Ask the Author: Jennifer Skogen
Answered Questions (4)
Jennifer Skogen
Hi Abby! Thanks for reaching out, and what a great question. I actually never did invent an official last name for Natalie. I hope that is helpful for you essay!
Thanks!
Jennifer
Thanks!
Jennifer
Jennifer Skogen
Hi Sally,
Please have your teacher email me your questions, and I'd be happy to help. :) I will send you a direct message with my email address.
Thanks!
Jennifer
Please have your teacher email me your questions, and I'd be happy to help. :) I will send you a direct message with my email address.
Thanks!
Jennifer
Jennifer Skogen
Hi Kimberley!
Thanks for taking the time to write me. I'd love to answer your questions. Here goes:
1. The idea for Shattered came from my childhood. I grew up with horses, and Hippo is basically my childhood horse. I also lived in the middle of the woods. While my house wasn't quite as isolated as the cabin in Natalie's story, it was still fairly remote. One winter it snowed so much that we couldn't leave our property for four days. That feeling of being trapped was exciting at the time (we had plenty of food, and I had my family with me). But I always wondered what I would have done had I been all alone. The other part of the story (Natalie dealing with the loss of her mother) came from my own experience with grief. I think writing about the loss of a parent, from a distance of many years now, can help put words to feelings I didn't know I was experiencing at the time.
2. My favorite memory from middle school would have to be a class trip we took in 6th grade to Mount St. Helens. We hiked around the dusty, strange landscape and learned about the 1980 eruption. I remember that flowers and small plants were growing, even though most of the area looked bare and lifeless. A park ranger explained that even though the whole area was pretty much destroyed at the time, life was returning. I thought that was really inspiring, and that hike was probably the start of my love of hiking (which is one of my main hobbies, besides reading and writing).
3. I do not have an author website right now (I have been working on setting one up). I do have my author page on Goodreads (as you know :) ) and I am also on Twitter.
Thanks again for writing! I hope your class enjoys Shattered, and all the other books they read this year.
Jennifer Skogen
Thanks for taking the time to write me. I'd love to answer your questions. Here goes:
1. The idea for Shattered came from my childhood. I grew up with horses, and Hippo is basically my childhood horse. I also lived in the middle of the woods. While my house wasn't quite as isolated as the cabin in Natalie's story, it was still fairly remote. One winter it snowed so much that we couldn't leave our property for four days. That feeling of being trapped was exciting at the time (we had plenty of food, and I had my family with me). But I always wondered what I would have done had I been all alone. The other part of the story (Natalie dealing with the loss of her mother) came from my own experience with grief. I think writing about the loss of a parent, from a distance of many years now, can help put words to feelings I didn't know I was experiencing at the time.
2. My favorite memory from middle school would have to be a class trip we took in 6th grade to Mount St. Helens. We hiked around the dusty, strange landscape and learned about the 1980 eruption. I remember that flowers and small plants were growing, even though most of the area looked bare and lifeless. A park ranger explained that even though the whole area was pretty much destroyed at the time, life was returning. I thought that was really inspiring, and that hike was probably the start of my love of hiking (which is one of my main hobbies, besides reading and writing).
3. I do not have an author website right now (I have been working on setting one up). I do have my author page on Goodreads (as you know :) ) and I am also on Twitter.
Thanks again for writing! I hope your class enjoys Shattered, and all the other books they read this year.
Jennifer Skogen
Jennifer Skogen
Writer's block usually happens when either I'm bored with my story, or my plot is asking me a question that I'm not prepared to answer. I have a couple solutions for this:
1. I stop working on this particular book and go watch cat videos for the next year.
or
2. I try to write "around" the boring part or the problem by focusing on a different aspect of the story. Maybe I'll try writing a chapter from the POV of a different character. Maybe I'll write a scene from a later point in the story. The most important thing is that I keep writing.
Sure, sometimes I need some space from a book so I can come back to it with fresh eyes. However, usually I'm just scared to push past a roadblock because what if the story I end up writing really, really sucks? But the thing I've have to accept is that, generally, first drafts suck. They suck bad. They are embarrassing and sloppy, and sometimes the name of a character changes for no reason at all half way through the book. Or the entire plot changes. Whoops!
So, don't let fear (or cat videos) win! If you are blocked, keep writing. The worst thing that might happen is you'll end up with a sucky first draft; but guess what? Then you'll be in the same boat as everyone else. Congratulations.
1. I stop working on this particular book and go watch cat videos for the next year.
or
2. I try to write "around" the boring part or the problem by focusing on a different aspect of the story. Maybe I'll try writing a chapter from the POV of a different character. Maybe I'll write a scene from a later point in the story. The most important thing is that I keep writing.
Sure, sometimes I need some space from a book so I can come back to it with fresh eyes. However, usually I'm just scared to push past a roadblock because what if the story I end up writing really, really sucks? But the thing I've have to accept is that, generally, first drafts suck. They suck bad. They are embarrassing and sloppy, and sometimes the name of a character changes for no reason at all half way through the book. Or the entire plot changes. Whoops!
So, don't let fear (or cat videos) win! If you are blocked, keep writing. The worst thing that might happen is you'll end up with a sucky first draft; but guess what? Then you'll be in the same boat as everyone else. Congratulations.
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