Jessica
asked
Stefan Bachmann:
Stephen, I have to ask, how in the world do you write like you do!? It's beautiful stuff and you're only 18. I mean how do you know so much great vocab, how do you form these sentences, how do you depict these amazing scenes!? I have been writing for a few years but I can never get it to a quality that I love like yours. Please help me out. Jess - 16yrs
Stefan Bachmann
Aw! This is the nicest, thank you. I'm not 18 anymore (my first book - the one that says I'm 18 on the flap - came out in 2012), but I'm so very happy you're enjoying the books.
If it's any consolation, I almost never love my own writing either. Writers are often quite harsh with themselves, which is usually a good thing, but don't let it stop you either. What helps me to practice is writing short stories or even just vignettes, and trying to make them as atmospheric and clear as possible. Also, reading sections out loud and is so, so helpful, as is thumbing through your favorite book and trying to pinpoint *why* it's your favorite and how the author uses his/her words.
To extend your writing vocab: read allllllll the books. I don't recommend using a thesaurus or dictionary and looking for odd words. I think the words need to feel natural to you and your style, and also the story that's being told, and for that to happen they have to be in your head already.
Also, for me it's helpful to remember that in the end writing is just a craft, like bricklaying or gardening, and the more you do it the better you become. :)
If it's any consolation, I almost never love my own writing either. Writers are often quite harsh with themselves, which is usually a good thing, but don't let it stop you either. What helps me to practice is writing short stories or even just vignettes, and trying to make them as atmospheric and clear as possible. Also, reading sections out loud and is so, so helpful, as is thumbing through your favorite book and trying to pinpoint *why* it's your favorite and how the author uses his/her words.
To extend your writing vocab: read allllllll the books. I don't recommend using a thesaurus or dictionary and looking for odd words. I think the words need to feel natural to you and your style, and also the story that's being told, and for that to happen they have to be in your head already.
Also, for me it's helpful to remember that in the end writing is just a craft, like bricklaying or gardening, and the more you do it the better you become. :)
More Answered Questions
Kate Clayton
asked
Stefan Bachmann:
Have you given any thought as to what the rest of the world was like during the events of the Peculiar and the Whatnot? Like how the arrival of the faeries in England affected the rest of the world? I know there was a mention in the Pecuilar in the Privy Council scene of implied use of faerie technology to make America part of England again. I think it would make for an interesting short story.
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