S.E.’s Comments (group member since May 17, 2013)

S.E.’s comments from the Ask S.E. Hinton - Monday, June 17th! group.

Katie wrote: "Do you consider yourself to have just the right amount of anonymity as an author but still have the level if fame where you can visit your favourite television shows?

Do you have any favourite fa..."

I guess you are referring to the TV show, Supernatural.
It is the only TV set I visit. I have to admit, it is
very cool to be welcomed there. And I like being
anonymous,I am rarely recognized outside of my city,
and even here most people just wave. So yes, I like
the balance in my life, and I've worked for it.

Jonathon wrote: "Ms. Hinton,

I'm not sure if you actually read all of these or just pick some of them at random, however I would like to thank you for introducing me to Robert Frost when you included, "Nothing Gol..."

Hawkes Harbor (for adults!!) was the most fun to write.
I was never just "typical high school girl" I had been writing for eight years before I wrote The Outsiders--I was always a writer. I don't pay attention to "being famous" Though it is a thrill to
be an answer on Jeopardy.

Jonathon wrote: "Ms. Hinton,

I'm not sure if you actually read all of these or just pick some of them at random, however I would like to thank you for introducing me to Robert Frost when you included, "Nothing Gol..."

I didn't "chose" to be a writer. I just am one. I
knew from an early age I would be a writer or a cowboy,by the time I was a teen-ager realized being
a cowboy was too much hard work. Success is never
a given in any field. Sometimes a day job is needed
for writers.

Monica wrote: "Hello Susan,

My name is Monica and I'm from Barcelona, Spain. I read The Outsiders for the first time when I was 14 and it really had an effect on me. I cried for the first time reading a book and..."

There are still "cliques" in high school, and I think
there always will be. The characters are all fictional.

Nicole wrote: "I have been teaching "The Outsiders" for the past four years to middle school students and I never tire of reading your book. You are the only author that my students get excited about after I tell..."

I got The Outsiders published when a friend of a friend's mother gave me the name of her agent. I hadn't
really thought about getting published before.
I don't read YA so I don't have a recommendation for you.

Genesis wrote: "Thanks for taking the time to answer questions. I'd like to know which of your books is your favorite and if you have any future plans for writing.

I read The Outsiders when I was about 10 and th..."

I like different things about all of them But Hawkes
Harbor was a blast to write, and Some of Tim's Stories
is my best writing yet.

Joshua wrote: "I understand that a lot of people are going to ask questions regarding The Outsiders, Tex, Rumble Fish, and their respective tones, situations, characters, and movies, but the first of book of your..."

Actually, That Was Then is my best-seller, after The Outsiders.

Gapeach wrote: "Thanks Cynthia for inviting me.

Ms. Hinton, it is a true honor for me. As many others have stated, your work made a huge impact on my life. After finding The Outsiders, I flew through everything e..."

I really don't speculate on "what if". When a book is
done, it is over for me. I told Emilo (who wrote the
screenplay & starred in That Was Then) that the studio would never allow the book's ending. I was right

LilyCharlotte wrote: "Dear Ms. Hinton,

I am so excited and honored to have been able to receive such an opportunity as to comment on your amazing work. I read The Outsiders in eighth grade and, upon my finish of th..."

I was very involved with 3 of my movies, Tex, Rumble
Fish & The Outsiders, and I loved Francis' idea of
the black & white for Rumble Fish.

Wahku wrote: "Hello, Ms. Hinton!

Your books are amazing. Every year at school, we have an Outsiders party after the 8th graders finish reading the book. I am so excited that I'll be teaching 8th grade next year..."

I don't have any teaching ideas. I have to concentrate
on writing ideas. I can't see me dressing up for any
kind of party. I'm an introvert & don't like parties.

Trevor wrote: "Hey S.E. Hinton! My name is Trevor, and I have read The Outsiders and fell in love with it. I felt like the characters were real, and I was apart of Ponyboy's gang. I have three questions for you. ..."

I've had writers' block once--after the publication
of The Outsiders I was aware of the audience for
the first time. My boyfriend (now husband) made me write 2 pages a day until I finished That Was Then.
How I got published is a long story. But you won't
get published because you are young. You won't be
rejected because you are young. Your book just has to be a good as the ones being published.

Sibella wrote: "Hey Ms. Hilton, I have been a huge fan of your book "The Outsiders" ever since I read it a while ago. My question for you is,

Who was your favorite character to write about in "The Outsiders?"

T..."
Actually, I liked all of them.

Mehar wrote: "Hello my name is Mehar, and I absolutely love reading! We finished reading outsiders for our school and I loved it. I thought that I could be able to put my feet into the characters shoes and under..."

It took me about a year1/2 to write The Outsiders.
I wrote 3 drafts in that time. I think it's better
to write short stories to practice (a good short story is something to be very proud of) Maybe write
a group of stories about the same characters, and
plan to string them together later.

Eden wrote: "Hi, my name is Eden and I've been a fan of S.E. Hinton ever since I read The Outsiders when I was 13 or 14. Afterwards, I bought every book I could find by S.E. Hinton.

I also started writing beca..."

The act of reading has been the major influence in my
life, not one particular author.

Ila wrote: "Mrs. Hinton: Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us!

1. In your biography it says that you were not satisfied with the literature that was being written for young adults before you wrote The O..."

There was nothing realistic being written for teens;
as a result I didn't read YA. (There barely was any)
I know authors these days have to self-promote, I
did very little, which is a good thing as I am not
good at it.

Cayr wrote: "elie88 wrote: "Hello Ms. Hinton
I am a huge fan of Rumble Fish, both the book and the movie

My question is, how did you make the Motorcycle Boy to be such an epic and cool character?

also what d..."

I wanted a cool & epic character! That is the one of
the best things about writing. I loved the movie (I
co-wrote the screenplay with Mr Coppola) and thought
the score added a lot. My fav of my movies.

Cláudia wrote: "I've read The Outsiders when I was about ten or eleven years old. One of my favourites books, and I read Rumble Fish too about the same time. Loved both, read them many times since then, I'm 33. I ..."

All my characters are fictional. But all must be some
part of myself, because I'm the filter they have to
go through to be on the page. So, while Ponyboy is
very much like I was at 14, some part of me is the
Motorcycle Boy, too.

Theresa Leone wrote: "Hello, Ms. Hinton. I love your novels for young adults, as do all of my students; I also liked very much your novel Hawkes Harbor. My question is this: which authors did you most enjoy reading when..."

Very early I loved animal stories, especially horse
stories. All my early stories were about cowboys &
horses. After that, I just read what interested me.
Of course, all the Margaret Henry books.

Allison wrote: "Hello S.E.! I'm wondering how you choose names for your stories - are there any special influences to these choices?"

If you read names for my characters, I don't know.
If you mean names for my stories, sometimes the title
is the last thing I think of, sometimes I have the title
before I have the book.

Josie wrote: "Your work and other early young adult works of literature feature strong male lead characters. So why do think today's YA lit features so many female heroic characters?

P.S. Thank you for starting..."

I like the fact there are more female heroes in YA,
but part of it is the majority of YA readers are female.
I think boys should have something to read, too.