David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite! discussion
This topic is about
Jennifer A. Nielsen
Author Q&A
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Jennifer Nielsen (author of The False Prince) Q&A Nov. 4-10th
Jeann (Happy Indulgence) wrote: "OMG that is SO exciting for you Jennifer, I think it would make an amazing movie! Congrats on getting a game of thrones writer on the screen play, no doubt it will be awesome.We can't wait to rea..."
I'm very lucky to have the screenwriter that I do. He's fantastic, and I wouldn't want the script in anyone else's hands.
And yes, Praetor War will target about the same readership. I'm currently about halfway through the first draft, so there's a lot of evolving it will do, but I'm loving it so far!
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And I just knew Sage had to have been loud and bossy while you were writing him.
I'm so thrilled to hear that a writer of Game of Thrones is writing the screenplay of The False Prince! Congratulations, Jennifer! You must be over the moon!
I just downloaded The Runaway King because I need to see what Sage is up to now! ;-)
I'm so interested in the movie adaption. Will you be able to be involved or is it too early to tell yet? Who would be your dream actor to play Sage?
Hello Jennifer, I really love The False Prince and The Runaway King. I'm really excited for the 3rd book. Was it difficult to write Sage or any of the other characters?
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As a reminder to everyone else, be sure to post your questions in bold so that Jennifer can easily find them! The latest questions are in message 53 and 54, as well as my question, which is:
What does your typical day look like? How do you balance your career with regular life?
Hi Jennifer, it's amazing to hear about the film adaption! I hope it's a success. I loved how the first book was from Sage's point of view, we were in his head, but at the same time he kept so much from us. Was this hard to write, giving his expected opinion on things without actually giving anything real away?
Do you write chapter by chapter, or do you write the important and interesting bits first and link them together?
Thanks! ( :
Hi Jennifer! First off, I have to say how much I love your books. Sage is just a totally awesome character. I'm really looking forward to the last book and the movie as well (which is totally amazing). As a writer myself I was curious to hear a bit about how you got the idea for the trilogy and how Sage first presented himself to you as a character, and whether he's one of those characters who took a life of his own, or if you knew him pretty well before you started writing.
Also, I'm looking forward to hearing more about your Praetor series. I love anything set in Roman era so I'm pretty excited to see what you have in store. =D
Hi Mrs. Nielsen! I loved The False Prince. I'm not much of an MG reader, but I was awed by the plot of the story that I had to rate it really high!Who are your favorite authors, or authors that influenced your writing?
I just wanted to pop in and say g'day, and ask a question too.Living the life of a busy author, what's your one guilty pleasure that you reward yourself with?
Hi Jennifer! Glad you spared some of your time to have a chat with all of the fanboys and fangirls of your amazing series!I just have a question (sorry if it isn't in bold since I'm using my phone), as an aspiring writer, how do you differentiate your voice from that of your characters, since let's be honest, having a character have his own voice is very difficult. Thanks!
Hi, Ms Nielsen ! I I just purchased your book and loved every second of it. I can't wait to read the next one.
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What has been the most surprising thing about being a writer?
Karen wrote: "Wow, The Praetor War sounds amazing! My favorite historical time period is the Roman era so I'll be eagerly awaiting!And I just knew Sage had to have been loud and bossy while you were writing h..."
Thanks Karen. The author doesn't typically have much involvement, but I've been very lucky in having a screenwriter who so far has solicited my opinion on various things. If the project is green lit, I will offer my services and try to be as involved as possible, but none of that is clear to me yet.
For casting, I asked the producer what she had in mind, and I loved her answer. She said they were thinking of casting the way it was done for Harry Potter - with classically trained, well known adults, and kids who had never done movies before. In other words, they wanted to look outside Hollywood for their young leads. I said that my greatest hope would be for a kid to be cast who had already been a fan of the books, and they thought that was equally cool. So because of that, I haven't put a lot of personal energy into fan-casting. Instead, I occasionally meet a kid during a school visit and think, ah, you have a great look. I wonder if you can act?
Ashly wrote: "Hello Jennifer, I really love The False Prince and The Runaway King. I'm really excited for the 3rd book. Was it difficult to write Sage or any of the other characters? "
Once I let him take control, Sage is actually very easy to write. The hardest one for me is Roden, because in many ways he is just a pale shadow of Sage, though he wants to be more. Roden comes from this place of weakness and his challenge in the series is to find himself, just as Sage has to figure out who he wants to be.
David wrote: "Thanks so much for stopping by Jennifer!!! And thanks for your INCREDIBLE answers so far :) In message 1 I'm keeping a running list of all the questions and which have been answered, in case you ha..."David, I had to smile at your question. So far this fall, I have yet to experience a "typical day." It's generally one of three days:
A) Good writing day. This means my schedule is clear and I can get inside my cave and just focus. I haven't had as many of these lately as I want. Maybe tomorrow though (Jennifer pauses here to cross her fingers).
B) Good book day. This is when I have school visits or other book-related events. At the end of this week, I'm traveling out to LA for a school visit. Lots of fun!
And C) Mom days. Errands, carpooling, emergency "I need something by tomorrow at 8 am" moments, and the acknowledgement that the laundry isn't going to wash itself. That's today (though I'm hoping to hurry fast enough to give myself at least an hour or two this afternoon).
So how do I balance my life? I don't know that anyone's life is balanced anymore, is it? When this series started to really grow in popularity, I accepted that I couldn't do everything. So I made a list of my priorities. That came in as God, Family, and Writing. Anything not on that list has mostly faded. So because of that, I usually get to what is most important to me. I just don't do a lot else.
Kerr wrote: "Hi Jennifer, it's amazing to hear about the film adaption! I hope it's a success. I loved how the first book was from Sage's point of view, we were in his head, but at the same time he kept so mu..."
Thanks, Kerr. It was a little tricky to write, given that at any given moment there are three things to keep track of: What is really going on; What other characters believe is going on; And What I want the reader to perceive is going on. So I made a chart and tracked those different perceptions for each chapter.
Hazel wrote: "Hi Jennifer! First off, I have to say how much I love your books. Sage is just a totally awesome character. I'm really looking forward to the last book and the movie as well (which is totally amazi..."Hazel, first off - that's awesome you're also writing. All best wishes to you in your own stories!
I discussed a little earlier the way I found Sage (in the lyrics of a song). Once he came, he was just there. So writing his story wasn't really about finding him, but instead, about following him through the journey. There were things I had yet to discover, for example, how deep his feelings ran about his history with his father. I also learned that Sage never goes backward. Ever. Even if going forward means crawling through glass, or even when he acknowledges that forward is a huge mistake, he will still never take a step back. Despite that, I knew him well from the beginning.
That's not usual for me. In fact, with Praetor War, that you mentioned, the main character, Nic, has been much more of me having to get to know him. He's been a little tougher because of his situation. As a slave to the empire, Nic will not survive unless he remains humble, compliant, and goes unnoticed. No slave did. But I needed him to have some spunk and defiance as well. So that's been a tougher balance to find. Now that I've got it, I'll have to go back to the first 1/3 of the book and rewrite those chapters to better reflect the personality I now understand about him.
Dre wrote: "Hi Mrs. Nielsen! I loved The False Prince. I'm not much of an MG reader, but I was awed by the plot of the story that I had to rate it really high!Who are your favorite authors, or authors that i..."
Thank you, Dre. I think my influences have been pretty wide. Looking back on myself as a middle grader, I never wanted to read the "safe" stories. My choices always included a lot of danger, such as with "A Wrinkle in Time," "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase," and "The Outsiders." Those have different genres, but the theme of danger is consistent. (My mom always wanted me to read "Little House on the Prairie" books, but I could never get into them. Her great disappointment.) I think most of what I'm doing right now is simply writing the stories I would have most loved to read at that age.
Hi Jennifer! Thanks very much for agreeing to answer our questions. I read The False Prince last month and was absolutely thrilled by it and now I have just finished The Runaway King, like an hour ago, and it was just as brilliant if not better! I am so pleased to hear that a screenplay is in the works by a writer on Game of Thrones - fingers and toes crossed that the movie goes forward. As much as I like fan casting, I like even more that the producer said they're considering doing what was done with the Harry Potter movies. Congratulations on The Runaway King's nomination for the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Middle Grade & Children's - I've already voted for it!
By the way, I've already added The Praetor War to my to-read list; it sounds very interesting!
You've mentioned Eddie Vedder's "Guaranteed" as an inspiration and influence for Sage's character and his journey in previous questions and in the About the Author section of The Runaway King. While writing other characters such as Tobias, Roden, Mott, Conner, Imogen, etc., did any other songs or artists influence their development in the series?
Thanks again for stopping by and I'm really looking forward to the third book in The Ascendants Trilogy!
Jennifer wrote: "Hazel wrote: "Hi Jennifer! First off, I have to say how much I love your books. Sage is just a totally awesome character. I'm really looking forward to the last book and the movie as well (which is..."That's cool, I always enjoy seeing how authors come up with characters because I know for me it can happen anytime and anywhere and some are definitely harder to work with than others. Thanks for answering my questions!
Hi Jennifer! I literally JUST finished the book. (I was hearing the audio and I had to pullover once I got to the big plot twist. MY GOD.) It was amazing in every possible way and I can't believe how seamlessly it was written.My question to you is, how did you come up with Carthea (the setting. P.S. sorry if it isn't spelled right!)? Did you base it on a real place or did it just occur to you in a way?
Kelly wrote: "I just wanted to pop in and say g'day, and ask a question too.Living the life of a busy author, what's your one guilty pleasure that you reward yourself with?"
Thanks for asking, Kelly! I think for me right now, that guilty pleasure would have to be "The Walking Dead." I can't think of any possible deadline to keep me from each week's episodes!
Gary wrote: "Hi Jennifer! Glad you spared some of your time to have a chat with all of the fanboys and fangirls of your amazing series!I just have a question (sorry if it isn't in bold since I'm using my phon..."
Gary, this is a great question. I actually come from a theater background, so my training is really in the idea of adopting a character into my performance persona. Those experiences taught me a lot about character voice in writing. Now when I'm writing, I let each character become real to me, much as I would if I were going to perform one of them. So it's not just about voice. It's about me finding their physicality, their tones of voice, their quirks, their attitudes. I spend a lot of time getting to know each one. Once I do that, I don't have to differentiate their voice. Each voice will come out uniquely different, simply because I know each character as a unique individual.
Jacquelyn wrote: "Hi, Ms Nielsen ! I I just purchased your book and loved every second of it. I can't wait to read the next one."Thank you, Jacquelyn!
Jenny wrote: "Wow, The Praetor Wars sounds amazing! I can't wait to read that one! And so excited about a possible movie for the False Prince, I think it would make a good movie!What has been the most surpri..."
Jenny, the most surprising thing to me is how readers connect their love for a favorite book with their love of its author. It shouldn't have surprised me, because I've often felt that way (and still do) when I really fall in love with a book. But it's different on the receiving end, and it's completely humbling. To me, I'm the same person as I always was, but every day I receive the kindest emails from young readers. Someone also tweeted me a coffee the other day for Author's Day, and a stranger once hugged me until my lungs were nearly crushed, just because she loved the books. I did not expect any of that, but it's a wonderful part of this job.
I just hope I never write a book that readers hate, because I don't want to see what the opposite experience would be…. ;-)
Lauren wrote: "Hi Jennifer! Thanks very much for agreeing to answer our questions. I read The False Prince last month and was absolutely thrilled by it and now I have just finished The Runaway King, like an hou..."Many thanks for voting, Lauren (and yes please, if anyone else has read The Runaway King and wants to put in a vote for it on Goodreads, that list is here: https://www.goodreads.com/choiceaward...)!
Other songs that had a big influence on the series are: "Rise" (Eddie Vedder," which was as important to the second book as "Guaranteed was to the first. Also "Fooling Yourself" (Styx), "Chasing Cars" (Snow Patrol) - this would play in the final scene between Imogen and the king in The Runaway King, and "What I've Done" (Linkin Park). The lyrics of this song match up to the plot of Runaway King almost perfectly. "Clocks" (Coldplay) could also play in the background when the orphans are on their way to Farthenwood. Oh, and "Roll Away Your Stone" bears some huge themes in relation to TRK.
As far as songs for other characters, I think "New Divide" had an impact on Roden, But to be honest, at the moment I can't think of another song that really drove the foundations of any other characters.
Marianne wrote: " Hi Jennifer! I literally JUST finished the book. (I was hearing the audio and I had to pullover once I got to the big plot twist. MY GOD.) It was amazing in every possible way and I can't believe ..."Thanks for asking, Marianne! Carthya was created out of my desire to give that country every possible disadvantage should things come to war. So I wanted it landlocked, surrounded by larger countries who aren't particularly friendly to Carthya, and with great resources that all the other countries would want. Once I knew my goals for the countries, filling in the details was easy.
How do you choose your characters?
Heather wrote: "How do you choose your characters?"Heather, I always start with my hero and villain. Then I slowly build the world around those two. Who does the hero need to survive? Who will the villain use to succeed? Will there be a romance, and if so, is there a character that comes between them? A lot of the choices just work off instinct, and others come as I'm outlining. Once I know who I need for characters, I start to figure out who they are as individuals. That's a really fun stage, because it's such a great time of discovery.
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And members, awesome questions, keep 'em coming!
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I voted! Yes yes yes, everyone vote for The Runaway King, that would be awesome if we could help Jennifer win!
Wow, thanks for that Jennifer! And how can you be more awesome, doing theater too?? You are indeed an epitome of perfection. :-)
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What has been t..."
Lol, I don't think you have to worry, though, you're a good writer! :)
My next question:
Do you ever get writer's block, and if so, how do you deal with it?
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Voted!
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Jennifer, not being a writer in any way, I'm blown away by how much work goes into just designing the LAND of Carthya. I feel like I'm learning so much of a writer's process and appreciate all of you even more.
What goes into a fight scene? How do you know how to describe a scene where a character gets stabbed or killed?
Gary wrote: "Wow, thanks for that Jennifer! And how can you be more awesome, doing theater too?? You are indeed an epitome of perfection. :-)"Ha! Gary, that got a laugh out loud. I am definitely NOT perfect (my kids will assure you of that). What food I don't burn is only mildly interesting. I have been known to clean my house only to the degree that someone at the front door can see inside. And at my last workout class, I seriously considered faking an injury to cover up for the fact that I am sadly out of shape. ;-)
Jenny wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Wow, The Praetor Wars sounds amazing! I can't wait to read that one! And so excited about a possible movie for the False Prince, I think it would make a good movie!..."Jenny, I think there are two types of writer's block. One is just minor, when you are stuck on a line of dialogue or aren't sure exactly what scene you want next. That's also a simple solution: going for a walk or taking a shower (for some reason, water has a huge connection to creativity, whether it's a swim, a shower, or even listening to running water. I think water creates white noise for the brain, allowing the subconscious to work).
The second kind is serious. Where you feel you're slogging through mud just to get to the end of the page. I've learned to recognize this as a sign that the story has veered off course from where it should be. When the story is working, typing it should be like keeping up with the ideas as they flow. But when it gets slogged down, too often it's because the author is forcing the character where they don't want to go, or because they are pretending huge plot holes don't exist. So at those times, I have to go back to where I know things went wrong and figure out why. If necessary, I will erase everything that came after, even if it had good things in those pages.
Karen wrote: "I voted the first minute it popped up on Goodreads! ;-)Jennifer, not being a writer in any way, I'm blown away by how much work goes into just designing the LAND of Carthya. I feel like I'm learn..."
Thanks, Karen. Any world building in a story is a lot of work, but it's part of the process that I really love.
On fight scenes, I think the mistake writers often make is they simply choreograph it, just stage movements. But those are boring to read. Certainly, the motions made are vital to the scene, but what I try to do is live in the scene as the POV character and then insert the thoughts and feelings happening during the fight. So at the end of False Prince, when Sage fights Roden, the sword moves are only part of it. The rest of it is Sage thinking about how close the river is, about what he is morally required to do, and about how good Roden has become at fighting.
The other thing I try to do is make injuries real, and make the characters deal with them. There's a pretty significant injury for one of the characters in a fight in The Runaway King, and that plays a huge part in the choreography of the fight.
When it's potentially fatal, a stabbing or a killing, I try to be careful because this is a book for young readers. But I also want to be honest. In False Prince, when Sage stabs Veldergrath's man, I say what happens, but I also am very clear about the emotional aftermath of what he deals with.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to come and answer all these questions. I've really enjoyed reading your series. I was wondering what kind of research, if any that you did when writing The Ascendance Trilogy? and also for the upcoming Praetor Wars?
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I always get my best ideas in the shower lol! So I think you are right!
This is one of my favorite questions to ask. I don't think its been asked yet!
What is the hardest thing about writing? What is the easiest?
Brenda wrote: "Hi Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to come and answer all these questions. I've really enjoyed reading your series. I was wondering what kind of research, if any that you did when writing T..."Thanks for reading, and for asking this fun question, Brenda! Most of my research on "The False Prince" involved gathering info from other books or Internet sites, though I did spend part of a trip in Europe seeking out similar architecture to what I describe in the books, and touring some castles to get a better feel for their layout.
For Praetor War, it's been far more extensive, mostly because ancient Rome is a huge world to get my arms around, and because I want to portray the historical parts of the story accurately. So in addition to the standard research, about six weeks ago I visited Rome. There's a Colosseum tour you can do that allows you to go onto the arena floor, and then underneath the Colosseum, where the slaves worked, the Venatio animals lived, and where the gladiators waited before fighting. That was absolutely incredible. Those and other places I saw are working their way into the manuscript now. I could never have written this story without that trip (also, the gelato was fabulous!).
Jenny wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Wow, The Praetor Wars sounds amazing! I can't wait to read that one! And so excited about a possible movie for the False Prince, I th..."Hmm, hard and easy can be tricky terms for explanations. Because hardest doesn't necessarily mean worst, just as easy isn't necessarily best.
For me, it is hard to hit send for the final manuscript. Because once I do, there's always the knowledge that the time to make changes is over. Even if I get a really cool idea a week later, or think of a better way to express something, or miss a big plot point. Whatever. Once it's off to the printer, it's done.
Easy? Um, when I'm writing, it's easy for me to dive into the story's world. I love to immerse myself in it, looking through one character's eyes at their world and at other characters It can be slightly more difficult to leave that world, like if I get a phone call or my kids get home from school before I'm ready to join reality again.
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What are some novels you read recently that you enjoyed?
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How about a fun one:
Vanilla or Chocolate?
One thing I've always enjoyed about reading The Ascendance Trilogy is the plot twists, well and the sarcasm/wit. Do you see any of yourself in the characters that you write?
Thanks Jennifer for all of your awesome answers!I've got some more questions: Have you always known that you wanted to write, and how long did it take to write your first book?
How does it feel to be a best selling author? Do your friends and family know about your books and do they read your books? Have you gotten some great fan moments?
Have you always wanted to become a writer? What or Who Inspired you to become a writer?
I saw that you mentioned you'll be writing the sixth book of the Infinity Ring. What has it been like stepping into a series where the characters are all ready established? What have been the challenges and rewards?
David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite!
Books mentioned in this topic
The Shadow Throne (other topics)The Shadow Throne (other topics)
The False Prince (other topics)
The Shadow Throne (other topics)
Mark of the Thief (other topics)
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Natalie - So you're a writer, eh? That is awesome! I think the important thing is for you to figure out why you stopped. If the story just wasn't becoming what you thought it would be, maybe you need to go back and work on the concept more. If you got bored with the action, maybe you need to introduce more problems for your main characters. And if you just got temporarily distracted by life, that's cool - happens to every writer at some point.
For me to stay motivated, I look for a big question in the story, something I really want to have answered. So for Sage, the question is, "How is he going to get out of this situation?" Give your characters a similar question, something you can't wait to write to the end just so you can know the problem is solved. Because solving it, is a great feeling - totally worth the writing!