Lemon Lover
Lemon Lover asked Catherine Ryan Hyde:

Hello. My class is reading Pay it Forward, and it's an amazing, beautiful book. I would like to ask what motivated you to write and finish books, and why you wanted to become an author. I want to become an author when I grow up, and I've already written two book (both of them fanfiction) and I would like to ask how you plan out your stories and your advice for writing. Also, what is your favorite book that you wrote?

Catherine Ryan Hyde Hi!

Being motivated to finish a novel is tricky and I don't know if there's an easy answer for it. I do know that if I'm very interested by what I'm writing it's much easier to keep going. So if the work starts to feel dull or slips off course, I'll sometimes give myself permission to put it down and work on something else. I think I wanted to be an author because I had a teacher who told me I had a talent for it, and I wasn't used to such compliments.

I do all my planning in my head, so I'm not sure my system would be much help to you. My advice would be to do whatever seems to get words on paper or in digital memory. Also I'd advise you not to write in too solitary a way, but rather to invite feedback on your work, even though it can be hard to hear. And the more you read, the closer that experience will take you to what you want to write.

My two favorites of mine are Boy Underground and Have You Seen Luis Velez? I think it's a tie.

Thank you for reaching out, and best of luck with your own writing.

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