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Hi, Carter,

My writing process is quite informal, but it’s the same for every book — and that means I’ve done it 100 times!!!

Ideas don’t usually “spark.” It’s more of a gradual concept that grows slowly in my mind. I spend a lot of time thinking about where it could go next, what I want the events of the story to do for the narrative as a whole, and where I want it to end up. When the story is more or less fleshed out in my mind, I write an outline — it could be as long as 7 or 8 single-spaced pages long. It’s a detailed description of my story, complete with a few details, and complete with the “punch line.” By punch line I mean the final scene — the writing of the story will all be leading to that final scene. Then, and only then, do I start the actual writing. I would never start to write before I have the whole thing mapped out. Yes, you can make changes, add people, subtract others, etc. But the basic book must be there before I start to write.

And that’s my writing process. It hasn’t failed me yet! I don’t say it’s the only way to do things. I just submit that it’s what works for me.  Good luck with your own work!                                                                           —–Gordon Korman—–