Hi, Yuki,
Thanks for posting. I’m honored that my name came up first, and I’ll try to answer all your questions.
1. Of all my protagonists, I’m probably the most like Boots from the Macdonald Hall series. But I think there’s a lot of Eli Frieden in me too. Too serious, and a little but timid, but a great sidekick.
2. So far, thank goodness, the only writing Kryptonite I seem to have is NFL football. I never seem to suffer from what people call “writer’s block” or anything like that. But I goof off a lot during football season, which is mercifully short.
3. Unpublished — there are 2 in the publishing process; half-finished — I’m working on something very new now, but I fully expect it will be published. So far I have no “failures” lying around.
4. My family was pretty amazed that my writing career took off so quickly when I was still in middle school. But 40 years have gone by since then, and I dare to think they’re used to it by now!
5. Advice to aspiring authors: read a lot, and write a lot. Those 2 activities help you develop a fluency with language. Your writing will go more smoothly, and probably read the same way. And NEVER put down a single word until your story is well-planned first. You may think you can write as you go along, off the top of your head. You can, but it won’t be any good. Planning is everything. And remember — anyone intelligent can write intelligently. The trick is to write something that someone else will want to read. I think the ability to do that is called “talent,” and I hope you and your friend have gobs of it!
Thanks again, Yuki & Friend. I hope to be writing you a couple of fan letters one day.
Best regards,
—-Gordon Korman—-