Sheena Byrne asked Jack Gantos:

Hi Jack, My grade 6 students and I have been discussing story writing and the challenges they face during the writing process. The biggest question they have is how to come up good ideas for their stories. Our question for you is: where do you find the ideas and inspiration for your stories? Thanks for your time! Sheena

Jack Gantos I wrote a book about being in 6th grade: HEADS OR TAILS. Its a book of short stories about me and my family and neighbors. Realistic fiction. Stuff going on around me all the time. I found material to write about because I made time to keep a journal and when I saw something interesting or felt something powerful or laughed at a good joke or cried at something or was outraged by an event--then I would write it down. The best stories I wrote as a kid were the ones where I was the 'voice' of the story and the events were from my own life. I encourage young writers to write honestly about their lives--that is what they know about--and I always tell them that the good stories have a lot of exterior action (something happens) and interior action (something is felt, or thought of, or imagined). Ten minutes a day in a journal and they will discover bits and pieces of rich story material. Thanks, j

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