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Hi, Abdullah,

Thanks for posting — twice, the second time large enough to be seen from the space station! I appreciate your support for my books.

Your questions: I don’t really require what you call “inspiration” to write books, Abdullah. Writing is my chosen profession, so it’s my work, right? And most authors write because we have something we want to say. My writing process: I think up a plot, setting, characters, and an ending, and write a pretty detailed (5 or 6 pages) outline. I can make changes, of course — add or subtract people and events. But the story and characters must be there before I ever put down a single word of the book. How long does it take? It varies, but always comes out to 5 or 6 months to complete a book so that I can send it in to my editor. Shortest: 5 weeks. Longest: 13 months. Reviewing books so that they’re ready to go and as perfectly presented as they can be is partly my job, but largely the editorial staff at my publishers. (I also have a Mom who is a super copy editor.)

OK? Thanks again, Abdullah.                                                       —–Gordon Korman—–