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Hi, Emili,

Thanks for trusting me with your question; I hope my answer will be of some help to you.

My ideas come from plain old hard work and a lot of thinking and plotting. I come up with an idea and then I “flesh it out” before I start any actual writing. Planning is everything. If you get an idea, think about it first, maybe even for a long time. Make notes if that’s what works for you. Fill in the details — characters, settings, events. Plan the ending so when you start to write, you’re always working towards something. You’re probably just starting too soon, and you’re not ready to write yet. When you have all your details lined up, then start to write your story. I think you’ll have better results.

Anyway, that works for me. Good luck, Emili. I hope to write you a fan letter one day!            —–Gordon Korman—–