Most fears are basic: fear of the dark, fear of going down in the basement, fear of weird sounds, fear that somebody is waiting for you in your closet. Those kinds of things stay with you no matter what age.
R. L. Stine
Read. Read. Read. Just don't read one type of book. Read different books by various authors so that you develop different styles.
Well, when I was 13, for my bar mitzvah I received my first typewriter. And that was special.
I've never turned into a bee - I've never been chased by a mummy or met a ghost. But many of the ideas in my books are suggested by real life.
When I write, I try to think back to what I was afraid of or what was scary to me, and try to put those feelings into books.
I started writing when I was 9 years old. I was like this weird kid who would just stay in my room, typing little funny magazines and drawing comic strips.
It's hard for children's authors to be accepted when they try to write adult books. J.K. Rowling is the exception because people are so eager to read anything by her, but it took Judy Blume three or four tries before she had a success.
I used to get a haircut every Saturday so I would never miss any of the comic books. I had practically no hair when I was a kid!
So many people in their 20s and 30s, on Twitter, say 'Please write something for us,' so I have to listen to them, they're my audience.
When I was a kid, there were these great comic books called 'Tales From The Crypt' and 'The Vault of Horror.' They were gruesome. I discovered them in the barbershop and thought they were fabulous.
I have a cheat-sheet for each one of my characters about their personality, the way they look, etc. So there is no possible way that I could have writer's block.
After spending 22 years in Ohio, I love everything about New York.
I set a goal for myself everyday when I write - 10 pages a day - and it's much harder because I'm too dumb to turn off my Twitter and everything so it's always on and it's a real distraction. It's a major distraction.
I feel that good fantasy will always be in demand. I think children especially need literature that helps them escape from the real world, which is very scary to them right now.
Twitter is fun because it lets me stay in touch with all my original readers who grew up with my books. I love hearing from readers instantly on Twitter.
I feel happy to terrify kids.
Believe it or not, my introduction to scary literature was 'Pinocchio.' My mother read it to me every day before naptime when I was three or four. The original 'Pinocchio' is terrifying.
I haven't written a young-adult book in years. I'm also doing six 'Goosebumps' books a year now.
I really wanted to be a cartoonist, and I was in 4th or 5th grade and I would bring my drawings in, and I'd look around, and everyone could draw better than me. Everyone. My drawings were just awful. So that's why I had to write.
I've lived in New York for 40 years. I came right after college.
Making my class laugh and getting in trouble. I was the class clown.
It's my job, too, to keep up with pop culture and what the kids are into 'cause you don't want to sound like an old man trying to write for kids. I spend a lot of my time spying on them.
I should be concentrating on writing pages.
At least I can write.
People always ask, 'How do you write so many books?' And I say, I work a lot. I work six or seven days a week.
I guess I'm way too kind and generous, and a saint - if you can believe that!
When I write for kids, I have to make sure they know what can't happen. They have to know it's a fantasy. But when I write for adults, they have to think it's real. Every detail has to be real or they won't buy it.
I'm a total Disney freak. I want to live in Disney World.
I love theme parks but I'm a real chicken on rides. I'd rather invent scary rides for my books than go on them for real.
Everything that has happened to me has been amazing and surprising.
A real New Yorker likes the sound of a garbage truck in the morning.
I always just wanted to be funny. I never really planned to be scary.
I got the chance to do things that I dreamed of when I was a kid: I got to travel around the world; I had my own 'Goosebumps' attraction at Disney World; I've been on TV and had three TV series.
If you do enough planning before you start to write, there's no way you can have writer's block. I do a complete chapter by chapter outline.
I drive a lot in the summertime, but after that, I don't drive if there's snow predicted for anywhere in 500 miles.
If you want to be a writer, don't worry so much about writing. Read as much as you can. Read as many different writers as you can. Soak up the styles.
Kids think you just sit down and start writing. I always tell them you never do that.
Normally, I spend a week on the outline and take two weeks to write the book.
I do like a lot of things that a lot of adults would scoff at. 'SpongeBob SquarePants,' 'Looney Tunes.'
I'm obsessed with radio. It's a good start to Sunday morning.
I have a great office.
I read everywhere. I read every day. I read on the couch with my dog in the afternoon and at night. I try to read at least two to three hours a day. I read only fiction.
I've made myself laugh from some ideas - but I've never scared myself.
I've never dreamed of a story idea. I have such boring dreams.
