Hi, Kathy!

I know what you mean. Some of my friends and family members don't appreciate fantasy, either--even the people who love to read. Some people just "get" it, and others don't. I'm like you: I love it when when I meet another fantasy fan!

You talked about how you'd be so busy reading other people's books that you wouldn't be able to keep up with deadlines. Ha, ha! I hear you on that. But that's good. As writers, reading and reading and reading is essential for us. It's like the food that keeps us alive!

Finishing stuff. . . . Well, that is a tough question, especially when you have tons of great ideas. It's a matter of developing discipline, I guess. For me, seeing something finished is a great reward. I want other people to read my stories, and I know they really can't appreciate them until they have endings, so that keeps me working on the stories until they're finished. That's where it helps to have a writing notebook. When you get your exciting new ideas, write them down in the notebook so you won't forget them. Then you can go back and work on your current story until it's done.

But another important thing to remember is that, especially when you're a very young writer, it's natural to start a whole lot more stories than you ever finish. When I was the age of most Cricket readers, I was always starting stories (usually very similar to whatever book or movie I loved at the time), and I'd get about two or ten pages into them, then go on to something else. You learn from everything you write. Oh, and I'd strongly encourage you to save all those story beginnings. Keep them in your "writing suitcase" or "writing box" in your closet. You'll have a wonderful time re-reading them at various times in life. And who knows?--some of them may be ideas you'll want to use when you are working seriously on getting a story published!

H'mm. Well, non-fiction isn't all that bad! But I agree--it seems like we have to write a lot more of it for school, when what we want to be writing is fiction!

You're absolutely right: eventually, you'll want to find impartial readers for your writing. Family and friends are wonderful! I still let them read what I write, and their responses encourage me. But yes, most people who care about us will also like our writing by extension. I know there are on-line writers' groups; there are writers' conferences and workshops where you can find impartial critics (and make more friends!). Also, as you go through life, you'll probably make friends with other writers (or readers) who are willing and able to give you an unbiased opinion. I think one key is to bounce your story off three or four readers, at least. If, say, three people all have the same question about part of your story, it's probably a question you should take seriously.

Finding beginnings. . . . That can be hard, too, but it's best not to worry too much about it. Just relax, write the story (even if you don't know how to begin it), and sometimes the perfect way to start it will spring into your mind much later in the project. (The same goes for the title!) It's very, very, VERY common for writers to go back and rewrite the beginnings of their stories and books after they've written the whole thing. So don't feel that you can't start until you've got the "perfect beginning." Just write the story, and wait for the beginning to show up in your mind! But you're right to study the beginnings of books and stories you admire.

And always keep an open mind. Learn to "listen" for titles and beginnings. I'm always hearing something in daily life and saying, "That would make a great title!" J.R.R. Tolkien was grading his students' papers when he suddenly thought of the first line of The Hobbit. On a blank space on one of the tests, he wrote, "In a hole in the ground lived a Hobbit." (Often, a good beginning raises a lot of questions--look at how curious Tolkien's beginning makes us! What is a Hobbit? Why does it live in a hole in the ground? What's it like inside that hole?--which Tolkien answers in the very next few sentences!)

So, for titles, for beginnings, and for writing ideas in general, keep that notebook to jot things in! Always be looking and listening. The world around us is full of words and characters and ideas, and they're always threatening to spiral together into a new story. If you are there when the words and ideas start coming together, you can grab hold of the story and write it! And keep on writing. That's the best way to learn how to write!

Thank you again! I'm so happy that you like "The Star Shard"!

Fred

Thank you very much for your kind enthusiasm and for looking forward to the published book! No, I'm sorry, I have no way of knowing when it would be published. First an editor has to buy it. Then s/he may ask for some revisions, which I would do. When we agreed on those, the book would go into production--once it was typeset, I'd have to read the whole thing to check for mistakes. There's a lot that goes into making a book. I hope that within the next two to three years, The Witching Wild will become a book.

Fred

Hi again, Interested and Fantasy-Tastic!

This a big question, and a good one! The simple answer is: You should send your story to the kind of publisher who will publish it. I know that doesn't sound helpful, but it's the basic truth. There are all kinds of publishers out there, and you can't send your story to just any of them, because publishers each publish a specific kind of story. (For example, you won't find an 800-page novel about four generations of a family published in Cricket, right?)

So, your job is to find the kind of publisher who publishes the kind of material you write. One of the best ways to do this is to write a story for a magazine that you've read a lot, so you know firsthand what they print. Or, say, if you like several fantasy novels published by the same publishing house, and you write a similar one, you can try them.

On the other hand, if you've written your story and you have no idea what publisher it might be right for, you can go to the library. You can find a reference book there called Literary Marketplace, or one called Writer's Market. (I used the first one to find a publisher for my novel Dragonfly.) These books come out in new editions every year or so, and they list hundreds of publishers and what kinds of stories those publishers want to buy.

And, of course, this is the age of the Internet. If you look around on-line, you can find the same sort of information. You're very right to ask this question, because you do need to send your work to the type of publisher who is looking for it. Yes--definitely pay attention to the guidelines publishers offer. There are also magazines in bookstores about the craft and business of writing. They list a lot of publishing markets, too!

About illustrations--well, I definitely think illustrations can make a story more interesting--that's certainly the case with "The Star Shard"! But in general, if you're the writer, you don't have to worry about the illustrations. The publisher finds and hires the artist. Now, if you are an artist yourself, that's a whole other matter! There are writers who also illustrate their books--Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, and many others. (But if you're like me and can barely draw a stick figure, don't worry--you can stick to the writing!)

Fred