That's when we came up with the idea that was to become the central story focus for TEACH ME. When I picked it up again, I showed it to a friend who said she loved it and I should keep going. I really liked the voice, but I wrote about 5,000 words and then put it away for several more months. I wrote nothing for about three months, and then one day I just started tinkering with Nine's voice, and I had no idea where the story was going. I had just gone through a really intense period of writing pretty much every day for four years, and was taking a break from it. With TEACH ME, however, I found my character first. I always want to write as organically as possible, meaning that the story grows out of the characters, with everything intertwined. Sometimes the story needs to be teased out of the idea - and usually that begins with the characters. Some are nothing more than a concept without any real story attached to them. I know writers are often asked where they get their ideas - I tend to get them from all over - it's just that some ideas are worth pursuing, and some are not. Thanks! Usually I would say that the plot comes first, which actually begins with the germ of what I feel is a great idea. When you start writing which comes first for you plot or character? Your plots are so stunning, and your characters so multi-layered and deep.

I'm always trying to get better at taking that advice. I once read a success book that said to write down all your dreams (goals, wishes, desires), and then separate them into two piles - the pile that scares you and the one that doesn't.and you should pursue the goals in the 'scary' pile. I really love big, startling ideas and finding ways to use them in stories. I want to write books that make me jump up in the middle of the night, almost desperate to get them down on paper. I never want to write to a formula, for example, even if it's a successful one. I like having to constantly stretch myself as a writer. I guess when I use the word 'scared,' I'm not really talking about books that are shocking, necessarily, but books that present a wonderful challenge. That really grew out of my first contract with Razorbill and the way they saw my books. I didn't really start out trying to be a writer of books 'ripped from the headlines,' as they say. The concept for TEACH ME almost seemed like an accident. I did write a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, but I think I got tired of not being able to use what I see in the world around me. Growing up I read tons of sci-fi and loved books like Watership Down, so you'd think I would have written something more along those lines.

What inspires you to write these kinds of books? You've said that you 'love writing stories that scare you.' The topics you pick are so compelling, and certainly haunting, and shocking.

Teach me by ra nelson