Click here to ask Sarah!

[Cynthia]

Welcome to the group! Sarah will be answering questions throughout the day on Tuesday, June 25th in this thread only. In the meantime if you have a question for Sarah or just want to introduce yourself feel free to do so in this thread.

[Riya]

Hey Sarah! My name is Riya and I'm one of your biggest fans. I was wondering what your motivation was to keep writing, to not give up halfway through a book. That always happens to me.

[Shira]

Hi Sarah! My name's Shira, and I'm a huge fan. I was wondering how you come up with ideas for your books. Do you start with the characters or with the plot, or a bit of both?

[Amna]

Hi Sarah, Before I asked you a question I just wanted to butter you up with a bit of (truthful) flattery. I have read almost all of the books you have written currently and incredibly excited to read the moon and more. One of my favorite things about your book is the incredible character development, so my first question is
1.How do you have good character development without it being forced and starting out with a character who is already practically perfect?
2. How do you find a balance between the descriptive part of a novel and the dialogue or in other words how do you prevent a book from being a play or a newspaper article/poetry type of writing?
3. How do you put an interesting spin on a topic that has been done already? topics like hunger game dystopians and classic boy next door chicklits
Thank you very much for reading these questions, and you don't have to answer all of them if you don't wish too in fact you don't even have to answer one! (although it would be nice if you did) I would just like to state (again) how much I love your books, and I can't wait to read more

[Jessica]

Hi Sarah! I love your books. You were my inspiration to start writing stories (which aren't nearly as good as your books). How do you create characters that seem so real? Also, where do you find inspiraton for your books?

[Tachi]

Hi Sarah!! How does it feel when you finish writing the end of a book that's going to be read by a lot of people?

[Helen]

Hi Sarah! I love your books and you were my inspiration! How do you make the chapters of the books so interesting that makes the reader never want to put it down? Also how do you make the blurb of the book so interesting?

[[deleted user]]

Ms. Dessen:

As an avid fan of your books, I've noticed that each of your characters have something unique - be it a quirk like Mclean's basketball name in What Happened to Goodbye or a unique talent like Wes' art in The Truth about Forever. Even the cute Truth-telling game lent a startling honesty and realism to your stories. This, I believe, is one of the things that makes your works so profound and heart-wrenching. I was just wondering: Is this what makes your characters so real? How do you invent personalities so different for each of your characters?

Also, would you ever consider writing a sequel to one of your romances (e.g. The Truth about Forever)? I'd just love to know what happened with Wes and Macy! (My favorite couple, pretty much ever).

One last question: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Thanks!

[Amreen]

Hello Sarah, my name is Amreen! My question is: Which out of all the books you've written, is your favorite one? Personally, I like The Truth About Forever! :)

[Nicola]

Hi Sarah, There seem to be a ton of YA novels and authors out there, how did you manage to rise to the top and become such a well known name? Is it simply because of the caliber of your writing or did you slog away with social media, book tours etc...or was it an awesome publicist/publisher?

[Emily]

Hey Sarah, I am absolutely IN LOVE with your books, 'This Lullaby' is probably my favourite, as I can read it over and over!
It's so hard to think of what to ask, as I have so many questions floating around my head!
When you're thinking of your characters, do you start from a certain point (like the character's looks and basic interests, etc...) and then develop them with their backgrounds and deeper personalities, or do they just sort of come alive straight away?
Also, random question- where do you get the inspiration for character's names from?
Thank you! xxx

[Courtney]

Hi Sarah! I adore your books and would probably be called "too old to read them." The fact that I am 37 years old and cannot stop reading your books once I start, shows what a timeless writer you are. Your writing speaks to everyone in so many ways. You are so very talented and gifted at what you do.

I was wondering if you would talk to us a bit about your experience with getting your work published. What were some of the frustrations or challenges? I was also wondering how you write such raw material without the fear of revealing yourself? Whenever I write, I end up stopping because I fear that I will reveal too much about my insecurities or flaws. Thanks so much for talking to all of us. I hope you know what a true inspiration you are to all groups of people. Your books truly are my escape and take me back to so many other times and places. Thank you for all you do for your readers.

[Ailbhe]

Hi Sarah! To copy everyone else's words, I love your books, have read almost all of them and am a massive fan. I would like to know why you chose to write the kind of books you write, you know, people with personal problems. What is your inspiration? Personally, I love this about your books because there are so many different voices around the world and people whose stories need to be heard. Everyone has their own struggles and I think it's important that we hear some of them and learn how people cope and deal with them, even if they're fictional. Thank you for writing the books you write and taking the time to answer my question. You are truly inspirational. Ax :)

[Gabrielle]

Hey Sarah! You might remember me as that girl on Twitter who was trying to give you a Gap friends and family invite :) but if you don't, that's okay! My question is: do you ever see a future in your head for your characters? Like, can you see Macy and Wes getting married? Things like that. If you do, then what do you see for each character's future? Thank you!

[Morgs]

Hi Ms. Dessen!
May I start by being a total fan and gushing over your books. I have read every one, my favorite being The Truth about Forever. The way you weave previous stories into your books while creating an entirely different and unique story is absolutely amazing and ingenious. You are by far one of my favorite writers. When I found out The Moon and More was published, I literally started squealing and jumping up and down.
Well, now that I've got the embarrassing fangirling out of the way, I do have a few questions.
1) Where do you get inspiration for your story lines?
2) Do you ever heavily draw from your own experiences for your story lines?
3) Which was your favorite book to write?
4) What is your advice for a young writer with writer's block?

Thank you and happy writing!!

[Allison]

I love all of your books, and I started to read them when they were recommended to me by my school librarian. I do have a few questions for you:

a)Was it a hard decision for you to leave your teaching position at UNC- Chapel Hill to write novels full time?
b)What do you use as inspiration to create the towns that the characters in your novels live? Can you talk about Colby?

[Sidney]

Hi Sarah!

I absolutely LOVE your books...you don't know how much I cherish my copies of Just Listen (my favorite!), The Truth about Forever, and Lock and Key. After I read Lock and Key, I ended up spending a week trying to find the perfect key necklace to wear and show off to my friends.

Anyway, some questions I have for you are,

1. Which one of your main characters, out of all your books, do you think would have been your best friend in high school? Why?

2. Who would you have avoided in high school?

3. If you could pick any one of your characters to sit down with now and have a cup of coffee, who would it be and what are three questions you'd ask them ?

4. One of my favorite characters in your books is actually Whitney, from Just Listen. What inspired you to write about an eating disorder ?

5. Do you think any of the couples in your books would actually get married? Why or why not.

Thank you sooooo much!

[Dina]

Hi Sarah! I love your books. I am enjoying The Moon and More. Will you ever come to South Carolina for a book signing? I really like reading your social media posts. Keep writing awesome books.

[Mary]

Hi Sarah, my name is Mary and I want to start off saying how much I have truly enjoyed every last book that I have read by you. You have inspired me in many ways to try my hand in writing. That being said, I have no issues coming up with book ideas, but one of my problems with writing is coming up with how to begin the story. Could you possibly discuss your writing process from start to finish? Thank you very much for your time!

[Mador96]

Hi Sarah!
My name is Ma'ayan (Mah-ah-yahn) and I love your books. I was wondering if you could share with us how you make characters realistic? I often find that my characters aren't very believable. Do you base them off of someone you know? And one last question: how do you avoid cliche, sappy romance?

Thank you!!

[liTTleTalks]

Hey Sarah! I'm Zainab! I met you at DC National Book Fair and my aunt met you when she got my copy of the Moon & More signed by you a few weeks ago in DC. I think you also remember me from twitter and Instagram? I wanted to know what other books you recommend for your fans? We love your books but what books do you like that you would recommend thy are similar to yours? Thank you so much for inspiring me to work hard & do my best! You truly are an amazing person & I wish you the best of luck!
-Zainab

[Johnna]

I'm reading The Moon & More now, and I absolutely love the story so far and the cover. Do you pick out or help design any of your book covers? Do you have a favorite out of your books? I know sometimes covers can change a lot. You're a great writer, definitely one of the reasons/influences why I like to read and write so much, so thanks.

:)

[✿.Ⓐⓟⓞⓞⓡⓥⓐ.✿]

Hi Sarah!
My name is Apoorva, and I'll be a sophomore in high school next year. First off, my favorite book of yours is still "The Truth About Forever". It was the first one I read, and I still love it.
I am actually an aspiring author as well, and have always wanted to be published. The one question I have is this. How did you decide on what genre you wanted to write?
Thank you for making time to answer all our questions!

~Apoorva :)

[Moonstruck]

Hi Sarah! Well I am a huge fan! I tried to go to one of your tour stops but unfortunately my car broke down so I could not make it.

One of my favorite things about your books is when you get a glimpse of characters from another one of your books. I think this is great way to connect your books yet still make them separate stories. My question is how do you decide how you will see these characters and do you think you will ever have characters from different books interact more (other than a glimpse) in a future book?

[Kath]

Hi Sarah! I am 21 years old and have been reading your books since I was about 17 and I have loved them page to page and have always loved reading another, I think I love your books because the characters you create are so real like that when the reader starts they sort of become the character and connect. My personal fave is Dreamland, I have read it so many times.

I think Caitlin is such an inspiring character and I think her story creates a strong young women and I think that is a bonus when reading a young adult novel.

My question for you is, when you are writing and creating these characters journey's do you add a little of your personality? Your novels are based around tough story's that would need some understanding, are you a little piece of your character's?

Thanks, :)

[Shalee]

Hi Sarah! I'm a really big fan. I love your books, The Truth About Forever, What happened to goodbye, This lullaby, and so on. I love to write books, but picking a good title for my books has never been my strong suit. I was wondering how you pick such unique and interesting titles for your stories?

[Sage]

Hey Sarah! I'm Stephanie, and I absolutely LOVED Dreamland. Where do you get inspiration to write all your books? They're always so unique!

[Anna]

Hi Sarah! My name is Anna and I'm 15 years old! I absolutely love your books! I haven't read The Moon & More but I'm currently reading The Truth About Forever and Dreamland. I love how your stories are realistic and can captivate any reader.

My questions is: Where do you get your inspiration to write these books?

[P.A.]

Hi Sarah!
My names Peggy and I run Le'BookSquirrel which is a book/review blog.I have read every single book you have written and I adore them.How is it that you can make each book better then the next?I have to know what makes you tick?I ALWAYS know that I can count on you to bring me out of any type of book Funk that I am in.

[Kelly]

Hello Sarah, my name is Kelly and I've been a fan of your books since "Keeping the Moon". I love how you deal with each story in a stand alone novel, but have you ever considered staying with a character longer and doing a series?

[Funmbi]

Hi Ms.Dessen,
I just ordered your new book, "the moon and more" and I can't wait to get it. I have read all your other 10 books and I am a member of sarahland. I just wanted to know which book you enjoyed writing the most. I doesn't have to be your favorite one but just the one that you felt the happiest when writing. Have fun on your book tours and congratulations on the release of your new book!

[Alicia]

Hi Sarah! My name's Alicia. I'm a huge fan of your writing! I absolutely love your books. I was wondering what your inspiration is for books? I also wanted your advice: I'm planning on becoming an English teacher. I want to leave being an author as a backup plan. Do you you have any advice or tips for me? Thank you so much!

Alicia

[Kate]

Hi Sarah,
Which of your characters have you loved the most? Which one have you disliked the most?
Sincerely,
Kate

[Cary]

Hi Sarah, I'm a long time fan and once met you in Cape Cod at a book signing for Just Listen. My question is a bit odd, but I once read that you'd written a whole book about a character who made a very brief appearance in The Truth About Forever. Would you ever let us know what happened in her story, assuming you wouldn't want to let readers have access to the whole book? I enjoyed The Moon and More so much--it surprised me!

[Victoria]

Hi Sarah! I am a massive fan I read every single one of your book in a span of 2 weeks. And now I own them all! I just wanted to ask first, how do you come up with the names of your characters? They always seem to fit so perfectly. And also, where do you come up with these love stories? They are so real and genuine, I wish I was one of your characters! So I'm always curious to know where your plots come from. Thank you so much! I love you and your my motivation as an aspiring writer!

[Lexanne]

Hi Sarah Dessen, my name is Lexanne Cruz and I am currently writing a book and I have a very important questions for you about how you write your books.
1) Do you get stuck on parts of your book?
2)What inspires you to write these books?
3)When did you know that you wanted to be an author?
4)When you wake up do think of writing another chapter like I do?
5)Is it hard to cone up with names for characters?

[Chelsea]

Hi Ms. Dessen, I just want to start by saying you are my favorite author. I've read all your books except The Moon & More, and I can honestly say I loved all of them.(Along for the Ride is my favorite) How old were you when you started writing? I also enjoy writing fictional stories, but I'm always too scared to let anyone read them. Are you ever scared of writing a story that people won't like? If so, how do you push past that fear? I'd also like to ask you if there has ever been a story you wrote, that you felt you could have made better? Do you have any tips for young writers?

Thank you for all the wonderful books you continue to write :) You are a huge inspiration.

[Rawan]

Hi Sarah, My name's Rawan and i LOVE your books.
my question is: how do you create your charachters and their personalities, are they based on real people in your life or do you just make them up ?

[Preston]

Hi Sarah!!! I love all your books so much!! I was so excited to hear you were writing again!! Here are my questions:
- Do you ever base your characters on real people in your life?
- How do you deal with writers' block?
- When you finish one book do you dive right into another or wait a little bit?
- Does your husband read your books for you?
- How long does it usually take to write a book?

[Rebekah]

Hi Sarah! I'm Rebekah. I'm a huge fan. I've read all of your books so far ,and I cannot wait to read the Moon and More. My favorite book is either Just Listen, The Truth About Forever, Lock and Key, or Along For The Ride. I loved all of them though. My question is, out of all the books out there, which book or book series do you enjoy the most?

[[deleted user]]

Hey Sarah Dessen, my name is Ambikaa (am-bee-ka) and I am very interested in writing my own novels. I was just wondering how do you go about writing your books? Do plan your books from the end to the beginning? Do you make things up as you go along? Do you even plan when you write at all? Hahaha, I guess I ask this, because I'm still getting comfortable with my own writing style. I love, love, love your books, and I can't wait to possibly meet you one day! You are an inspiration to many people, not only me and I wish you the best of luck and infinite happiness!

[khadra]

Hi Sarah!! My name is Khadra and I'm a really big fan :) which book did you enjoy writing the most and which couple do you love the most?

[Devon]

Hello Sarah! I am a resident of NC and you just happen to be my favorite author (own all of your books and have read them until they are about worn out)! I am actually going to come to your tour date in Asheville and am so excited to finally meet you I didn't get to come last time you were there! I have a question regarding The Moon and More... Will we expect to hear more about Emaline and Luke in future books (curious to see what happened)? And... What happened to Theo? I have always enjoyed your books and even more that you integrate previous characters and story lines into your new books. I grew up reading them starting with Someone Like You and always felt I could relate to the characters, here I am going on 22 and still enjoy reading them. I cannot wait to see what you have in store for the future and I look forward to finally getting to meet you!

[Savannah]

Hey Sarah! You've been a great inspiration for me, and I love to write(: My ultimate dream is to become a successful author like you one day. How do you write your novels? Do you plan the book from beginning to end, or do you kind of wing it throughout your writing, or do you write multiple versions and select the best?(:

[khadra]

Are you coming to the UK anytime soon as well? I'd love to see you and I'm pretty sure tonnes of others would want to as well. Your books are quite the inspiration..and I'm insanely in love with Owen.

[Amber]

Hi Sarah! I am a huge fan of all your books. I read them as soon as they come out and count down the days till the next one comes out. My question for you is do you have a favorite character? I know that they are probably like your children and hard to decide. I'm sure you love them all for different reasons, but if you had to pick who would it be and why? I personally LOVE Remy and Annabel! I even have a hard time picking!

[Wenqi]

Hi Sarah,

I just want to say I love your books and the fact that you make allusions to your previous books in each of your books and I love finding them withing the reading.

I just wanted to ask do you ever plan to write a sequel to any of your books? because as a reader I'm constantly debating between really wanting a sequel and wanting to see how you would write the characters but at the same time not because then there's the open ending and really anything possible and possibly not linking where the story goes if there is a sequel.

I guess that's probably why I really like the allusions to previous books because then I kind of get the best of both worlds, a blurb about the future of some of the characters that's still open for all sorts of possibilities.

Thank you for sharing your writing with us all.

[Julia]

Hi Sarah!! I'm 16 and live in Australia, and I loooove your books! I've read all of them except for The Moon and More, and my favourite is (maybe) the Truth About Forever. I can't wait to read TMAM and would like to congratulate you on writing such amazing books!!!
My question is: what is your favourite thing about being a writer?

[Kayla]

Hi Sarah! I'm Kayla. I'm a huge fan. You inspired me to write my own books and I'm almost done with it. Well kind of. I just really wanted to know how long it took you to finish Along For The Ride? It is my favorite so far and part of my guide for writing. Thanks!

[Margaret]

Jessica wrote: "Hi Sarah! I love your books. You were my inspiration to start writing stories (which aren't nearly as good as your books). How do you create characters that seem so real? Also, where do you find in..."

Ditto to this - your characters are so vivid, and they have such real stories. No one in today's world has that “cookie cutter" life - how do you find your inspiration?