In this week’s Master Class features one of my daughter’s favorite authors (and a favorite of mine as well!), Pete Hautman.

If you haven’t read Pete’s books, start now. He’s quintessential YA, some with fresh new takes on dystopian themes (read “Rash”)  and he’s been prolifically writing since the early eighties.

He put together a whole page of writing tips on his website, and while they’re all good (and simply stated), number six really resonated with me (and helped me solve a riddle in a writing project this week):

Start writing with a question. Write toward an answer. If you reach the answer too easily, rephrase your question.

All good books deal with a question, what that question reveals, and a resolution to that question. It’s easy to forget that when you’ve got an idea running through your head, but it’s fundamental and it’s important. I reworked an entire project after reading that and it made such a difference.

You, as the author have all the answers. What you need to work on is that question, and its repurcussions.