919 reasonable, not afraid to stand up to 115 00:05:31,919 --> 00:05:33,440 Deborah. 116 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:37,600 Deborah Dolby, she's a villain. 117 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,360 Rich, cold, snobbish, blue eyes, wavy 118 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,960 red hair, creamy skin, beautiful but 119 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,080 icy, cutting sense of humor, totally 120 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:50,960 entitled father owns department store 121 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:53,440 chain. She's related to a character from 122 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:56,320 the old days, from the old Fear Street, 123 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,919 uh, one called Silent Night, where her 124 00:05:59,919 --> 00:06:04,000 cousin was the same kind of person. 125 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:06,880 There are two more. Madison Gman plays 126 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:10,240 violin since she was three. Intense, 127 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:13,759 very thin, birdlike, long curly black 128 00:06:13,759 --> 00:06:17,280 hair, sharp nose, very pale, very 129 00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:21,120 tightly wired, artistic family. 130 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:24,319 So you see it's a there she is. Sid 131 00:06:24,319 --> 00:06:27,919 Viviano, sense of humor, funny, wears a 132 00:06:27,919 --> 00:06:30,720 lot of denim, serious dark eyes that 133 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:33,440 crinkle up when he smiles, short brown 134 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:36,880 hair, buzzed haircut, warm and likable, 135 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:40,240 goodlooking, except for big ears. 136 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,479 So, I, you know, I kind of have fun 137 00:06:42,479 --> 00:06:44,720 writing these and I I have the character 138 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:47,680 ready to go and it's um I I think you 139 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:49,919 should try it. It's a big help to me. I 140 00:06:49,919 --> 00:06:52,880 took this uh character sheet that I did 141 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,680 and I put it on masterclass resources 142 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:58,960 for you to look at and um take a look 143 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:01,280 and see what you think and you can get 144 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:04,400 an idea of what I do um as far as 145 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,720 characters go and what I do before every 146 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:08,960 [ __ ] 1 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:08,720 Go ahead and enjoy what you're doing. 2 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:11,679 Enjoy creating your characters and enjoy 3 00:00:11,679 --> 00:00:14,160 making them say all kinds of things and 4 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,240 go through with your first draft and 5 00:00:16,240 --> 00:00:18,560 have fun with it. Think of it as fun. 6 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:20,400 Think of it. You're creating this thing. 7 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,480 You're doing this. It's not hard. It 8 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,359 isn't hard work. It's not it's not a 9 00:00:25,359 --> 00:00:28,400 struggle. And maybe there there's scenes 10 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:30,720 already you don't like. You don't like 11 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:32,880 and I you go back the next morning and 12 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:34,960 you read what you read yesterday, wrote 13 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,120 yesterday, and you don't like it. Go 14 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:41,480 keep going. Keep going. 15 00:00:44,879 --> 00:00:47,920 As an aspiring writer, I you might feel 16 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:50,320 more comfortable starting with something 17 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,840 that's short. start. You might feel more 18 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:56,719 comfortable uh sitting down planning 19 00:00:56,719 --> 00:00:59,520 something that's only 20 or 25 pages 20 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,160 long. And if you feel more comfortable 21 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:05,760 doing it, I would say do that. Do that. 22 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:09,200 If you feel that that it's starting out, 23 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:12,479 it's too ambitious for you to plan a 200 24 00:01:12,479 --> 00:01:15,920 300page novel to work out what what that 25 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:18,799 would be. Ju try as you know is the 26 00:01:18,799 --> 00:01:21,680 story is the microcosm of the novel and 27 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,159 just try something nice and short. Well, 28 00:01:24,159 --> 00:01:27,280 here's the interesting thing about short 29 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:31,920 stories and novels and writing both. I 30 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,040 find, and maybe you will too, that 31 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,400 writing short stories is harder because 32 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,600 you have so little space. And when you 33 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:44,400 write a short story, what you need, you 34 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,320 need one really good solid idea. You 35 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,840 need something really strong and one 36 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:54,880 really powerful thing to put into this 37 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,200 story, to drive this story. When you 38 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,439 write a novel, you can have a bunch of 39 00:01:59,439 --> 00:02:01,759 ideas. is you know where you're going, 40 00:02:01,759 --> 00:02:03,680 you know what you want to talk about, 41 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,560 but you've got, you know, 300 pages, 400 42 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,520 pages. It's so luxurious. When you write 43 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:11,840 a short and when I write a short story, 44 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:14,480 I'm like, how how I've got to be so 45 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,040 concise. I've got to set it up so 46 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,000 quickly. I have to figure out who who 47 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:21,760 are these characters. I've got to get 48 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,239 that characterization done. I've got to 49 00:02:24,239 --> 00:02:27,200 get to the problem right away. And then 50 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,080 I have to have a really good ending. So 51 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,239 in that way, I think stories are are 52 00:02:32,239 --> 00:02:35,239 harder. 53 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:41,599 After the outline is approved, I'm ready 54 00:02:41,599 --> 00:02:45,200 to go. I sit down. I start chapter one. 55 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,400 I write always totally in order. I'm I'm 56 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:50,640 the kind of writer that I have to, and 57 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:53,360 maybe you'll be like this, too. I I have 58 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:55,200 to write right from the beginning. I 59 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:58,160 have to write every word in order. I 60 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:00,879 can't skip around. When we were first 61 00:03:00,879 --> 00:03:03,440 starting out, my wife and I collaborated 62 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,959 on some kids books and u we did a book 63 00:03:06,959 --> 00:03:09,680 called The Sick of Being Sick Book and a 64 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,400 couple other books and it didn't end 65 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:16,400 well because Jane liked to she'd write 66 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,040 write some of the middle and then go 67 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:21,040 back and write the beginning and then 68 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:22,879 and I couldn't do it. We just couldn't 69 00:03:22,879 --> 00:03:26,560 work. I have to go entirely in order. 70 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,440 And the uh collaboration actually ended 71 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,640 up uh with her locking me in the closet 72 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:35,200 and leaving the apartment. 73 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:36,799 And no, this is true. I probably 74 00:03:36,799 --> 00:03:38,799 shouldn't tell this story, but she 75 00:03:38,799 --> 00:03:40,560 locked me in and just left the 76 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:43,040 apartment. And we realized we probably 77 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:45,519 shouldn't be doing books together. She 78 00:03:45,519 --> 00:03:48,799 got me out about half an hour later. 79 00:03:48,799 --> 00:03:51,920 And um so then that was it. That was the 80 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:55,959 last book we ever wrote together. 81 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,799 Sometimes I'll have uh I'll be twothirds 82 00:04:02,799 --> 00:04:05,120 of the way through the book and I'll 83 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:07,519 think, well, it'd be great to put in a 84 00:04:07,519 --> 00:04:10,319 talking cat here or something like that. 85 00:04:10,319 --> 00:04:12,400 It would be great to this would be a 86 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,680 great place to turn things around and 87 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:17,680 show that they're actually on Mars. 88 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,880 They're not really on Earth. So if I put 89 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:23,120 that in, I'm twothirds of the way back. 90 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:25,759 Then I there's a lot of going back and 91 00:04:25,759 --> 00:04:28,240 forth when you write. You don't just 92 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:30,160 keep going, keep going. You have to keep 93 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:33,120 going. I go back and forth a lot. So 94 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:35,199 I've added this weird thing that I 95 00:04:35,199 --> 00:04:37,520 didn't have before. So I have to go back 96 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:39,759 to the beginning and I have to plant 97 00:04:39,759 --> 00:04:42,400 clues about it. I have to establish 98 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:44,880 something back in the beginning or back 99 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,360 in the early chapters and maybe in a 100 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:49,680 couple pl two or three places. Maybe 101 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:52,080 I've added a character at the end. Then 102 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,000 I have to go back in the beginning and 103 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,199 put that character in and make sure so 104 00:04:57,199 --> 00:05:00,320 that people will be ready for it when I 105 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:04,400 get to to the ending. So, I find myself 106 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:07,039 going back a lot and adding things or 107 00:05:07,039 --> 00:05:09,840 changing things that I've that I've done 108 00:05:09,840 --> 00:05:11,600 and going, you know, going back and 109 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,160 forth. As an aspiring writer, I just 110 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:16,560 think if if you find that you're putting 111 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,280 adding stuff at the end of a book or in 112 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:21,680 the middle of a book, make sure that 113 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:24,560 you've established it. Um, you probably 114 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:27,199 will have better ideas. you have you're 115 00:05:27,199 --> 00:05:29,759 writing you're writing you're in intense 116 00:05:29,759 --> 00:05:31,840 writing you know you're going to have 117 00:05:31,840 --> 00:05:33,759 other ideas that you didn't have when 118 00:05:33,759 --> 00:05:36,240 you started the book so you have to make 119 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,639 sure that the reader will be prepared 120 00:05:38,639 --> 00:05:40,880 for what you're doing here and you have 121 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:42,800 to be sure that everything is 122 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:45,680 established so I'd say don't go don't be 123 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:48,160 afraid to go back even though you're 124 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:50,479 twothirds of the way through the book go 125 00:05:50,479 --> 00:05:52,960 back and put in what's going to help you 126 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,440 later on. 127 00:05:59,919 --> 00:06:02,880 I would also say if you're having 128 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:05,199 trouble with the first draft, just keep 129 00:06:05,199 --> 00:06:07,440 going way I do. If I'm having a bad 130 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:10,400 writing day, I just keep going. Do it. 131 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:12,800 Finish your first draft because you're 132 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:14,960 not going to turn in the first draft and 133 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:16,960 you can always go back. And once you 134 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:20,240 have this complete thing, it's so easy 135 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:23,199 to start revising. And you can see the 136 00:06:23,199 --> 00:06:25,039 problems when you go back and read it. 137 00:06:25,039 --> 00:06:27,199 You can see what the problems are. And 138 00:06:27,199 --> 00:06:30,319 you can go back and fix up the writing, 139 00:06:30,319 --> 00:06:32,560 add things, take things out that you 140 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:34,720 don't like. And you know you're going to 141 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:36,639 turn in your second draft at least, 142 00:06:36,639 --> 00:06:39,360 maybe more drafts. Some authors do many 143 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,400 drafts before they turn the book in. So 144 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:44,160 don't worry about the first draft. The 145 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,080 first draft, I think, should be fun. 146 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:49,199 Should go fast. Go write fast. Just 147 00:06:49,199 --> 00:06:51,520 write it. Get it down. Enjoy it. Just 148 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:53,520 have fun with the first draft. And 149 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:55,520 because and then you can do the harder 150 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:57,919 work later on the other drafts and shape 151 00:06:57,919 --> 00:07:01,080 it up. 152 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,479 Keep going. This is just your first 153 00:07:06,479 --> 00:07:08,880 draft. And you just want to get through 154 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:11,759 it and have fun with it and get to the 155 00:07:11,759 --> 00:07:13,759 end. And then you'll go back and you'll 156 00:07:13,759 --> 00:07:16,160 be more serious. You can be more serious 157 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,720 the second time and then you can start 158 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:20,960 start to look at things and start to fix 159 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:22,800 things. But once you have that 160 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:25,680 foundation, that first draft is such a 161 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:28,000 great head start. What a great feeling 162 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:29,919 that will be. Here you'll have this 163 00:07:29,919 --> 00:07:31,759 thing. Print it out. Don't leave it on 164 00:07:31,759 --> 00:07:33,759 the screen. No one prints out their 165 00:07:33,759 --> 00:07:36,240 manuscripts anymore. They always say, in 166 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:38,400 fact, you know, I I never almost never 167 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:40,639 print my manuscript. In the old days, 168 00:07:40,639 --> 00:07:42,479 you'd print them all out and you'd put 169 00:07:42,479 --> 00:07:44,960 them in a box and you'd have this box. 170 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:46,560 You would have this thing, look what I 171 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:48,400 wrote. And you'd take it to the post 172 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:51,360 office and mail it off to the publisher. 173 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:53,440 Now, you know, click, click, click, 174 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,240 click. It's on the screen. It's gone. 175 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:58,560 But print it out and look at it. Look 176 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,120 what you've done. You've written 300 177 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,479 pages. You've written 400 pages. That's 178 00:08:04,479 --> 00:08:07,120 what an amazing accomplishment. That's 179 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:09,199 great. and you know you're just in the 180 00:08:09,199 --> 00:08:11,520 beginning stages, but there it is. You 181 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:13,520 have this thing that you've done. It's 182 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:15,599 wonderful. Completing your first draft 183 00:08:15,599 --> 00:08:18,160 shows that you can do it. No matter what 184 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,800 trouble you have later on, you know you 185 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:23,280 can do it. No matter what how much 186 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:25,280 trouble you have with the second draft 187 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:27,520 or how much what you kind what you run 188 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:31,440 into with editors and their comments or 189 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:34,719 what kind of reviews you get further 190 00:08:34,719 --> 00:08:37,519 down the line, you know, you've got this 191 00:08:37,519 --> 00:08:39,360 thing. You've written it. You've 192 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:41,200 finished it. You made it all the way 193 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:44,320 through. You know you can do it. I wish 194 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:48,200 someone told that to me. 1 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,639 When I finished a manuscript, I have a 2 00:00:14,639 --> 00:00:17,359 first draft of a book. I go back up to 3 00:00:17,359 --> 00:00:19,600 the beginning and I read it. And I read 4 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,400 it as a reader, but I also read it 5 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:25,359 looking for a lot of things. And I look 6 00:00:25,359 --> 00:00:28,960 for scenes that seem to drag. I look for 7 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:31,679 mistakes that I've made. Uh, once I 8 00:00:31,679 --> 00:00:34,880 wrote a I wrote a manuscript about a boy 9 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,760 named Chris and halfway through the 10 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:40,559 book, his name was Jack and his name 11 00:00:40,559 --> 00:00:43,120 changed halfway through. So, but I 12 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:44,960 caught it, you know, I after the first 13 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,600 draft, I I caught it. I was able to 14 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:49,760 change it. So, you look for mistakes. I 15 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:52,320 always look for weather mistakes. You 16 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:53,680 know, you're always saying, "Oh, it's a 17 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:55,680 cloudy day." And then suddenly the sun 18 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,280 is on the next page. you. I look for 19 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,399 consistency all the way through and then 20 00:01:02,399 --> 00:01:06,000 I look for typos and then I typing is 21 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,280 very important to me and then I look for 22 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:13,760 um scenes that don't go far enough. And 23 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:15,840 a lot of times I'll have some scary 24 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:18,000 scene that I've done in the first draft 25 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,880 and I'm looking at it and I I I think I 26 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:23,360 can make this scarier. I have it down 27 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:25,920 already. I can just take what I have, 28 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,040 but I can increase the horror. I can 29 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,759 slow it down. I can add this. I can add 30 00:01:31,759 --> 00:01:34,000 more feeling. I can have the kid more 31 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,520 scared than I It should be more. And I 32 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:39,360 usually do that almost in every 33 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:41,759 manuscript when I go through the second 34 00:01:41,759 --> 00:01:44,079 time because you have something to look 35 00:01:44,079 --> 00:01:47,040 at. You've got a base here and then you 36 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,680 can build on it. 37 00:01:53,759 --> 00:01:56,079 You've done a first draft and then 38 00:01:56,079 --> 00:01:57,600 you've gone through, you've done a 39 00:01:57,600 --> 00:01:59,680 second draft and you've caught 40 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,159 everything and you've read it and 41 00:02:02,159 --> 00:02:04,000 thought about it more. You've got your 42 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:07,280 second draft. Then find someone who's 43 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,000 willing to read it. Find someone who 44 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,720 likes to read, someone who's maybe whose 45 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:16,800 opinion you trust. Um, find somebody, a 46 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,280 family member, somebody who who will 47 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,000 read it. If you you have somebody who's 48 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,400 willing to read your manuscript, ask 49 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,080 them after they read it, ask them what 50 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:30,400 did you think of the characters? Which 51 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,480 characters did you like? Did you did it 52 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:34,319 did it seem real? Did the characters 53 00:02:34,319 --> 00:02:36,879 seem real? And how was the pacing? Do 54 00:02:36,879 --> 00:02:39,120 you think it dragged in some places? 55 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,519 What did you think? Was there any place 56 00:02:41,519 --> 00:02:43,519 you didn't believe? Anything you didn't 57 00:02:43,519 --> 00:02:45,599 believe? What did you think? What did 58 00:02:45,599 --> 00:02:47,519 you think of the action? That's those 59 00:02:47,519 --> 00:02:49,519 are the basic questions you want to ask. 60 00:02:49,519 --> 00:02:53,040 After a second draft, find someone. A 61 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:56,000 lot of people have readers or they have 62 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,760 reader clubs. A lot of writers I know 63 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,879 have first readers and they just they do 64 00:03:02,879 --> 00:03:06,560 it for fun or they they pay people to 65 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,760 say just give me an opinion. Ask someone 66 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:12,800 in your family who likes to read. Find 67 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,040 somebody who and just say give me an 68 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,080 opinion and it'll help. I you know when 69 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:19,519 you're starting out you don't have an 70 00:03:19,519 --> 00:03:22,159 editor you don't have someone to tell 71 00:03:22,159 --> 00:03:25,360 you go through it line by line but to 72 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:27,680 get an opinion on your first draft just 73 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:30,000 someone who says gee I loved the first 74 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,879 part and then it kind of dipped off or 75 00:03:32,879 --> 00:03:35,840 someone who says oh gee I I that 76 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,239 character just wasn't likable at all I 77 00:03:38,239 --> 00:03:41,040 didn't want to like that person and that 78 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:43,519 kind of help even though it's not coming 79 00:03:43,519 --> 00:03:46,560 from a professional it still give you a 80 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:48,879 clue clue as to what people are going to 81 00:03:48,879 --> 00:03:53,000 think about what you've written. 82 00:03:56,319 --> 00:03:59,439 I think everyone hates to revise, 83 00:03:59,439 --> 00:04:02,959 but I know I maybe I'm a bad example. I 84 00:04:02,959 --> 00:04:06,400 don't know. I love I love it when I hand 85 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,799 in a manuscript and they they'll change 86 00:04:08,799 --> 00:04:11,040 a couple words and say, "That's good, 87 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:12,720 Bob. We're sending it on to the 88 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:15,280 publisher." I love that. There's no 89 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:17,680 where there's no revising, 90 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,639 but and and this happens a lot more in 91 00:04:20,639 --> 00:04:22,560 adult publishing than in children's 92 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:24,880 publishing. In children's publishing, 93 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:27,919 you really get edited, but a lot of 94 00:04:27,919 --> 00:04:32,080 people, a lot of writers want to revise. 95 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,560 They're ready. They're eager to revise 96 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,199 and they they sort of depend on 97 00:04:37,199 --> 00:04:40,240 revising. And I know a lot of my friends 98 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:43,840 who are writers are very disappointed if 99 00:04:43,840 --> 00:04:46,160 the manuscript comes back and the editor 100 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,880 hasn't suggested a lot of revisions. 101 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:51,280 They kind of feel cheated and they kind 102 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:54,960 of feel that maybe it's it needs to be 103 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:57,199 edited and why didn't the editor do 104 00:04:57,199 --> 00:05:00,240 that? And I know I have writer friends 105 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:03,040 now who before they send it to the 106 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,800 publisher hire editors. They hire their 107 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,840 own editors personally to go through and 108 00:05:09,840 --> 00:05:12,240 so they make sure it's edited and then 109 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:14,800 after they do that then they send it to 110 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:18,160 the publisher. But I I have to say it's 111 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:20,479 it's not as much as I hate it. It's 112 00:05:20,479 --> 00:05:23,039 always worth it. I've never had a book 113 00:05:23,039 --> 00:05:26,160 never had a book come out worse after 114 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:27,680 revision. 115 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,560 They always come out better. 116 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:33,840 There are some major authors who refuse 117 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:37,759 to be edited. Some some of the real best 118 00:05:37,759 --> 00:05:39,840 sellers and they've just told their 119 00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:41,759 editors, I'm sorry, you have to print, 120 00:05:41,759 --> 00:05:44,639 you have to publish what I hand in. And 121 00:05:44,639 --> 00:05:47,120 um I'm I won't talk about who they are, 122 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:49,280 but uh their their work has really 123 00:05:49,280 --> 00:05:52,240 suffered. I notice it. I notice their 124 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:55,960 books aren't as good. 125 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:01,440 I'm married to my editor and she's a 126 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,240 very tough editor and I once handed in, 127 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:06,160 this is true, I once handed in a 128 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,120 manuscript and it came back from her 129 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:12,400 with two words at the top. It said 130 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:16,039 psychotic ramblings. 131 00:06:16,479 --> 00:06:19,600 That was it. So, I had a lot of trouble 132 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:21,520 with that book. I know a lot of people 133 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:24,160 are really sensitive and I my advice to 134 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:26,639 writers, advice to people taking this 135 00:06:26,639 --> 00:06:29,919 course is don't be sensitive. Don't you 136 00:06:29,919 --> 00:06:32,400 you have to know yourself and you've got 137 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:35,600 to say you got to be confident and say I 138 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:38,720 like what I wrote. I I I like what I 139 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:41,600 this is what I meant to write and do it. 140 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:45,440 I I'm I'm just twisted because I get a 141 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:47,759 lot of bad reviews. I get more bad 142 00:06:47,759 --> 00:06:50,720 reviews. My my very first book came out, 143 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:53,600 my first horror book, and Publishers 144 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,720 Weekly said it was stomach churning. 145 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:59,599 And they didn't mean it in a good way. 146 00:06:59,599 --> 00:07:03,199 They That was not a compliment. But bad 147 00:07:03,199 --> 00:07:06,240 reviews always make me laugh. I don't 148 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:08,400 know why. I always It's funny. I don't 149 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,919 It It doesn't bother me. It abs It just 150 00:07:11,919 --> 00:07:15,360 I It like washes off. And I saw a lot of 151 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:17,440 people aren't going to like what I do, 152 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:21,120 but I I like I like my books. I maybe 153 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:23,759 that's my big failing as an author is 154 00:07:23,759 --> 00:07:25,840 that I like everything I write. I'm 155 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:28,080 happy with what I've done. I'm not 156 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:29,680 miserable about it. I'm not worried 157 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:31,599 about, oh, I could have been so much 158 00:07:31,599 --> 00:07:33,680 better. And that's probably a real 159 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:36,720 failure of mine. But help it helps a 160 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:39,440 lot. makes life a lot easier and not to 161 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:41,599 take criticism, you know, and I I would 162 00:07:41,599 --> 00:07:44,639 take real criticism from editors or from 163 00:07:44,639 --> 00:07:46,560 people who've read the book. I I would 164 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,199 certainly take it seriously, but bad 165 00:07:49,199 --> 00:07:51,599 reviews, bad reviews don't bother me at 166 00:07:51,599 --> 00:07:54,720 all. Here's my best review. This is the 167 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:57,680 best review I ever got. My best Amazon 168 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:00,560 review. Want to hear it? 169 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:03,759 This is my best Amazon review. Five 170 00:08:03,759 --> 00:08:06,000 stars. 171 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,560 The packaging was really good and it was 172 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:12,599 very easy to open. 173 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:16,800 That's a great review, right? Five 174 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,440 stars. 1 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,200 This is bad for my horror image, but one 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,480 of my favorite writers is PG Woodhouse, 3 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:14,719 who wrote the Jeves and Worooster books 4 00:00:14,719 --> 00:00:17,680 and a whole lot of other books. And I 5 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:21,680 just I' I've read well, he he wrote 92 6 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:25,119 books and he lived to be 92 and he wrote 7 00:00:25,119 --> 00:00:28,400 92 novels and they were all exactly the 8 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:31,279 same. They all took place in the same 9 00:00:31,279 --> 00:00:33,840 world. They all took this wonderful 10 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:36,160 world you want to be in. They're all the 11 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:39,040 same zany characters and book after book 12 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,920 basically the same same plots. And I 13 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:44,640 love them. And I think when you're 14 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:46,239 writing something, you have to think 15 00:00:46,239 --> 00:00:49,200 about that and think about how are you 16 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,200 going to get people to feel that way 17 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:53,120 about you? How are you going to get 18 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:55,199 people to think, gee, I want to read the 19 00:00:55,199 --> 00:00:57,760 next one? I wanna I want to be back in 20 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:02,000 that world. And as a series writer, I 21 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:03,760 mean, that's what you try to do. That's 22 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,000 why you write a series. You want people 23 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,640 to like the world you created so much 24 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:12,439 that they'll come back. 25 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,920 I think readers like series because they 26 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:22,479 know what to expect. They're going to go 27 00:01:22,479 --> 00:01:24,799 back in the world that they know. They 28 00:01:24,799 --> 00:01:26,640 know exactly what's going to happen in 29 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:28,240 the book, but it's going to be a little 30 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:30,320 different. They they know they like 31 00:01:30,320 --> 00:01:32,960 these characters. And I think this is 32 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:35,680 why they series have always been 33 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:39,520 popular. But as far as writing a series, 34 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:42,720 I I would say don't count on it. Don't 35 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:44,799 don't start out by thinking you'd want 36 00:01:44,799 --> 00:01:47,360 to do a series. I say let's say you have 37 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:50,479 a book that really catches on. you have 38 00:01:50,479 --> 00:01:52,640 uh some characters that people really 39 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,680 like and the first book is a bestseller, 40 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,320 then think about doing a sequel, do 41 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:00,719 doing a second one, then think about 42 00:02:00,719 --> 00:02:02,719 maybe I can keep going with these 43 00:02:02,719 --> 00:02:05,119 characters. Maybe I can keep going with 44 00:02:05,119 --> 00:02:07,520 these stories and then have it develop 45 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:09,920 into a series. But I think it's very 46 00:02:09,920 --> 00:02:12,879 hard these days, especially to start out 47 00:02:12,879 --> 00:02:15,040 saying, "I'm going to do a series." 48 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,080 Publishers aren't looking for series and 49 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,040 it's kind of a dead end for beginners 50 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,480 and for people publishers 51 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,319 they don't want series anymore. In 1992 52 00:02:28,319 --> 00:02:31,360 we took Goosebumps to Scholastic and we 53 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:33,680 said we'd like to do this scary series. 54 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:35,599 Here's a bunch of titles we'd like to 55 00:02:35,599 --> 00:02:38,239 try a scary series for 7 to 12 year 56 00:02:38,239 --> 00:02:40,640 olds. And they said all right well let's 57 00:02:40,640 --> 00:02:42,720 try it out. We'll buy four of them. 58 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:44,959 Let's start out with four. That would 59 00:02:44,959 --> 00:02:47,200 never happen today. 60 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,480 No one buys more than one book or maybe 61 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:54,239 two. It just doesn't happen. 62 00:02:54,239 --> 00:02:56,400 It's publishing has just changed. And 63 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:58,400 they're much more careful and much more 64 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,360 much more costconscious. And they're not 65 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,319 going to buy 12 books unseen without 66 00:03:04,319 --> 00:03:06,239 knowing. They're going to buy one and 67 00:03:06,239 --> 00:03:08,480 see how it does. And if the first one 68 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:10,959 catches on, then they'll buy another one 69 00:03:10,959 --> 00:03:12,800 and try that. 70 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,680 And the thing is with Goosebumps, if if 71 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:19,200 if we had tried it today, it never would 72 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:20,720 have worked. We put out the first 73 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:23,040 Goosebumps, no one noticed it. We put 74 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:24,879 out the second one, there were two of 75 00:03:24,879 --> 00:03:27,760 them, no one they sat on the shelves. 76 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:29,920 And today with the bookstores with 77 00:03:29,920 --> 00:03:31,200 computers and everything, they would 78 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:33,840 have been gone. But when we got four 79 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:36,159 books out and there were four of them on 80 00:03:36,159 --> 00:03:39,599 the shelf, suddenly kids found them. 81 00:03:39,599 --> 00:03:41,920 Somehow kids discovered them. But it 82 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,040 took four and that's very hard to get 83 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,519 anyone to do four books these days. 84 00:03:47,519 --> 00:03:49,840 After four books, kids just started 85 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:52,239 telling other kids. There's a secret 86 00:03:52,239 --> 00:03:56,080 kids network of kids talking to kids. 87 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:58,159 And there was no advertising for 88 00:03:58,159 --> 00:04:01,120 Goosebumps. No hype of any kind. No one 89 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,720 really knew me. It was just kids just 90 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:06,720 finding it and liking it and then 91 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:08,959 telling other kids. And I think that's 92 00:04:08,959 --> 00:04:11,519 how all book crazes get started. Harry 93 00:04:11,519 --> 00:04:13,840 Potter I think started the same way. 94 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,600 Hunger Games, Twilight, you can't force 95 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,000 kids to buy books. And advertising 96 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:21,840 doesn't get them to buy books either. 97 00:04:21,840 --> 00:04:23,759 They have to they like it and tell each 98 00:04:23,759 --> 00:04:25,360 other. 99 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,960 So it's very hard to talk these days 100 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:33,080 about starting a series. 101 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,600 There are two types of book series of 102 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:44,320 course. one is the easier kind I think 103 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:46,479 where you have a character you have 104 00:04:46,479 --> 00:04:49,040 Harry you know Harry Potter and he's 105 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,120 going to be this it's going to be the 106 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,720 same cast in all seven books or it's 107 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:58,400 going to be um any book series almost 108 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:01,440 every book series it's the same cast and 109 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,880 the same kids or the same people and the 110 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:06,960 author can then develop them and turn 111 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:11,120 them into real characters and readers 112 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:13,360 get to like those characters and readers 113 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:15,520 get to identify with them and look 114 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:17,680 forward to seeing them in book after 115 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,120 book. I don't do that. I I make 116 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:23,680 everything hard for myself. And 117 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:26,240 Goosebumps is what's called an anthology 118 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:28,800 series in that it's a diff it's sort of 119 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,759 like the Twilight Zone. Every episode is 120 00:05:31,759 --> 00:05:34,560 completely different. I The Goosebumps 121 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:36,639 books don't continue. You don't have to 122 00:05:36,639 --> 00:05:39,039 read them in any particular order. And 123 00:05:39,039 --> 00:05:41,680 that's one nice thing about an anthology 124 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:44,160 series. You can come in anywhere. You 125 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,080 don't you're not following the same 126 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:49,199 people. Um I start over again with every 127 00:05:49,199 --> 00:05:50,960 book. I have to come up with a whole new 128 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:52,880 cast of characters, a whole new 129 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,080 situation. Usually a whole new location. 130 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,000 Everything is new. It's like just 131 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,240 starting over, like doing individual 132 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:02,560 books, but doing them one after the 133 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,280 other after the other, which is I I 134 00:06:05,280 --> 00:06:08,000 enjoy that. I like that. But it's it's a 135 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,880 lot harder. I think 136 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:17,039 when you're thinking of creating a 137 00:06:17,039 --> 00:06:19,520 series, it's an important thing to think 138 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:22,560 about creating your world and creating 139 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,199 something if you're interested in a 140 00:06:25,199 --> 00:06:28,319 series that people will want to a place 141 00:06:28,319 --> 00:06:32,400 uh feeling um just a location anything 142 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:34,720 that people will want to come back to. 143 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,759 The Goosebumps world is basically 144 00:06:37,759 --> 00:06:40,400 everyone's backyard. It's everyone's 145 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,280 kitchen. It all It's very suburban for 146 00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:45,759 one thing. The world is very suburban. 147 00:06:45,759 --> 00:06:47,680 And I when I picture it, I kind of 148 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:51,280 picture um my neighborhood back in 149 00:06:51,280 --> 00:06:54,639 Columbus when I was a kid. And I try I 150 00:06:54,639 --> 00:06:57,280 just do that suburban kind of thing 151 00:06:57,280 --> 00:06:59,840 because I think most kids can identify 152 00:06:59,840 --> 00:07:01,840 with it. They can see what it looks 153 00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:04,560 like. They know what it is. and it's a 154 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:06,400 world they can come back to and come 155 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:08,319 back to. I live in New York City. I've 156 00:07:08,319 --> 00:07:10,720 been a New Yorker for years and years, 157 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:12,960 but I've never written one about New 158 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:15,759 York City because I think kids, it's 159 00:07:15,759 --> 00:07:17,520 hard to picture New York. If you haven't 160 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:19,440 been there, if you haven't spent some 161 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:22,000 time in New York City, I think very hard 162 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,560 for a kid to just picture what it is. 163 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,840 And but it would be harder to write too 164 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:30,080 so that they would be able to see it. 165 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,280 But with a nice backyard, a suburb, a 166 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,440 nice block of houses, they walk to 167 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,400 school. That's a world that they can 168 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:41,360 enter really easily and quickly and a 169 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:43,120 world they want to come back. They 170 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:48,039 identify with and come back to. 171 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:54,080 The Goosebumps universe is not like the 172 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:56,240 Marvel universe. It doesn't hang 173 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:58,960 together at all, but it's everything's 174 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:02,160 all separate. It's all crazy. Take the 175 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:05,120 the Monster Blood books. Sometimes it's 176 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:08,720 blue, sometimes it's green. I'm I I'm 177 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:10,560 not consistent about it, but I try to 178 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,560 be, you know, it's important to be 179 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:15,120 consistent in every book inside the 180 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:18,160 book, but I I don't really follow that 181 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,479 kind of rule where it has to be the same 182 00:08:20,479 --> 00:08:23,520 every single time. And I think there are 183 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:25,919 some books where monster blood comes out 184 00:08:25,919 --> 00:08:28,400 of the jar and comes out and has other 185 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:30,319 powers that it didn't have in the 186 00:08:30,319 --> 00:08:33,279 earlier books, things like that. I'm not 187 00:08:33,279 --> 00:08:36,479 I don't know. I'm not big on consistency 188 00:08:36,479 --> 00:08:40,080 at all. But the here's the big rule, and 189 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,760 I this I guess this is good advice. 190 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:48,320 You don't mix ghosts and werewolves. 191 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:51,120 You don't mix. You never mix two things 192 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:53,600 together. You always do one or the 193 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:58,000 other. You don't You can't mix ghosts 194 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:00,640 and invisible. That's what my editors 195 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:03,360 always tell me. You can't mix. And when 196 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:05,920 I do it, you know, without realizing it, 197 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,320 they write on the thing. You can't mix 198 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:11,680 ghosts and invisible. You can't do both. 199 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:15,800 The story's not going to work. 200 00:09:19,279 --> 00:09:20,800 I will tell you the origin of 201 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:23,200 Goosebumps. And of course, it's like 202 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:27,200 many of my stories. It's embarrassing. 203 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:30,480 I was doing Fear Street, the teen 204 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:33,440 series. And it was we were doing Fear 205 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:36,000 Street every other month or so, killing 206 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,880 off teenagers. And it was doing really 207 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,080 well. It was a very successful YA 208 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:44,480 series. Eventually, we sold 80 million 209 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:46,640 Fear Street books. It was just doing 210 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:50,080 great. And my editors came to me and 211 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:52,560 said, "You know, no one has ever done a 212 00:09:52,560 --> 00:09:55,760 scary book series for 7 to 12 year olds. 213 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,480 We should try one." And I said, "No, I'm 214 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:00,880 not interested." 215 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:02,959 That's the kind of businessman I am, 216 00:10:02,959 --> 00:10:05,519 right? I didn't want to do Goosebumps. 217 00:10:05,519 --> 00:10:07,120 And they said, "No, we should try it." 218 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:08,959 And I said, "No, it'll mess up Fear 219 00:10:08,959 --> 00:10:11,680 Street. the younger audience, the kids 220 00:10:11,680 --> 00:10:13,680 will get confused. It'll I didn't want 221 00:10:13,680 --> 00:10:16,000 to do it. And they kept after me and 222 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,040 kept after me. And finally, I said, 223 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:22,320 "Okay, if I can think of a good title 224 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:26,560 for the series, maybe we can try a few." 225 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:30,240 And I was one day I was reading TV Guide 226 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:32,959 magazine. And in those days, in the 227 00:10:32,959 --> 00:10:35,279 middle of the magazine, they had all the 228 00:10:35,279 --> 00:10:38,000 TV listings, everything that was on that 229 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:40,800 day for a week. And I'm just thumbming 230 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:42,800 through the TV listings and just going 231 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:44,880 through. And there on the bottom of a 232 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:49,519 page is a little tiny ad. And it says, 233 00:10:49,519 --> 00:10:52,720 "It's Goosebumps Week on Channel 11. 234 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:55,120 They were showing scary movies." And I 235 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:57,920 just stared at the ad. I just stared at 236 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,640 it. And I thought I knew this is 237 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:05,040 perfect. We'll call it channel 11. 238 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:08,079 That's a really bad joke, isn't it? Now 239 00:11:08,079 --> 00:11:10,880 I have to apologize. I apologize for 240 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:13,200 that joke. But no, that's that's where 241 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:15,120 the name came from. There it was. And I 242 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:17,600 knew it was perfect. Goosebumps. It's 243 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:21,200 funny and it's scary, right? And so I 244 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:22,959 said, "Okay, we've got a good name for 245 00:11:22,959 --> 00:11:26,000 it. We'll try a couple." That was 25 246 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:29,240 years ago. 247 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:34,640 In the beginning, I wrote a bunch of 248 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:37,760 individual novels, uh, horror novels. 249 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:39,680 The very first ones I ever wrote, Blind 250 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:42,560 Date, Twisted, I did one called Beach 251 00:11:42,560 --> 00:11:44,880 House, uh, a bunch of novels. And we 252 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:47,600 were trying to figure out how to do a 253 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:50,800 series, how do you do a horror series 254 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:53,360 and that people will want to come back 255 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:56,240 to again and again? And no one had ever 256 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,200 really done a teen horror series. 257 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:01,600 And we thought, well, we'll have these 258 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:04,720 two kids, these two teenagers, and 259 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,680 they'll move somewhere and ter it'll be 260 00:12:07,680 --> 00:12:10,000 terrible things will happen to them. And 261 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,639 then you realize you can't have the same 262 00:12:12,639 --> 00:12:16,399 two kids in a horror series. If this 263 00:12:16,399 --> 00:12:19,120 these poor kids over and over again, 264 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:21,440 they have these horrifying adventures. 265 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:23,519 It just no one would buy it. Who would 266 00:12:23,519 --> 00:12:26,800 believe that? So then we thought, well, 267 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:29,760 it's got to be the location. If we have 268 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,800 a scary location, then we have any 269 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:35,839 number of uh characters can come in and 270 00:12:35,839 --> 00:12:38,880 out and it'll make more sense. And then 271 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:40,959 we thought, what if there was like a 272 00:12:40,959 --> 00:12:44,480 normal town and 273 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:48,880 it was just a a normal small town, 274 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:52,880 but one street in that town was cursed. 275 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:56,800 One street had a totally evil history 276 00:12:56,800 --> 00:13:00,560 and anyone who moved to that street or 277 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:02,880 walked on it or went over there for some 278 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,959 reason went over what if terrible things 279 00:13:06,959 --> 00:13:09,120 would happen and the horror would take 280 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,000 place over there and that's how we got 281 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:15,120 and then I sat down um I said we need a 282 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:17,519 name for the we need a name for it this 283 00:13:17,519 --> 00:13:20,079 is a good idea because you can if if 284 00:13:20,079 --> 00:13:22,079 it's just a place you can do a hundred 285 00:13:22,079 --> 00:13:23,279 books 286 00:13:23,279 --> 00:13:25,360 and you know all different characters 287 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:27,680 and and you could create the history of 288 00:13:27,680 --> 00:13:31,200 the street. Why was it cursed? Why what 289 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:34,800 was the evil on that street? And I said 290 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:36,800 try to think of a name for it. And I sat 291 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,360 down with a yellow pad. So I was going 292 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:41,040 to try to think of a name for this 293 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:45,600 series. And I wrote Fear Street. 294 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:48,639 Just came to me. It was Fear Street. 295 00:13:48,639 --> 00:13:52,079 That would be the street. And then there 296 00:13:52,079 --> 00:13:55,600 would be the fear family. It was cursed 297 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:57,760 because of the fear family. And then we 298 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:00,480 started to create a whole history of how 299 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,279 evil the fear family was. What horrible 300 00:14:03,279 --> 00:14:05,600 people they were and how what dark 301 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:08,720 powers they had and a rivalry that they 302 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:12,959 had with the good family. Go O. The good 303 00:14:12,959 --> 00:14:16,959 family. Going back to witchcraft times. 304 00:14:16,959 --> 00:14:21,120 going back to colonial times and the 305 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:22,880 terrible things that happened and 306 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,600 burnings and and we created a whole 307 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:28,880 history of that went back of generation 308 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:31,760 to generation of fears of the fear 309 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:36,720 family and all ending up on this street 310 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:40,560 where and then we wrote characteristics 311 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:43,360 of the street. We figured this all out. 312 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:46,160 We had it all. No, there's a big woods, 313 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:49,279 the Fear Street woods. No birds would 314 00:14:49,279 --> 00:14:52,639 ever go into the Fear Street woods. 315 00:14:52,639 --> 00:14:54,639 And that was this was part of the 316 00:14:54,639 --> 00:14:57,360 legend. And in the early days, three 317 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:00,480 girls were found in dead in the woods. 318 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:02,800 Three little girls were found and their 319 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,040 bones were missing, 320 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:08,160 just their skin. And no one ever knew 321 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:10,480 what happened or how that could happen. 322 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:12,880 And that was part of the legend, part of 323 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:16,240 the legacy. 1 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,200 Somehow it goes hand in hand. If you 2 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:17,760 want to be a writer, you probably are a 3 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:21,119 good reader. But I find that the more I 4 00:00:21,119 --> 00:00:23,519 read, I read a lot of thrillers and a 5 00:00:23,519 --> 00:00:27,279 lot of mysteries. And it it really helps 6 00:00:27,279 --> 00:00:31,119 my writing. um not by stealing things or 7 00:00:31,119 --> 00:00:34,320 by taking ideas, you see, but just sort 8 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,600 of by osmosis. When you see how people 9 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:41,280 say things and how they how they write 10 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:44,640 and just just the different writing 11 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:47,120 styles, you kind of absorb it. I think 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:51,280 most writers love to read. I if I do I 13 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,399 read all the time. I read every day. I 14 00:00:54,399 --> 00:00:57,039 try to read all the new fiction and I'd 15 00:00:57,039 --> 00:01:00,320 read hor I read some horror novels, 16 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:02,879 mostly mysteries and thrillers. I was an 17 00:01:02,879 --> 00:01:05,600 English major in college and read all 18 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,560 the great stuff and it has to affect you 19 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:12,240 and it's a lot of it stays with you. So 20 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:16,720 I and I think when you start to write, 21 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:19,680 it's perfectly fine to remember those 22 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:22,880 things you loved, those things you read, 23 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,920 and to use them, to go on and develop 24 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,400 them in a different way. It's sort of to 25 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,280 borrow what they did. 26 00:01:35,759 --> 00:01:38,880 I'm a big borrower. I you know I one 27 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:41,200 thing I write so many books and I need 28 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,320 so many ideas so I rely on the things 29 00:01:44,320 --> 00:01:47,920 I've seen and the things I've read. Um I 30 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:49,759 was going to I've never written a 31 00:01:49,759 --> 00:01:53,119 Christmas book and um an editor at 32 00:01:53,119 --> 00:01:55,600 McMillan asked me let's do a Christmas 33 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:57,920 book and I thought I was thinking 34 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:01,119 immediately I thought well I I hadn't 35 00:02:01,119 --> 00:02:04,560 done it because Christmas isn't scary. 36 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,159 It's not, you know, it's not really 37 00:02:06,159 --> 00:02:08,640 doesn't seem appropriate time for 38 00:02:08,640 --> 00:02:11,920 horror. But then I realized that the 39 00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:14,959 most popular Christmas book of all is a 40 00:02:14,959 --> 00:02:17,840 ghost story, the Dickens story, you 41 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,480 know, Christmas Carol. And it that's a 42 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:23,200 ghost story. And I thought, oh, okay. 43 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,000 Well, what okay, I will do that. Why 44 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,560 not? Why not, you know, steal from the 45 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:32,160 best, right? And take from Dickens. And 46 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,280 I wrote a book called Young Scrooge 47 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:38,080 and it's about Scrooge. I took the 48 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:40,720 character as a 12-year-old 49 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:43,519 and he's the biggest bully in school. 50 00:02:43,519 --> 00:02:46,560 He's just a horrible bully and the I 51 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:48,640 have the ghosts. I have the whole story 52 00:02:48,640 --> 00:02:51,680 and he's 12year-old Scrooge. But that 53 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:54,720 was something borrowing from um a 54 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,560 classic. I wrote a um a teen horror 55 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:02,400 novel called A Midsummer Night Scream. 56 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:07,560 So I Shakespeare is useful, too. 57 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:16,000 I'll tell you a story about a librarian 58 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,480 who actually changed my life. 59 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,920 Um, I grew up in Columbus, Ohio, in this 60 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:26,560 little community in Columbus, Ohio. And 61 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,720 one day my mom dropped me off at the 62 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:31,599 library. We had a little library on Main 63 00:03:31,599 --> 00:03:34,000 Street. And I walked in and the 64 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:35,760 librarian 65 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,599 knew me. And she said, "Bobby, I know 66 00:03:39,599 --> 00:03:41,760 you like comic books." And that's 67 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,159 actually all I read as a kid. I only 68 00:03:44,159 --> 00:03:46,400 read comic books and these horror and 69 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,040 funny comics. She said, "I know you like 70 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,040 comic books. 71 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:54,000 I have something I think you'll like." 72 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,640 And she took me over to a shelf of Ray 73 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,599 Bradberry stories. 74 00:03:59,599 --> 00:04:02,879 And I couldn't believe these stories. I 75 00:04:02,879 --> 00:04:06,400 They were so creative and so beautifully 76 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,959 written that I just I was like blown 77 00:04:08,959 --> 00:04:11,120 away by them. They all had great funny 78 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,599 endings and they were just just what I 79 00:04:13,599 --> 00:04:16,479 liked and they were Ray Bradberry really 80 00:04:16,479 --> 00:04:19,199 and that librarian really turned me into 81 00:04:19,199 --> 00:04:21,759 a reader. Kids always ask me to 82 00:04:21,759 --> 00:04:24,240 recommend a scary book and I always 83 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:27,040 recommend Ray Bradbury's book Something 84 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,479 Wicked This Way Comes and I it's a 85 00:04:30,479 --> 00:04:33,120 wonderful book, a very influential book 86 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:36,560 on me. It's about a boy in the Midwest 87 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,280 who sneaks out of his house late at 88 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:41,919 night and he goes a couple blocks down 89 00:04:41,919 --> 00:04:44,400 the street to where a carnival is 90 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,120 setting up and he gets involved with the 91 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:49,520 carnival and it turns out to be the most 92 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,960 evil carnival on earth and it's turns 93 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,520 horrifying and it's what I grew up in 94 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:57,360 the Midwest of course and I could 95 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,000 identify with this boy and creeping out 96 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,680 of the house at night and when you read 97 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,320 something wonderful like that. It gives 98 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,039 you all kinds of ideas. I get all kinds 99 00:05:09,039 --> 00:05:11,759 of ideas for doing amusement park 100 00:05:11,759 --> 00:05:14,800 stories and carnival stories and going 101 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,520 out late at night. Taking those elements 102 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:20,000 that he'd put together, Bradberry, so 103 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:23,680 perfectly many years later, 104 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:26,960 I had a chance to meet Ray Bradberry. 105 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,199 And this was I mean, he was so important 106 00:05:29,199 --> 00:05:31,440 in my life. I mean, I was nine or 10 107 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:34,160 years old and he he turned me into a 108 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,280 reader and I was at the LA Times Book 109 00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:40,080 Festival in Los Angeles and there was 110 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:42,400 Ray Bradberry sitting in a booth eating 111 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,840 a hot dog was in a publishers booth and 112 00:05:45,840 --> 00:05:48,560 my wife said, "Go say hello to him. Go 113 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:51,360 say hi." I said, "No, I Oh, I can't I 114 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:53,600 couldn't do it. It was like it was too 115 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:56,639 much. I'm I'm kind of shy anyway." And 116 00:05:56,639 --> 00:05:58,560 she said, "Oh, no, I couldn't." I said, 117 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:02,320 and Jane said, "Well, you're he's so 118 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:04,240 important to you. He played such a big 119 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:06,080 part in you. You have to say hello to 120 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:09,199 him. You have to go over." So, I went 121 00:06:09,199 --> 00:06:11,840 over to him. And I was shaking like a 122 00:06:11,840 --> 00:06:14,479 kid. I was like a kid. And I was so 123 00:06:14,479 --> 00:06:17,680 nervous. And I shook hand I turned over 124 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:20,639 and I said, "Mr. Bradberry, you're my 125 00:06:20,639 --> 00:06:24,000 hero." and he turned around and he shook 126 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,080 hands and he said, "Well, you're a hero 127 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,360 to a lot of other people." 128 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,080 It was this amazing moment. When he said 129 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,759 that, I just burst out crying. 130 00:06:35,759 --> 00:06:38,319 It was too nice, you know. It was too 131 00:06:38,319 --> 00:06:40,720 nice. Then I got myself together and we 132 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:42,880 had a really nice conversation. It was 133 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:46,000 like what an incredible thing to happen. 134 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,600 And I when I talk and give talks or 135 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:52,319 things I always say that's the kind of 136 00:06:52,319 --> 00:06:54,960 moment that I would wish for all writers 137 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:58,160 to have. It was just this overwhelmingly 138 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:02,599 wonderful thing for him to say. 139 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,240 I've read every book Agatha Christie 140 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:13,039 ever wrote and she was not a a fabulous 141 00:07:13,039 --> 00:07:14,960 writer but she was an amazing 142 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,560 storyteller and amazingly clever at 143 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:20,880 coming up with plots and it's just 144 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:23,759 inspiring to read these books and see 145 00:07:23,759 --> 00:07:27,199 how clever these plots are and I've used 146 00:07:27,199 --> 00:07:29,919 many of them many of them because you 147 00:07:29,919 --> 00:07:32,160 know and adapted them for kids I 148 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:36,479 remember one where there was a big party 149 00:07:36,479 --> 00:07:39,120 and everyone was sitting around a round 150 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:40,639 table 151 00:07:40,639 --> 00:07:43,680 and it was at a nightclub 152 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:46,960 and they got up to dance. They all got 153 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:49,680 up to dance. Then they came back, they 154 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:53,280 sat back down at the table and they had 155 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:55,840 champagne toasts and they drank the 156 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,840 champagne and one of them dropped dead. 157 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:04,080 There was cyanide in the champagne 158 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:06,560 and you spend the whole mystery trying 159 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,759 to find out who would kill this person, 160 00:08:09,759 --> 00:08:11,919 who would do that, who would put 161 00:08:11,919 --> 00:08:14,639 cyanide. I'm going to spoil the book 162 00:08:14,639 --> 00:08:17,520 now, but who would put cyanide in their 163 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:20,000 drink? And the, you know, detective is 164 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:21,759 trying to find out what's the motive, 165 00:08:21,759 --> 00:08:24,639 why they would do it. And it turns out 166 00:08:24,639 --> 00:08:26,720 that when the people came back to the 167 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:29,680 table, this round table, they didn't 168 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:33,680 take the same seats. They moved over one 169 00:08:33,680 --> 00:08:36,240 and the wrong person got murdered. So 170 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:38,320 you spent the whole book trying to 171 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:40,719 investigate the wrong person. It's just 172 00:08:40,719 --> 00:08:45,719 brilliant and so simple. 173 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:52,640 Stephen King's Pet Cemetery. That is the 174 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:54,800 creepiest book I ever read. I think I 175 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:57,120 always think that may be the creepiest 176 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:00,880 book. And I what a wonderful plot that 177 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:03,360 is. And then you read it and then you 178 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:06,160 think, well, what can I how can I use 179 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:09,120 something like that? How can I You can 180 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:13,200 just You're inspired by it. Um the basic 181 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:15,920 premise of pet cemetery 182 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:22,560 of taking your dog and who's died to 183 00:09:22,560 --> 00:09:26,560 this place and reviving the dog to bring 184 00:09:26,560 --> 00:09:30,399 something back to life is really creepy. 185 00:09:30,399 --> 00:09:32,560 And the whole idea is but you've done it 186 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:34,800 and it's a wonderful success. Everyone's 187 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:38,160 happy the dog is back but the dog isn't 188 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:41,440 the same. the dog is really evil now. 189 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,320 He's come back from a very bad place. 190 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:47,760 Um, that's just so clever and it's it's 191 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:49,680 a terrifying thing to think about. First 192 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:51,760 of all, bringing someone dead back to 193 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:54,720 life. For 30 years, I never met Stephen 194 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:57,600 King. I'm Stephen King for kids, right? 195 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,240 And for 30 years, I say no, I've never 196 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,040 met him. And then uh last the year 197 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:05,120 before last, I met him at the Edgar 198 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:07,680 Awards in New York. We were both there. 199 00:10:07,680 --> 00:10:09,680 I saw him across the room and he came 200 00:10:09,680 --> 00:10:11,440 over 201 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,959 and we had a nice talk and he said, "But 202 00:10:14,959 --> 00:10:18,399 he accused me." He said, "You've stolen 203 00:10:18,399 --> 00:10:21,040 every theme park idea anyone could 204 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:23,279 have." He said, "You haven't left 205 00:10:23,279 --> 00:10:25,680 anything for the rest of us. There's no 206 00:10:25,680 --> 00:10:29,360 amusement park thing you've done." And 207 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:32,320 uh I I took that as a compliment. And I 208 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:35,360 said to him, I said, "Steve, do you know 209 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,120 that a magazine once called me a 210 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:42,160 training bra for you? 211 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:44,560 They called me a literary training bra 212 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:48,000 for Stephen King." And he said, "Yes, I 213 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,880 know. 1 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,240 If you think you want to be a writer, I 2 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,160 there's one thing I think it's really 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:13,280 important and it's very basic thing. You 4 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:16,160 have to actually like to write. There 5 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:19,920 are I don't know. I I'm I was an odd 6 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,720 kid. I was weird. When I was 9 years 7 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,439 old, I was in my room typing. I was 8 00:00:25,439 --> 00:00:28,320 writing. I was like driven to it. I have 9 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:31,519 no idea why. And I think if if you 10 00:00:31,519 --> 00:00:33,680 really want to be a writer, you have to 11 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:36,559 like the process of writing. If you 12 00:00:36,559 --> 00:00:39,440 think if you want to do it because it's 13 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:43,760 easy or you like being alone all day or 14 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,640 you want to be famous or you want your 15 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:49,360 books to become movies, that's probably 16 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:51,840 not a good idea because it probably 17 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,399 won't work out. 18 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,640 I think very early on you have to decide 19 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:06,479 what kind of writer you want to be. Um, 20 00:01:06,479 --> 00:01:10,080 I always wanted to entertain people. I 21 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:13,200 started out writing funny books and then 22 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,320 the scary books came along and my whole 23 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:19,200 goal was just to just to entertain to 24 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,040 get kids to read. It was reading 25 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:25,040 motivation to show kids that it could be 26 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:27,119 entertaining. You could turn to books 27 00:01:27,119 --> 00:01:29,680 and just be entertained and nothing 28 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,720 else. And I had no further ambition than 29 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,200 that. I wanted to be a commercial 30 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:36,799 writer. 31 00:01:36,799 --> 00:01:38,960 And I think you have to figure out 32 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:41,600 whether you want to do that thing or if 33 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:44,960 you have literary ambitions and you want 34 00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:47,200 to write something that's more for 35 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:52,000 yourself than for an audience. Ken Flet, 36 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,079 the novelist Ken Flet um told me a great 37 00:01:56,079 --> 00:01:58,079 story 38 00:01:58,079 --> 00:02:01,200 on this subject. He was having a phone 39 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:05,280 conversation with another author, a very 40 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,959 literary author, very artistic, very 41 00:02:08,959 --> 00:02:11,280 serious author. 42 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:16,800 And the author said to Ken, um, 43 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,520 I only write for myself. 44 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,160 I don't write for the audience. I only 45 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,200 want to please one person. That's me. 46 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,360 And when I write, I write everything 47 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:29,360 just for me. 48 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,720 And Ken said, 'Well, that's why you are 49 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,560 a great writer and I'm rich. 50 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,560 When you're starting out as a writer, I 51 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:46,959 think before you start thinking about 52 00:02:46,959 --> 00:02:49,680 your audience and who they are, you want 53 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,080 to pick specifically. You have to figure 54 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:54,400 out how are you going to figure out what 55 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,200 you want to write. 56 00:02:57,200 --> 00:02:58,720 You don't you're not going to just sit 57 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,120 down and start writing a novel about 58 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,400 something. You I you have to think about 59 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:07,040 what you're interested in for one thing 60 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:09,200 or what do you read? Do you read a lot 61 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:11,440 of science fiction? 62 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:13,440 So maybe that's what you want to write. 63 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:15,440 You you're going to you want to write 64 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:17,599 about what you're really interested in. 65 00:03:17,599 --> 00:03:20,480 Do you read a lot of romances and do you 66 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,440 find those really fun? So maybe you want 67 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:25,440 to try one. That's what that's what you 68 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:27,519 want to write. And then once you figure 69 00:03:27,519 --> 00:03:30,159 out what genre you want to write, then 70 00:03:30,159 --> 00:03:31,760 you can start thinking about the 71 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,640 audience and thinking about who these 72 00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:36,480 people are who are going to want to read 73 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:38,319 it. Maybe there are people just like 74 00:03:38,319 --> 00:03:41,280 you. But I think it's really important 75 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,799 if if you're drawn to something to 76 00:03:44,799 --> 00:03:48,159 figure out what you want to do, what 77 00:03:48,159 --> 00:03:50,560 audience you want. Who's your audience? 78 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:52,720 Do you want to write for adults? Do you 79 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:54,640 want to write for a big general 80 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,439 audience? Do you want to write for um 81 00:03:57,439 --> 00:04:00,319 someone who's a literary audience? Try 82 00:04:00,319 --> 00:04:05,159 to figure out what you want to do first. 83 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,760 Once you figured out what genre you want 84 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:13,840 to write in, whether you you want to 85 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,479 write romances or you want to write 86 00:04:16,479 --> 00:04:19,040 funny books or you want to write 87 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:22,800 westerns, go out, go to the bookstores, 88 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:26,960 go online and see what's already there. 89 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:29,360 It's so important, I think, to know the 90 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,479 market first, to know what people are 91 00:04:32,479 --> 00:04:34,800 reading. Look at what people are reading 92 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:37,759 to know where your book, if you have an 93 00:04:37,759 --> 00:04:40,320 idea for a book, where will it go in the 94 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,600 store. Don't try to do something that 95 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,960 won't fit in somewhere. Don't try to 96 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,040 write something that will be its own 97 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,520 category because that almost never 98 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:53,840 works. I think a lot of people would 99 00:04:53,840 --> 00:04:56,479 probably criticize that advice and say 100 00:04:56,479 --> 00:04:57,919 you don't want to think about the 101 00:04:57,919 --> 00:05:01,120 marketing part first. You want to just 102 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:04,080 write something you like. But if you 103 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:07,919 start out and write something that 104 00:05:07,919 --> 00:05:10,639 no one's going to know what it is or no 105 00:05:10,639 --> 00:05:12,320 bookstore is going to know where to 106 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:14,560 place it, you're going to have a lot of 107 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:16,960 problems. My very first book was called 108 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:19,120 How to be funny. 109 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:23,680 And it was a kids book. It was about how 110 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:26,639 to get big laughs at the dinner table 111 00:05:26,639 --> 00:05:29,440 and how to crack up your class. And 112 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,639 parents hated this book. They hated it. 113 00:05:32,639 --> 00:05:35,680 But once um I was it was my first book 114 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:37,759 and I was excited and I went into a 115 00:05:37,759 --> 00:05:39,840 bookstore and I said, "Do you have How 116 00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:42,000 to be funny?" And he said, "Oh yes, 117 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:45,840 that's in theater arts. They put it they 118 00:05:45,840 --> 00:05:48,160 didn't put it with they it's how to be 119 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:50,479 funny. They put it in theater arts." And 120 00:05:50,479 --> 00:05:52,320 after that I always thought it's very 121 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,199 important to be very clear about where 122 00:05:55,199 --> 00:05:57,440 your book should go and about what 123 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:01,039 you're doing. And uh people might think 124 00:06:01,039 --> 00:06:03,280 that's crass advice, but I don't think 125 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:08,199 so. I think it's a good head start. 126 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:14,560 I grew up in Ohio and I thought at the 127 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:17,199 time if you wanted to be a writer, you 128 00:06:17,199 --> 00:06:19,919 had to live in New York City. So right 129 00:06:19,919 --> 00:06:21,680 at I thought you had no choice. That's 130 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:23,759 where you had to live. So right after 131 00:06:23,759 --> 00:06:26,639 college, I moved to New York. I drove to 132 00:06:26,639 --> 00:06:29,120 New York. I drove my little car. I came 133 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:32,400 I got an apartment in the village. I on 134 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:34,800 the corner of Waverly Place and Waverly 135 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:38,000 Place. That was where my apartment was. 136 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:42,160 And my very first job in New York was 137 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:46,080 writing for six movie magazines. 138 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:49,759 Um I was this woman had six movie 139 00:06:49,759 --> 00:06:52,160 magazines that she had to fill up every 140 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:54,479 month. And there were three of us 141 00:06:54,479 --> 00:06:58,240 writers and we would go to her apartment 142 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:01,599 and write and fill up to fill up these 143 00:07:01,599 --> 00:07:03,840 movie magazines. And we'd come in in the 144 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:06,240 morning and she'd say, "Do an interview 145 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,599 with Diana Ross." I'd say, "Fine. Okay. 146 00:07:09,599 --> 00:07:12,639 Type type type. Type and make up an 147 00:07:12,639 --> 00:07:15,440 interview." And then she'd say, "Do an 148 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:18,000 interview with the Beatles." Okay. This 149 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,400 was back, you know, then. I say, "Okay." 150 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:22,960 Type type. Write. And I would write two 151 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,039 or three interviews a day making up 152 00:07:25,039 --> 00:07:26,639 everything would make up the whole 153 00:07:26,639 --> 00:07:28,240 thing. 154 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:31,039 And that's how that was the job. And it 155 00:07:31,039 --> 00:07:33,919 was actually was a very creative job and 156 00:07:33,919 --> 00:07:36,960 it was very useful for later on because 157 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:40,479 I learned how to write really fast and I 158 00:07:40,479 --> 00:07:43,360 had learned how to imagine dialogue 159 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:45,680 because I had to make up uh everything 160 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:47,919 with these stars. 161 00:07:47,919 --> 00:07:50,560 That job didn't last very long, but it 162 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,440 was it was a you know that was fun and 163 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,000 also I think very good training. But I 164 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,879 went from job to job, got these writing 165 00:07:58,879 --> 00:08:01,440 jobs and then I ended up at at 166 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:04,160 Scholastic doing social studies 167 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:06,720 magazines and I would do my work at 168 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:09,039 Scholastic in the morning and then I 169 00:08:09,039 --> 00:08:10,319 would sit there and write in the 170 00:08:10,319 --> 00:08:12,319 afternoon. 171 00:08:12,319 --> 00:08:14,319 That might be one reason why they fired 172 00:08:14,319 --> 00:08:17,759 me. I don't know. But I did I would get 173 00:08:17,759 --> 00:08:20,560 my work done and get it done so that I 174 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:22,319 could get back to my writing and I would 175 00:08:22,319 --> 00:08:24,800 do my writing in the afternoon. And if 176 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:27,280 you can find something, it's hard, but 177 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:30,879 if you can find a job that gives you 178 00:08:30,879 --> 00:08:32,959 time and doesn't take all your energy 179 00:08:32,959 --> 00:08:36,399 away and gives you time to write even in 180 00:08:36,399 --> 00:08:40,479 the evening, um I that's that's 181 00:08:40,479 --> 00:08:44,440 certainly what I would recommend. 182 00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:52,880 always say yes. Say yes to everything. 183 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:54,399 Um 184 00:08:54,399 --> 00:08:57,279 I wouldn't have this career if I didn't 185 00:08:57,279 --> 00:09:00,399 have that policy. Um when I was starting 186 00:09:00,399 --> 00:09:02,560 out as a freelancer, I said yes to 187 00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:04,720 everything. I was writing. I wrote 188 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:08,399 Bazooka Joe comic jokes, the bubblegum 189 00:09:08,399 --> 00:09:11,680 jokes. I wrote G.I. Joe books, even 190 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:14,560 though I've never seen a gun. I've never 191 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:17,440 had I had, you know, I wrote G.I. Joe. I 192 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:20,560 wrote Mighty Mouse and Rocky and 193 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:22,880 Bullwinkle coloring books. You know, 194 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:24,880 there's that line at the bottom of every 195 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:26,880 coloring book. I wrote those. It's a 196 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,399 great job. I've got $500 a coloring book 197 00:09:30,399 --> 00:09:32,480 and I'd write these. I said yes. 198 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:34,720 Everyone, anything people asked, I'd be 199 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,200 writing. I did a humor magazine for 10 200 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:39,760 years called Bananas. 201 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:43,440 and which was my life's dream. And when 202 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:46,000 the magazine folded, I went home and I 203 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,240 thought I would coast the rest of my 204 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:50,560 life. I just I thought that was it. I've 205 00:09:50,560 --> 00:09:52,800 done it. I've had my humor magazine. I 206 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:56,480 didn't know what was in store. And one 207 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:58,959 day I was having lunch with my friend 208 00:09:58,959 --> 00:10:01,920 Jean Fwell, who was uh at the time 209 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,120 editorial director at Scholastic. 210 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:08,959 And Jean had just had a fight with a 211 00:10:08,959 --> 00:10:10,720 writer 212 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:14,079 who wrote um young adult horror. He 213 00:10:14,079 --> 00:10:17,040 wrote teen horror novels. And she sat 214 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:19,920 down to lunch and she said, "I'm never 215 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:22,240 working with him again. You could write 216 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,600 a good teen horror novel. Go home, write 217 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:28,320 a book called Blind Date." She gave me 218 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:31,040 the title, everything. And I didn't know 219 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:32,720 what she was talking about. What did she 220 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,360 mean teen horror novel? I said, "Yes, 221 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,399 sure." I always say, "Yes, yes, sure. No 222 00:10:38,399 --> 00:10:40,800 problem." And then I went running to the 223 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:43,200 bookstore to find out who, you know, and 224 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,399 I read Christopher Pike and Lois Duncan 225 00:10:46,399 --> 00:10:48,880 and all these Richie Tankers Lee Cusk, 226 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:50,959 all these other people who were writing 227 00:10:50,959 --> 00:10:53,279 teen horror so I could find out what it 228 00:10:53,279 --> 00:10:57,120 was. But if I had if I'd say to her, 229 00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:58,800 "Well, Jean, I don't really know what 230 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:00,640 you're talking about. It's, you know, 231 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,600 I'm a funny guy. I write jokes. I don't 232 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:05,600 write horror. If I had done that, 233 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:07,279 instead of saying yes, I wouldn't have 234 00:11:07,279 --> 00:11:09,519 had this whole career. None of it would 235 00:11:09,519 --> 00:11:12,240 have happened. So that's why I always 236 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:16,000 tell people anyway, I wrote I wrote that 237 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,560 book, Blind Date, and it came out. It 238 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:21,680 was a number one bestseller. 239 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:23,440 And I was like shocked. What do you 240 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:25,440 mean? I I'd never been close to a 241 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,240 bestseller list. A year later, I wrote a 242 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:30,800 second book called Twisted 243 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:33,839 Horror, Teen Horror. again, number one 244 00:11:33,839 --> 00:11:36,959 bestseller. And I thought, forget the 245 00:11:36,959 --> 00:11:39,839 funny stuff. I'm going to be scary. I'm 246 00:11:39,839 --> 00:11:42,240 going to be scary from now on. And that 247 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:44,480 just that came from, you know, from 248 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:47,519 saying yes. And I just about everything 249 00:11:47,519 --> 00:11:51,360 that's happened to me has been so an 250 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:54,160 accident. It something that I didn't 251 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:56,399 plan. The whole thing of writing for 252 00:11:56,399 --> 00:11:58,880 kids was wasn't anything that I had 253 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:01,760 planned. But by saying yes to all these 254 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:03,519 possibilities 255 00:12:03,519 --> 00:12:05,040 um 256 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:08,079 it it worked out 1 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,599 Well, most children's book authors 2 00:00:15,599 --> 00:00:18,800 cultivate a fan base by doing school 3 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:22,720 visits. You might start out just locally 4 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,680 or you might have your publisher find 5 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:29,199 schools for you to visit um and do 6 00:00:29,199 --> 00:00:32,239 classroom visits or assemblies of the 7 00:00:32,239 --> 00:00:35,840 whole school. Um and it's a this is a 8 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:38,719 wonderful way. It's what a nice thing 9 00:00:38,719 --> 00:00:41,360 that kids are all together all the time. 10 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:43,920 Adults aren't adult adults aren't in 11 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:48,079 school. kids are so much easier to reach 12 00:00:48,079 --> 00:00:50,239 because they're all together and then 13 00:00:50,239 --> 00:00:52,079 they can talk to each other and they can 14 00:00:52,079 --> 00:00:54,800 tell each other about books and that's a 15 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:57,680 wonderful thing for a kids author. So, I 16 00:00:57,680 --> 00:00:59,520 would always say start with the schools. 17 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,160 You know, school visits are so much more 18 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:05,360 effective than bookstore appearances as 19 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:08,240 far as familiarizing yourself to 20 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:10,720 readers. The other thing to look for 21 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:12,799 when you have a when you actually have a 22 00:01:12,799 --> 00:01:14,880 book out and you're ready to sell it and 23 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:16,799 you're ready to show it to people and 24 00:01:16,799 --> 00:01:19,200 you want people to know about it is to 25 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,600 look at all the book fairs that take 26 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:23,920 place all around the country. There are 27 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:26,240 many of them, many of them. And many of 28 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,479 them look for authors. 29 00:01:28,479 --> 00:01:32,560 U the Miami book fair, the Tucson Book 30 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:34,960 Fair, which is really good and has 300 31 00:01:34,960 --> 00:01:38,400 authors. The LA Times Book Festival has 32 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,840 over 300 authors come. Uh there are many 33 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:46,479 local the um Tampa St. Petersburg book 34 00:01:46,479 --> 00:01:49,119 festival and with a lot of Florida 35 00:01:49,119 --> 00:01:52,000 authors come there. They're always over 36 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,640 and it's a great way to be there, appear 37 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,360 there, sign books there, appear with 38 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,640 other authors, go on panels. Um, these 39 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:03,200 book festivals, I think, are invaluable 40 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:05,200 and just a great way to introduce 41 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,239 yourself and to be around other authors 42 00:02:08,239 --> 00:02:11,599 and to meet the crowds. Most children's 43 00:02:11,599 --> 00:02:14,160 books are bought by parents and 44 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:17,840 librarians. So, it's it's nice to be 45 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:21,920 able to get in touch and find get them 46 00:02:21,920 --> 00:02:25,120 to know find ways to let them know that 47 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:27,680 your book is out there because that's 48 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:29,440 kids. Most kids don't buy their own 49 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:32,480 books uh unless it's a school book fair 50 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,440 or a school book club or something like 51 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:37,599 that. And even then the parents are 52 00:02:37,599 --> 00:02:40,480 involved. So it's very important to try 53 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:42,400 to reach parents and teachers and 54 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:48,040 librarians um as much as you can. 55 00:02:51,519 --> 00:02:55,200 I use social media a lot and I think 56 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:57,599 more and more authors find that they 57 00:02:57,599 --> 00:03:00,319 really need to do this to get out the 58 00:03:00,319 --> 00:03:02,159 word about their books. I'm on Twitter 59 00:03:02,159 --> 00:03:05,440 and Facebook and Instagram. But I enjoy 60 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:07,280 all that. I mean that's really fun for 61 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,519 me. But even for authors who don't enjoy 62 00:03:09,519 --> 00:03:11,760 it that much, it's very important. 63 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:14,720 Partly because in a lot of um 64 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,360 publishers, the marketing department and 65 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:19,360 the publicity departments have been cut 66 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:23,040 back and a lot of publishers expect you 67 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,519 to do your own marketing. They expect 68 00:03:25,519 --> 00:03:27,920 you to do your own publicity and they 69 00:03:27,920 --> 00:03:30,000 expect you to have your Facebook page 70 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,440 for to sell your book and your Twitter 71 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,040 and they they want you to do it. And the 72 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,720 nice thing is that having those things 73 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,599 helps. It really does help you sell 74 00:03:43,599 --> 00:03:46,720 books. I'm on Twitter all the time and 75 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:49,200 I'm always thinking, am I selling too 76 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:51,440 much? Am I using it too much for 77 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,000 marketing? So, I do a lot of other 78 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:55,920 stuff. I make sure that I don't just 79 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,560 say, "Hey, this book is still available. 80 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:00,720 Hey, only 12 shopping days till 81 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:03,519 Christmas. Here, buy Young Scrooge." I 82 00:04:03,519 --> 00:04:06,239 make sure that I don't just do that. I 83 00:04:06,239 --> 00:04:08,560 put a lot of funny stuff on Twitter and 84 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:11,200 a lot of other news and talk a lot and 85 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,480 talk to people. There's some authors who 86 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:19,440 only market on Twitter and only put 87 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:22,240 nice comments they got and retweet those 88 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:24,800 and put their book covers on. And I do a 89 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,840 lot of that, but I try to disguise it by 90 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:29,919 doing a lot of other things so it 91 00:04:29,919 --> 00:04:31,680 doesn't look like I'm just selling all 92 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,479 the time. It's a fine balance. I think I 93 00:04:34,479 --> 00:04:37,759 write stories live on Twitter. I do. I 94 00:04:37,759 --> 00:04:39,280 sit down and say, "I'm going to write a 95 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:41,520 story for you now." And I'll write a 96 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,639 story 140 character story and write 97 00:04:44,639 --> 00:04:47,680 stories on Twitter. And I also I I love 98 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,360 I do QandA sessions on Twitter where I'll 99 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:53,120 say, "I'm going to be around for the 100 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:55,520 next half hour. Does anyone have a 101 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,320 question for me?" And those work very 102 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:00,240 well. People really like it. And it's a 103 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:02,560 great way to hear what's on the reader's 104 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:04,720 mind and what they're interested in and 105 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:06,880 what they want to know about. I love 106 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:08,800 doing that. And it's so easy to do on 107 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:11,440 Twitter. Just say, "Here I am. What do 108 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:13,120 you want to know?" Uh there are no kids 109 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,160 on Twitter. They're all 20 and 30somes 110 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:18,479 and they're they're the ones who grew up 111 00:05:18,479 --> 00:05:20,800 with goosebumps. And it's so great to 112 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,520 have a forum to have a place where they 113 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:26,000 all are where I can hear from them and 114 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,120 talk to them. And I I so I spend a lot 115 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,240 of time, but my most popular tweet, this 116 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:35,280 is my most popular tweet. Thousands of 117 00:05:35,280 --> 00:05:37,919 likes, thousands of all the things I've 118 00:05:37,919 --> 00:05:40,320 written. Are you ready? Here it is. 119 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:43,919 Shakira. Shakira. 120 00:05:43,919 --> 00:05:47,039 That's it. That was the whole tweet. 121 00:05:47,039 --> 00:05:52,320 Thousands of likes. Why? I have no idea. 122 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,360 No idea. 1 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:09,280 Everyone asks about writer's block. This 2 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:11,840 is like after they say where do you get 3 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,000 your ideas? They say what do you do 4 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,039 about writer's block? And I've never had 5 00:00:17,039 --> 00:00:21,279 it. Which I think is partly luck. Think 6 00:00:21,279 --> 00:00:23,600 I'm just lucky. I can always sit down 7 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,880 and write always. Sometimes I know the 8 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:30,000 writing isn't any good. Sometimes I feel 9 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,200 like I'm riding uphill and it's just 10 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:35,760 it's not right. It's not right. But I 11 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:37,840 keep going because I know I'm going to 12 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:40,000 go back and fix it. I can always go 13 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,079 back, but you have to just keep going 14 00:00:42,079 --> 00:00:45,680 forward. I think what I do to make 15 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,520 writing easier is I divide things up. I 16 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:51,600 don't sit down and I don't I'm not 17 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:53,920 writing and I have to figure out what my 18 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,079 characters look like or figure out their 19 00:00:56,079 --> 00:00:58,640 personality while I'm in the middle of 20 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:01,520 the plot. I start out with a complete 21 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,000 list of my characters, what they look 22 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,720 like, what their basic personalities 23 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,760 are. Then I have my outline. The outline 24 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:11,680 has the beginning of the book, the 25 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:13,520 middle, it's got the ending. I know 26 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,799 where I'm going to go. If you have an 27 00:01:16,799 --> 00:01:19,520 outline, it's very hard to have writer's 28 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,400 block because you know where to go next. 29 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:24,080 And if you're having trouble with one 30 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,400 chapter, it's not coming, it's not 31 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,200 coming, go on to the next chapter and 32 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,240 write that one and then go back. But I I 33 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,119 think the real key and I worry about 34 00:01:35,119 --> 00:01:38,720 writers who don't plan ahead. They don't 35 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:40,960 want to know. They want to they want to 36 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:43,119 write spontaneously. And there are a lot 37 00:01:43,119 --> 00:01:45,600 of them. But I worry about them in 38 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,399 writer's block because you can reach a 39 00:01:48,399 --> 00:01:50,960 point if you haven't planned it out, you 40 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:52,479 can reach a point where you don't know 41 00:01:52,479 --> 00:01:55,040 where to go next. But that never happens 42 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:58,320 to me because of the outline. So I would 43 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:00,880 say the more complete your preparation 44 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:04,399 is, the easier it is to finish the book 45 00:02:04,399 --> 00:02:06,399 and the harder it is to get writer's 46 00:02:06,399 --> 00:02:09,200 block. The more preparation you do, the 47 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:10,879 more you're going to be fine when you 48 00:02:10,879 --> 00:02:14,280 write the book. 49 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:19,760 I'm like a machine when it comes to 50 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:22,400 writing. I don't know. And I I would 51 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:25,440 hope that other people have the same 52 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,879 feeling and the same. I I I'll tell you 53 00:02:28,879 --> 00:02:32,239 my routine. And I really recommend this 54 00:02:32,239 --> 00:02:35,599 kind maybe not the hours that I do but 55 00:02:35,599 --> 00:02:38,400 to be able to 56 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,280 stick to it every day and to keep at it 57 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,920 and to like it's make it almost like 58 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:46,720 factory work where you're there you're 59 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:48,959 you're doing peace work you're doing it 60 00:02:48,959 --> 00:02:50,640 you're getting it done you're getting it 61 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:53,200 done and I would hope uh people who want 62 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:57,120 to be writers I it's a good thing to aim 63 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,519 for that kind of discipline I think or 64 00:02:59,519 --> 00:03:01,760 maybe It's crazy. I mean, you'd have to 65 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:04,080 be really crazy to write 300 books, 66 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,760 right? I don't know. But I'm there every 67 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:10,720 day and I I I still, you know, after 25 68 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:13,200 years of Goosebumps, whatever, I sit 69 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,720 down maybe 9:30 in the morning and I 70 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,360 start to write. I have my outline. I'm 71 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,760 all set. I have the outline of the book. 72 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:25,120 I'm I write this book. I every day I 73 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,480 write 2,000 words, which is about 10 74 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,680 pages. Everyone used to go by pages. Now 75 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:34,080 in publishing, because of the computer 76 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,239 tells you the words, everyone goes by 77 00:03:36,239 --> 00:03:40,000 words. And so Goosebumps books have to 78 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:44,239 be 23,000 words. But I set a goal for 79 00:03:44,239 --> 00:03:47,040 myself every morning. Today I'm going to 80 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,159 write 2500 words. And then I don't get 81 00:03:50,159 --> 00:03:53,280 up till I've done it. I maybe I'll take 82 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:56,080 15 minutes to have a sandwich, but then 83 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:58,879 I'm back at it. And when I hit my 2,000 84 00:03:58,879 --> 00:04:02,080 words, I quit. Doesn't matter where I 85 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,920 am, where I am in the story. I hit 2,000 86 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,680 words, I quit. And it's kind of a trick 87 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,879 that I use because it makes it so much 88 00:04:12,879 --> 00:04:16,000 easier to start up again the next day. I 89 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:17,919 haven't finished a chapter. I'm not at 90 00:04:17,919 --> 00:04:20,160 the end of a chapter. I'm in the middle 91 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:22,560 of something. So when I sit down the 92 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:24,639 next day, I don't have to start all over 93 00:04:24,639 --> 00:04:26,320 again. 94 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:28,160 I don't have to do much thinking. I'm in 95 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,880 the middle of something already. And you 96 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:32,720 know, we talk about writer's block. You 97 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:34,160 can't have writer's block if you're 98 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:36,479 already in the middle of a scene. And 99 00:04:36,479 --> 00:04:38,800 that so just about every morning I'll 100 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:40,720 come in and I'll be in the middle of 101 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,759 something. So I can keep writing. And I 102 00:04:43,759 --> 00:04:47,440 write till about it takes me 103 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:50,240 till 2:30, 3:00 in the afternoon. Not 104 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:53,120 bad hours, right? And then I can feel my 105 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,160 brain start to just fade away. And so I 106 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:58,639 know I four hours is like a good time 107 00:04:58,639 --> 00:05:00,720 for me. And you have to kind of figure 108 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:03,040 out you you it's pretty easy to figure 109 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:07,960 out what you know when you're finished. 110 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:13,840 I get a lot of letters from parents now 111 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:17,199 and a lot of tweets saying, "Oh, my son 112 00:05:17,199 --> 00:05:19,199 loved the Goosebumps movie and they saw 113 00:05:19,199 --> 00:05:21,600 you writing on a typewriter, so I had to 114 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,080 buy them a typewriter." And they send me 115 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,080 picture and there's their kids. They're 116 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:28,639 writing on a typewriter. I can't It's 117 00:05:28,639 --> 00:05:31,440 hard to believe. It's actually It's very 118 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:34,800 funny, but yeah, you know, I I can't 119 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:36,880 believe I wrote maybe a hundred books on 120 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,440 typewriter. I don't know how how did we 121 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:42,160 ever revise? How did anyone revise on a 122 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:43,840 typewriter? 123 00:05:43,840 --> 00:05:49,120 So, I work on a a laptop and work I 124 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:52,560 write all my story all all my books on 125 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:54,320 um 126 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:59,919 MacBook Pro and um except for my 127 00:05:59,919 --> 00:06:01,440 outlines 128 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:05,120 which I cannot do on a computer. I this 129 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:08,479 is very mysterious. Very mysterious. I 130 00:06:08,479 --> 00:06:10,960 something in the brain. But I have to 131 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:14,720 plot on a yellow pad. I have to use a 132 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:18,400 yellow pad. Everyone has these kind of 133 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:21,120 idiosyncrasies, I think. And I think if 134 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:23,680 you decide that you want to outline, you 135 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:26,319 should try both ways and see which way. 136 00:06:26,319 --> 00:06:28,080 Maybe when you're writing it yourself, 137 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:30,560 you're closer to the story and it's 138 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,120 slower, so you have more time to think 139 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:35,280 cuz writing is so much slower than 140 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:38,800 typing. You know, I um 141 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:41,919 I started typing when I was 9 years old. 142 00:06:41,919 --> 00:06:44,400 I had this old Remington typewriter in 143 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:47,280 my room and I typing away, but I never 144 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:50,080 learned how to type. And I'm totally 145 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:51,919 left-handed 146 00:06:51,919 --> 00:06:53,759 and I don't use my right hand for 147 00:06:53,759 --> 00:06:55,600 anything. Now, I use my right hand for 148 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:57,919 the mouse, but I never learned how to 149 00:06:57,919 --> 00:07:01,599 type. And I only use one finger, not 150 00:07:01,599 --> 00:07:04,560 even two fingers. And I have written, 151 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:07,199 this is true, I've written 300 books 152 00:07:07,199 --> 00:07:10,720 with this finger. And look, look at it. 153 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:14,080 Look, it's totally bent. It's totally 154 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:16,160 cur. This is what I sacrificed for my 155 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:19,120 art. The finger is totally ruined. It's 156 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:21,360 my typing finger. 157 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:24,160 300 books with that finger. 158 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,720 The finger goes, that's the career. 159 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:29,960 That's it. 160 00:07:34,639 --> 00:07:38,319 I had a a friend who wrote teen horror 161 00:07:38,319 --> 00:07:41,759 back in the '9s. She was quite popular. 162 00:07:41,759 --> 00:07:46,319 And to write her teen horror, she had 163 00:07:46,319 --> 00:07:50,080 have very creepy music playing. She had 164 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:53,280 candles lit all over the room 165 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:57,840 and she wrote on a haunted desk. 166 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:00,160 She's claimed her desk was haunted. She 167 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:02,560 had to write on a haunted desk. She 168 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:05,680 needed eerie music and the wrote by 169 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:07,840 candle light. 170 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:11,440 And I can write anywhere really. I don't 171 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:14,800 need any of that. I have a a room in my 172 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,199 apartment in New York that I share with 173 00:08:17,199 --> 00:08:21,280 my dog and um I come in and I sit down 174 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:23,520 and I do need quiet. I can't write with 175 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:26,800 music on. I don't I you know it's a 176 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:30,800 shame but I I don't I need quiet and I 177 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:33,120 don't need anything else and I really 178 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,839 can write anywhere. I'm not I can write 179 00:08:35,839 --> 00:08:39,440 I used to write on an airplane or write 180 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:43,200 in a hotel room. I um I I don't have any 181 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,320 problems with that that but that's I 182 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:48,800 don't need any atmosphere. I don't need 183 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:53,800 anything I don't need anything special. 184 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:00,000 Now I have to say all all that I've said 185 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:04,880 about writing and planning and enjoying 186 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:07,360 it and if you want to be a writer you've 187 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:09,040 really got to love writing and 188 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:10,959 everything there. There are a lot of 189 00:09:10,959 --> 00:09:13,680 really successful authors who would 190 00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:16,880 totally disagree with me and totally the 191 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:19,040 opposite of me. 192 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:21,279 Uh the great thriller writer Harlon 193 00:09:21,279 --> 00:09:25,120 Cobin is a friend of mine. And Harlon, 194 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:27,200 but we never talk about writing. We 195 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,040 just, you know, we talk about the kids 196 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:31,839 and everything. And uh one evening 197 00:09:31,839 --> 00:09:34,320 Harlon and I did an evening at Barnes and 198 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:37,600 Noble in New York City. And it was an 199 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:40,320 author conversation, just the two of us. 200 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:43,040 And we talked about writing. And in that 201 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:45,920 conversation, we discovered that we have 202 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,320 nothing in common at all. That 203 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:50,720 everything that we do is completely 204 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:53,760 different. I I sit down every day. I 205 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,000 love to write. I sit down and write 206 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:58,640 every morning. Harlon has to force 207 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,040 himself to write. He has to scream at 208 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:03,120 himself. He says he has to berate 209 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:05,680 himself. He has to call himself all 210 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:08,959 kinds of names so that he to get himself 211 00:10:08,959 --> 00:10:12,320 to write. I have an office. I have a 212 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,600 room in my apartment where I work. 213 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:17,680 Harlon can't work at home. He has to go 214 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:20,079 out to a coffee shop somewhere. He has 215 00:10:20,079 --> 00:10:22,399 to be out with people. I have to have 216 00:10:22,399 --> 00:10:24,800 like quiet. I'm, you know, I'm quiet. 217 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:27,519 I'm in my room with the dog. I'm sitting 218 00:10:27,519 --> 00:10:29,839 there. Harlon has to have music going. 219 00:10:29,839 --> 00:10:32,720 He has to have this Har I outline every 220 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,200 book I write. I do a complete outline 221 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,399 chapter by Harlon never plans, never 222 00:10:38,399 --> 00:10:41,279 does an outline, never every single 223 00:10:41,279 --> 00:10:43,920 thing we noticed as we were talking that 224 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:47,920 we are exactly the opposite. So I what 225 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:50,800 does that mean? I don't know. I you know 226 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:53,040 I I can only tell you what I can tell 227 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:56,399 you what works for me. 1 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:08,960 Here's something a little extra for you. 2 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:11,360 And I put this up on the masterclass 3 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:14,719 resources page and you can download it 4 00:00:14,719 --> 00:00:16,800 and print it out and look at it and 5 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:20,320 think about it or not or whatever. I put 6 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:24,000 down 20 scary story ideas that you can 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,199 use for kids. You can feel free take any 8 00:00:27,199 --> 00:00:29,519 one of them. Use them all. Put them 9 00:00:29,519 --> 00:00:32,079 whatever you want to do. These are 20 10 00:00:32,079 --> 00:00:35,040 ideas. A lot of them I've done. A lot of 11 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,440 them you can take and do in different 12 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,320 ways. You can do whatever you want. I 13 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:42,160 said earlier that I really I can't 14 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:44,800 really I can't I can tell you how to go 15 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:48,079 about finding ideas, but I can't really 16 00:00:48,079 --> 00:00:51,440 tell you how to get an idea your own. 17 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:53,920 But here are 20 ideas you can use and 18 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,960 see if if anything strikes you as as 19 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,760 interesting or useful. Okay, here we 20 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,840 are. One, a creepy doll comes to life. 21 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,960 Two, a scene from a nightmare comes true 22 00:01:06,960 --> 00:01:11,040 the next day. Three, days go by and your 23 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,360 parents don't come home. 24 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,400 Four, you feel yourself slowly becoming 25 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:18,479 a monster. 26 00:01:18,479 --> 00:01:21,200 Five, your friends start to disappear 27 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,000 and no one else notices. 28 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,960 Six, you are lost in the woods and don't 29 00:01:26,960 --> 00:01:29,360 know how you got there. 30 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,560 Seven, you are inhabited by a ghost that 31 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:35,119 controls you and makes you do crazy 32 00:01:35,119 --> 00:01:39,360 things. I like that one. 33 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:42,240 I've written it about six times. 34 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,759 Um, eight. You have no reflection in the 35 00:01:45,759 --> 00:01:49,759 mirror. Nine. The teacher is a monster, 36 00:01:49,759 --> 00:01:53,759 but no one will believe you. 10. You 37 00:01:53,759 --> 00:01:55,840 hypnotize your brother and you can't 38 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,720 snap him out of it. 39 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:04,000 Wishful thinking. 11. A fortune teller 40 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:07,200 reveals that you are evil. 41 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,399 12. Someone follows you home and it's 42 00:02:10,399 --> 00:02:12,959 your exact double. 43 00:02:12,959 --> 00:02:15,840 13. You find a diary that tells the 44 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,360 future. 14. Every time you wake up, 45 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:21,760 you're a different person. 46 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,560 15. Your parents explain that you are 47 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:29,879 actually an alien from another planet. 48 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:32,160 16. 49 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:34,400 You know someone is watching you day and 50 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:38,000 night from the house across the street. 51 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:42,000 17. You realize you are shrinking. 52 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,360 18. While reading a scary book, you 53 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,879 discover that you're a character in it. 54 00:02:48,879 --> 00:02:52,720 19. Someone is living in your mirror. 55 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,680 And finally, 20. Everyone knows your new 56 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:58,080 neighbors are vampires and the kids 57 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,360 invite you over for a sleepover. 58 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,000 And there's 20 good scary ideas that 59 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,480 you're welcome to use for writing kids 60 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,480 horror. 1 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,559 After taking my master class, I hope 2 00:00:08,559 --> 00:00:12,240 you'll be better prepared and ready to 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:14,799 go, ready to write a short story or a 4 00:00:14,799 --> 00:00:19,920 novel. Um, I came up with some exercises 5 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,800 maybe to help get you going. Um, they're 6 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:24,800 in the workbook. You can check them out 7 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:26,320 anytime. 8 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,760 And the first one of course is write 9 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,640 down three times you remember feeling 10 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:36,320 truly truly scared. Just make a list. 11 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,879 Think back. Try to remember something 12 00:00:38,879 --> 00:00:41,200 that was scary. Make a list of those 13 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:43,120 kind of things and and see what you can 14 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:44,800 write. 15 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:47,600 Also, I talked a lot about titles. Make 16 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:51,600 a list of funny horror titles or book 17 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:53,920 titles. Titles that you would be think 18 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,000 you would be interested in reading. Make 19 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,160 a list. Write down two titles, three 20 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:02,000 titles. See how you do with titles. 21 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,559 It says, "Spend an hour in an average 22 00:01:04,559 --> 00:01:06,960 place with lots of people. Just go to 23 00:01:06,960 --> 00:01:09,680 the park or a grocery store. Just watch 24 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:12,320 them. Write down whatever sparks your 25 00:01:12,320 --> 00:01:16,479 imagination. Just watch people. Get get 26 00:01:16,479 --> 00:01:20,479 in the habit of observing people and 27 00:01:20,479 --> 00:01:22,880 then see where your thoughts lead. See 28 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,280 what directions you can think. just 29 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,159 watching in a normal situation. 30 00:01:28,159 --> 00:01:30,880 Try out developing a plot. Take an idea 31 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,360 of your own or try using one of the 32 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,840 horror story plots that I gave you 33 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,560 that's in the workbook. Develop it until 34 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,759 you have an idea of your basic plot. 35 00:01:41,759 --> 00:01:43,520 Start with just a couple of scenes. 36 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:45,600 Build from there. Then if you love the 37 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,720 idea, take it further. See how far this 38 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,759 idea will take you. 39 00:01:51,759 --> 00:01:54,079 Play around with point of view. And this 40 00:01:54,079 --> 00:01:57,200 is a a useful exercise and it's 41 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,119 something sometimes I do. I maybe 42 00:01:59,119 --> 00:02:01,840 sometimes I'll start a book third person 43 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:03,439 and say, "Well, I can make this much 44 00:02:03,439 --> 00:02:05,360 better first person." And I'll go back 45 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:07,600 and write the chapter and do it. Or you 46 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:09,840 try write something third person, write 47 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:12,319 the same scene first person. See what 48 00:02:12,319 --> 00:02:16,239 happens. See if it helps you out. Um, 49 00:02:16,239 --> 00:02:19,360 pro style. Choose an author you like. 50 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:21,520 Write a scene totally mimicking that 51 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,160 author's style. I think I talked about 52 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:28,160 when I was a kid there were I mimic 53 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:30,720 author styles all the time to this day. 54 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:32,879 Take some author that you really like 55 00:02:32,879 --> 00:02:34,720 and see if you can write in that 56 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,519 author's style. It really does help. 57 00:02:37,519 --> 00:02:40,239 It's not just copying. Take a scene 58 00:02:40,239 --> 00:02:42,720 you've already written or write one 59 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,760 based on those 20 ideas on my list. Then 60 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,319 revise the scene. Force yourself to make 61 00:02:48,319 --> 00:02:50,319 it all dialogue. See if you can tell the 62 00:02:50,319 --> 00:02:53,120 whole scene just in dialogue. I think 63 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,160 that's a really good exercise and really 64 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:59,519 good for helping you figure out how to 65 00:02:59,519 --> 00:03:02,640 tell a story in dialogue and not have to 66 00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:04,560 slow the book down with a whole lot of 67 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:07,560 description. 68 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:11,120 Write a scary scene. Take one of my 20 69 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,080 horror ideas and write a scary scene. 70 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:16,800 Make sure to slow it down. Slow it. 71 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,000 Write it slowly so that the reader gets 72 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,680 every bit of fear, every tingle, every 73 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,000 bit of fright in the character. Make 74 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:28,239 sure you write it very slowly. Don't 75 00:03:28,239 --> 00:03:30,640 skip over anything. 76 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:32,879 Uh don't forget to think about all the 77 00:03:32,879 --> 00:03:35,519 senses. What what is the character 78 00:03:35,519 --> 00:03:38,400 seeing, smelling? What does it what does 79 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,840 she hear? What does what sounds are in 80 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,239 the background? Try to include all of 81 00:03:44,239 --> 00:03:46,879 that. All of it adds up to make a scene 82 00:03:46,879 --> 00:03:49,760 really scary. Try making a character 83 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:51,920 cheat sheet like the one that I gave 84 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:54,000 you. Think about what your character 85 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,200 looks like and what they want most. Try 86 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,480 making a list of of how you would 87 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:02,959 populate a book. Who who would you put 88 00:04:02,959 --> 00:04:05,680 in it? And then what are they like? And 89 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:08,080 this helps me a lot. And I do it before 90 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:10,560 every book I write. Just a list of the 91 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:12,640 characters. Who's in it? And what are 92 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,680 they about? 93 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:19,040 Uh, scary monsters. Take take the most 94 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:21,680 innane object you can think of and think 95 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:25,199 of a way to turn it into a monster. I I 96 00:04:25,199 --> 00:04:26,880 wrote that book. It came from beneath 97 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,759 the sink. It was about a sponge. You 98 00:04:29,759 --> 00:04:32,639 don't get any more mundane than a sponge 99 00:04:32,639 --> 00:04:35,840 and it turned into a horrifying monster. 100 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:38,880 Or a Halloween mask. A simple mask can 101 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:41,040 turn into something absolutely 102 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:44,000 horrifying. Take an object. Take an egg. 103 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:46,800 Take a take take an animal. Take a 104 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,240 canary. Take anything and see what you 105 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:54,160 can do. How would you make it scary? 1 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:09,519 Well, I think I've shared all my secrets 2 00:00:09,519 --> 00:00:13,759 with you. It's over 40 years of writing 3 00:00:13,759 --> 00:00:16,240 for kids. And I think I've pretty much 4 00:00:16,240 --> 00:00:18,560 told you everything I know. I think 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:21,039 you've gotten it all. And I what I tried 6 00:00:21,039 --> 00:00:23,840 to do for you is to break it down into 7 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:26,400 little pieces. break it down into short 8 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:30,080 lessons, short tricks, just short ideas 9 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:32,480 so that you would be able to get one 10 00:00:32,480 --> 00:00:34,719 after the other and then put them all 11 00:00:34,719 --> 00:00:36,880 together. And I hope that's what I've 12 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:39,360 achieved. I hope you've enjoyed this 13 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:41,760 master class and I hope you've learned a 14 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,079 lot from it and I hope you feel that 15 00:00:44,079 --> 00:00:47,920 you're ready to write. I hope you 16 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:51,200 remember a lot about what we said about 17 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:53,760 knowing your audience and choosing your 18 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:56,160 audience and getting started. What we 19 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,680 said about outlining and mainly what we 20 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,640 talked about forgetting ideas, finding 21 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:06,240 ideas wherever we can um and the other 22 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,600 big issue of avoiding writer's block. I 23 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:11,439 hope you remember all that and I hope 24 00:01:11,439 --> 00:01:13,840 that was really useful to you and I do 25 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:16,640 hope that you are encouraged now that 26 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,759 you finished the course to sit down and 27 00:01:19,759 --> 00:01:23,200 write and try something. Try some of the 28 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:26,080 things we did. I've put exercises in 29 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:28,880 your workbook. I put in all kinds of 30 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,079 clues. I've given you 20 story ideas to 31 00:01:32,079 --> 00:01:34,799 try out. Try them. I hope you will sit 32 00:01:34,799 --> 00:01:38,159 down, write a story, write, start a 33 00:01:38,159 --> 00:01:41,040 novel, see how you do, and mainly just 34 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:43,920 have fun with it, enjoy it, have have a 35 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,400 good time writing.