Friday, May 30, 2008

My Letter to Christopher Paolini


Question 1) What inspired you to start writing? Painting, carving wood, metal work, being outdoors, writing poems and short stories were all activities that inspired me. Some other things that inspired me were the Beartooth Mountains and the Yellowstone River because they helped with the setting of my books.
Question2) How old were you when you started writing your first book? 15
Question 3) How do you get your ideas? The idea for the Inheritance Cycle came from my love for the magic of stories and how they can transport the reader into fantastical places. Also I got ideas from Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, by Bruce Coville, the story of a boy who buys a “stone” from which a dragon hatches.
Question 4) What were your major influences growing up? Question 5) What are your favorite subjects to write about? Fantasy
Question 6) Can you tell me some of your background? I was born November 17, 1983 in Southern California. I have lived most of my life in Paradise Valley, Montana. I was home-schooled by my parents and as a child I wrote short stories and poems, made frequent trips to the library, and I read widely.
Question 7) What advice do you have for someone who wants to be a writer? Write every chance you get, read widely and study how authors compose their sentences, improve your grammar aand vocabulary; they are the tools of the trade, find a mentor who can help you grow in writing. These are the tips I have for you.
Question 8) How were your grades in school?
Question 9) What books do you read?
Terry Brooks: The Magic Kingdom of Landover Series
Edgar Rice Burroughs: Tarzan and many others
Orson Scott Card: Ender’s Game
Bruce Coville: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
Roald Dahl: anything he’s written
David Edding: The Elenium Trilogy
Andreas Eschbach: The Carpet Makers
Raymond E. Feist: Magician
Ursula K. Le Guin: The Wizard of Earthsea Trilogy
Seamus Heany Translation: Beowulf
Robert A. Heinlein: Podkayne of Mars, Farmer in the Sky, Starship Troopers
Frank Herbert: Dune
Anthony Horowitz: Alex Rider Series
Brian Jacques: Mossflower
Madeline L’Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
Anne McCaffrey: Dragon Riders of Pern Series
Andre Norton: A variety of her early works
Brian Selznick: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Gary Paulson: Hatchet
Philip Pullman: His Dark Materials Trilogy
J.R.R Tolkien: The Hobbit
Jane Yolen: The Pit Dragon Chronicles
Tad Williams: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Trilogy
Question 10) Do the books you read ever give you ideas to use in your own writing? Yes
Question 11) What is an average day for you? I get up, eat breakfast, write until late afternoon-with a short break for lunch-exercise, then eat dinner and relax with a movie. I often write again in the evening.

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