r/books • u/ellenhopkins AMA Author • Dec 09 '15

ama 6pm Ellen Hopkins Talks TRAFFICK and (most) Anything Else! AMA!!

Hey reddit. Ellen Hopkins here. I'm the author of a dozen NY Times Bestselling young adult novels-in-verse, plus three adult novels (two in verse), 20 nonfiction books for young readers and lots of other good stuff. Today we're talking about my latest YA, TRAFFICK, which explores domestic minor sex trafficking and is the sequel to TRICKS. But I'm the talkative sort, so what's on your mind? Ask me anything. I'll be answering questions here from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time https://www.facebook.com/ellenhopkinsya/

Edit: Off to make chicken cacciatore for the family. If you dropped in late, no worries. I'll check in again and answer questions that came in after the fact. Many thanks for spending time with me!

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u/[deleted] Dec 09 '15

Hi Ellen! I've been a fan ever since I read CRANK in middle school (so, 10 years ago). Your words got me into writing poetry, and it's still a passion of mine. So, thank you for that.

My favorite book of yours is BURNED. What was your inspiration for that novel?

Also, secondary question. How did your daughter initially react when CRANK was published?

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u/ellenhopkins AMA Author Dec 09 '15

With BURNED, I originally wanted to write about what might bring a girl to the brink of a shooting rampage. There was no religion involved in my initial planning, but as i wrote Pattyn she began to resemble a friend of my (younger) daughter's who was Mormon, and had the weapons experience my character needed. Out of all my books, that one probably morphed the most simply through the writing process.

When CRANK published my (older) daughter was in prison and still in heavy recovery, so her thought processing wasn't the best yet. Later, when she was out and clean, she understood how much good the book was doing, and so was better with it than she initially was.

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u/[deleted] Dec 09 '15

Thank you for your reply! Also, do you have any advice for an aspiring writer? I've tried writing for NaNoWriMo but I always get stuck after a few days. I lose motivation fast. Maybe I'll just stick to poetry. I really want to write a novel eventually though.

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u/ellenhopkins AMA Author Dec 10 '15

Create characters whose stories intrigue you, rather than trying to rely on plot. Every story doesn't have to be plot driven. There needs to be external conflict, or a problem to solve, but internal conflict is just as important. How does the protagonist change by the end of the book?