Colin asked Stuart Gibbs:

How do you come up with the ideas and clues in your "Spy School" and "Charlie Thorne and The Last Equation" books? Also, do you write an outline for your books? I know that some authors, like Stephen King, dislike outlines. It varies from author to author. What's your opinion on outlines?

Stuart Gibbs I am a huge fan of outlining. I find that knowing where your story is going helps prevent writer's block down the road -- or spending months working on a story only to discover that you have no idea where it goes or how to end it. As for coming up with ideas and clues... that's all brainstorming. I often spend years playing around with an idea before I start writing the book.

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