Writing

“Inspiring Young Writers Wound Up Inspiring Me!”

When I started writing my first book, I didn’t give a lot of thought to how my work as an educator would support my writing. Yes, being a teacher gives me some great insight into children’s interests, language, and desires. I’m able to tap into the exact age reader I am hoping to excite with this magical world of Charlie and the Crystal Cave. It wasn’t until I spent some time discussing my book with some 4th graders though that I realized just how valuable their insights can be.

My book was in the final stages of editing when I brought it to the 4th and 5th grade classes at the school I teach at. The teachers of these classrooms graciously agreed to use it as a read aloud. I was curious to see if the story made sense to the readers I was hoping to reach and if it would hold their interest. The teachers spent time reading the book aloud, one chapter at a time. The children would ask them to keep going, saying, “One more chapter please!” Different children would see me in the halls or out on playground and come up to me, telling me how much they liked my book.

Upon finishing the book, the teachers invited me to talk with the children about my process. I looked at this as a great opportunity to inspire students to write as well as get some valuable feedback from these readers. What I received was so much more. The teachers asked their students, “Do you have any questions for Miss Julia?” I received some very thoughtful questions about the characters and story as well as, “When will the next book be ready?” Then a child said, “I want more lore and origin story about King Louie.” The children around him nodded their heads. “Yeah, where did he come from?” and “How did he get inside the Crystal Cave?” questions came from across the room.

I was surprised by the enthusiasm of these students. I could see how empowered they felt connecting directly with the author of a story they cared so much about. The energy of the room was electric as we discussed the ins and outs of the story. I wrote down everything they asked or said, as their input was so valuable and I wanted them to know that. I didn’t go into this conversation thinking this would be a brainstorming session for the second book, but that’s exactly what it became.

I left that classroom, my mind ablaze with questions of why and how King Louie, a talking albino alligator, ended up in this cave. Was he born there or did he travel there? Was he always magical and could he always talk or was he once just a regular alligator? How could this back story support Charlie’s adventures moving forward? These young readers got me thinking in ways I hadn’t before and viewing the story from their perspective opened pathways I didn’t see. It’s my hope that these students were as inspired as I was by the discussion. Meeting an author is such a fantastic and tangible way for young readers to explore writing as well. Writing begins with imagining and I hope this experience showed these students how exciting writing can be.

If you are a teacher and have a connection with a local children’s author, consider bringing them in to meet with your students. This exchange is not only beneficial to the students who are exposed to real world creative writing, but also so valuable for the author who desires to create a perfect story for the right readers. Upon finishing the first book I had some thoughts of how the second book would start, but after having this conversation with these students, I have a much more complex plan for the story. I don’t think that would have happened if I hadn’t heard the desires of my targeted readers. And I look forward to giving them what they want! In fact, I can’t wait to get started writing.

Published July 22nd, 2025

About the Book: Some caves hide treasures. This one hides a magic world… and a destiny.

On his way to his first day of school in a new town, Charlie finds himself drawn to a strange cave in the woods. Inside this magical world of the Crystal Cave, he meets King Louie, an albino alligator, and discovers his true calling: he is the Creature Seeker. Charlie is King Louie’s only hope in finding the Crystal Creatures that have been stolen from the Crystal Cave and hidden across the globe.

With the help of the cave’s mysterious magic, Charlie must adventure to new places, overcome hidden dangers, and discover powers within himself he never knew existed.

Charlie and the Crystal Cave is a beautifully imagined fantasy adventure about bravery, discovery, and the shimmering magic just beyond the veil — perfect for readers ages 8-12 who believe the world holds more wonders than we can see. Also a great first chapter book for reading aloud.

About the Author: Julia Krebs Patterson began telling bedtime stories to her older son a few years ago. He specifically requested a story about an albino alligator inside a magic cave. As these stories unfolded, night after night, he would ask her to write a book. She finally wrote the first in a series of books called, Charlie and the Crystal Cave. Julia has a background in theater arts education and she has written plays for children to perform. Julia lives in Louisville, KY with her husband and two boys. They have a dog named Ranger and a bearded dragon named Draco. They all love to go out into the forest to explore or muck about in creeks together. Julia loves teaching children and works as a preschool teacher where she uses her creativity and story telling to infuse their learning.

Thank you, Julia, for sharing how your writers inspired you!

“Co-Authoring a Novel”

The number one question that we get asked when we do book events is: how do you co-author a novel?

Even now, over a decade since our first co-authored novel hit the shelves, we find ourselves a little baffled by the ubiquitousness of that question. We get asked it at every event, in every interview, whether we’re talking about a co-authored book or one we’ve written solo. For us, writing together comes so naturally that we find the fascination with the process a bit confusing. At first, we even struggled to answer reader questions on that front because we couldn’t quite figure out why people kept asking us that question.

“But what happens when you disagree?” asked one reader, insistent. “Which one of you has the final say?”

We just eyed each other across the signing table, realizing that we had no answer for that. We never disagree.

To those of you now reading on with some skepticism: yeah, you’re not wrong. Of course we disagree, but the point is we never disagree in ways that put us on opposite sides of an issue. We actually learned very early on in writing our first book together that if we disagreed about what should happen next in our story, or what a character would say, or how the relationship arc would go, what was actually happening was that we were both wrong. Or, rather, we were both right—but going about listening to our instincts the wrong way. Amie thinks it has to be A, Meg thinks it’s obvious that it should be B – what’s really going on is that we’ve both missed the fact that the right answer is really the hidden, secret option C.

For instance, Amie might think the next scene ought to be full of action, but Meg thinks it ought to be a romantic scene. It’s not because one of us is wrong and one of us is right, it’s because actually what we’re picking up on is that neither of us has the perfect next scene. So we talk about why Amie feels the need for a fight scene—we need to see the characters showing off their strengths, perhaps—and why Meg feels more pulled toward romance—because we need to see the characters becoming closer, and cementing their bond. And it turns out that the perfect scene for both those things is actually a scene where they confront an obstacle together in a way that binds them and shows them being good at what they do.

Writing with a partner in a full, 50/50 split of the responsibilities requires the ability to set aside ego in favor of the book. It took us many years to figure out why this seemed to come naturally when it struck so many others, usually budding artists and young writers themselves, as strange. “I could never do that,” we keep hearing from readers. “Give up control that way!” But the truth is that any good, healthy relationship between friends (or anyone, really) demands that you value the strength of your connection over whatever project you might be embarking upon. From the very beginning, we always said that if writing together ever started threatening our friendship, we would simply stop. The friendship mattered most.

When we began writing Lady’s Knight, Amie suggested that we try a new way of outlining the book. Meg was a bit resistant to it, because that’s not how we’d worked before, and it wasn’t what came naturally to her, but we gave it a go and it turned out to be the perfect way of approaching this book. With the plot largely decided upon in advance, it meant that we could pour ourselves into the joyful anachronistic world-building, witty dialogue, and pretty much every joke we’ve ever wanted to put into a book we were writing.

Each book is a little different in terms of how we go about writing it, but Lady’s Knight was an exercise in joy and healing from the very beginning. Conceived of during the height of the pandemic, when we were all confined to our homes and wondering how many years it would be before we could see our loved ones in person again, this book just became our happy place. We’d call each other from opposite sides of the planet, bursting with ideas and jokes, laughing and writing them down as fast as we could.

We wrote about a girl who dreams of being a knight, and a noblewoman who finds herself put up as the prize for a tournament—and rather than waiting for someone to save her, she decides to engineer her own salvation. Each of the girls learn a lot about themselves, during the adventure that ensues. We learned a lot about ourselves, writing them.

We wrote this book to delight each other—whether it was breakfast on the balcony with plates of delicious pastries, a makeover scene with incredible fashion, a breathless rush through the castle after a falling-out, or the satisfaction of skewering a sexist old man (only verbally, don’t worry), we always came back to what we loved. We told a story from our hearts, and in pursuit of joy.

There’s a beautiful merging of egos, when you write something with someone you deeply trust, and even though this was our eighth book together, there was still a special kind of magic as we watched all our ideas merge into a very special “secret option C.” This book ended up being the best of both of us, and a love letter to our friendship, and it was such fun to write.

Published June 3rd, 2025 by Storytide

About the Book: An undeniably fierce, unforgettably funny, unapologetically queer feminist romp through the England of medieval legend. Bestselling and acclaimed authors Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner bring readers along on an epic quest for valor, freedom, and, above all, love. A Knight’s Tale meets the Lady Jane series, with a dash of The Great!

Gwen is sick of hiding—hiding the fact that she’s taken over her father’s blacksmithing duties, hiding her attraction to girls, hiding her yearning for glory as a knight.

Meanwhile, Lady Isobelle of Avington, queen bee of the castle, has never once considered hiding who she is—until now. She’s been chosen as the grand prize in the Tournament of Dragonslayers, to be given to whichever knight can claim her hand. And for the first time in her life, she can’t talk her way out of trouble.

When Isobelle discovers Gwen’s knightly ambitions, they hatch a scheme together—Gwen will joust in the tournament, disguised as Sir Gawain. Winning means freedom for Isobelle, and glory for Gwen. Losing means… well, let’s not go there.

One thing’s for sure: Falling in love was never the plan.

But the best laid plans…are often trampled all over by dragons.

About the Authors: Amie Kaufman is a New York Times and international bestselling author of young adult and middle grade fiction and the host of the podcast Amie Kaufman on Writing. Her multi-award-winning work is slated for publication in over thirty countries and has been described as “a game-changer” (Shelf Awareness), “stylistically mesmerizing” (Publishers Weekly), and “out-of-this-world awesome” (Kirkus Reviews). Her series include the Illuminae Files, the Aurora Cycle, the Other Side of the Sky duology, the Starbound trilogy, the Unearthed duology, the Elementalstrilogy, and The World Between Blinks. Her work is in development for film and TV and has taken home multiple Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, and a Gold Inky, made multiple best-of lists, and been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. Raised in Australia and occasionally Ireland, Amie has degrees in history, literature, law, and conflict resolution and is currently undertaking a PhD in creative writing. She lives in Melbourne with her husband, daughter, rescue dog, and an extremely large personal library. Learn more about her and subscribe to her newsletter at amiekaufman.com.

New York Times bestselling author Meagan Spooner grew up reading and writing every spare moment of the day while dreaming about life as an archaeologist, a marine biologist, or an astronaut. She graduated from Hamilton College in New York State with a degree in playwriting. She’s traveled all over the world, to places such as Egypt, Australia, South Africa, the Arctic, Greece, Antarctica, and the Galápagos Islands, and there’s a bit of every trip in every story she writes. She currently lives and writes in Asheville, North Carolina, but the siren call of travel is hard to resist, and there’s no telling how long she’ll stay there. She’s the author of Hunted and Sherwood and the coauthor of the award-winning Starbound Trilogy (These Broken Stars, This Shattered World, Their Fractured Light) and the Skylark Trilogy (Skylark, Shadowlark, Lark Ascending). In her spare time she plays guitar, plays video games, plays with her cat, and reads. meaganspooner.com

Thank you, Amie & Meagan, for sharing your process!

“Using Objects as Inspiration and Ignition for Young Writers”

In my writing workshops with kids, I teach the older writers about the difference between a strong, hook-the-reader opening and an inciting incident. The inciting incident, I explain, is the event that not only changes the protagonist’s life but also makes them choose another one. They must be compelled to action that inevitably transforms their path.

In my most recent middle grade novel, Banned Books, Crop Tops, and Other Bad Influences, a book serves as my protagonist’s catalyst for change. While the opening involves a new girl parading into school and disrupting the setting’s equilibrium, my protagonist could still choose to go on living her life as is, albeit with a new person to gossip about. But after unexpectedly seeing this new girl in synagogue on Yom Kippur, the new girl hands my protagonist a book. This book tells the story of the MS St. Louis, a ship full of Jewish refugees that was turned away by North America and sent back to Europe during World War II. For my main character, this book shakes her to her core. It changes her sense of her country and the world around her. When she finds out the book is on a list of challenged books at her school, she’s incensed, and therefore her change of paths becomes inevitable. She must act, even if it takes her much of the book to figure out how or even exactly why.

As I worked on a manuscript that employs a physical book as a tool for the inciting incident, I found inspiration for a new writing exercise for students. Like a key in the door, in this exercise students use an object to open their story. Give each writer an object, either in words on slips of paper or from pictures – sometimes photos from magazines spark the imagination in a special way. Anything works! You can assign them a mirror, a lamp, the wooden plank of a raft, a cell phone, a family heirloom, a tennis ball, or even whatever they see around the room. The students must write two scenes. The first scene is the opening, and it does not involve the object. The first scene tells us who the character is, and it sets up their flaws and inner desires. This scene can be a paragraph or ten pages, depending on how long the class is and how much gusto the students feel that day.

At the very end of that first scene, students must introduce their character to their assigned object. The second scene reveals how that object instigates a new path for the character. I’ve had one student write about finding a text on a cell phone that wasn’t meant to be sent to them, and it informed them their best friend was betraying them. Their character had to leave her previous social life behind, despite being terrified of change, and from there a story began. Another was instructed to use “a piece of jewelry” as their object, and they took some inspiration from Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift! Their first scene placed the character at a Taylor Swift concert, and someone she didn’t take any note of slipped a friendship bracelet onto her wrist. Only at the end of the second scene did she realize that the bracelet held a code telling her where her lost mother might be. These kids are little geniuses!

As a modification for the younger writer, instead of asking for two scenes, give the writer an object and ask them to write a description of the object. Then tell them to end their scene with that object changing a character’s life. You’ll be surprised at what magic comes from this – often literally! Apparently, according to my youngest students, pretty much any object in our world can turn into a magical portal that takes people to alternate dimensions. Watch out the next time you’re picking up that soda can or turning on the night light…

So often the role of a writing teacher is to help young writers find an “in.” Kids just require a way to put pen to paper. They need a nudge to tap into that vast imagination already existing within them and ready to pour out. While there are hundreds of techniques to do so, I’ve been pleased to find one more. Put that book or mirror or friendship bracelet in their mind’s eye and allow the visceral muscle and sense memory of a literal object to ignite the events in their story.

Published September 17th, 2024 by Roaring Brook Press

About the Book: Perfect for fans of Star Fish and From the Desk of Zoe Washington, a nuanced middle grade from the author of The Prettiest about two girls—one “bad” and one “good”—who join forces against book banning and censorship.

Rose is a good girl. She listens to her parents and follows every rule. After all, they’re there for a reason—right? And adults always know best.

Talia, the new girl from New York City, doesn’t think so. After only a week at school, her bad reputation is already making enemies. First on the list: Charlotte, Rose’s lifelong best friend.

So why can’t Rose stop wondering what it would be like to be Talia’s friend? And why does Rose read a banned book that she recommends? Rose doesn’t know. But the forbidden book makes her ask questions she’s never thought of in her life. When Talia suggests they start a banned book club, how can Rose say no?

Pushing against her parents, her school, and even Charlotte opens a new world for Rose. But when some of Talia’s escapades become more scary than exciting, Rose must decide when it’s right to keep quiet and when it’s time to speak out.

About the Author: Brigit Young was raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan and now lives with her husband, daughters, gecko, and dog in New Jersey. Her debut middle grade novel, Worth a Thousand Words, was a Junior Library Guild selection as well as a Best Book of 2019 from The Bank Street College of Education. The Italian translation was the recipient of the Andersen Prize for Best Book for 12-14 year olds. Her sophomore novel, The Prettiest, received multiple starred reviews and was featured on several reading lists including Best Books of 2020 from the Chicago Public Library, Seventeen Magazine‘s 50 Books for Teens That You Won’t Be Able to Put Down, and NBC News’ 9 Books to Help Young Girls Build a Positive Image. Bank Street College of Education listed her third novel, Bright, as a Best Book for 12-14 year olds with the honor of outstanding merit. Her next middle grade novel, Banned Books, Crop Tops, & Other Bad Influences, is forthcoming in September, 2024. Additionally, Ms. Young has published short fiction and poetry in journals like The North American Review, 2 River View, Eclectica Magazine, and Burrow Press, among others. She has taught creative writing to kids of all ages in settings ranging from a library to a hospital.

Thank you, Brigit, for this awesome writing activity!