New website soon

I'm going to forgo blogging here this week because our new website is going to be revealed very, very soon. So I'll save it for that.

Stay tuned!!!

Q&A 2012: Part 2

In two or three weeks, we'll be revealing the new and VASTLY improved jamesdashner.com. You guys are gonna really love it. It'll be a much better place to gather, and the blog will live on there. As will lots of other stuff.

It all started when my agent asked me, "James, isn't it high time you had a professional-looking website?" In other words, "James, your blog looks sucky." Not much longer!

In the meantime, I thought I'd answer the next five questions of our Q&A. Also, be sure and read the shout-out at the bottom of this post!

Logan Rutherford: How much I write per day really depends on what stage of the process I currently find myself. When I'm in full-bore first-draft writing mode, I usually do anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 words per day. Then, during revisions, I think more in terms of time spent on editing and reworking. But with all my work combined, including promotion, it's definitely a full-time job. A fun one, but full-time.

Mike Cholowicz: I always, always type and edit my books on my laptop. Using the good old-fashioned Word. Nothing fancy. I love being able to take my job anywhere I like, from the mountains to a library to a bookstore to my backyard. And my office, of course. I have an author friend who writes her books out longhand before entering them into a computer. Ugh. I could never do that!!!

Carolyn: How did I get my big break? That's a great question. It seems like any successful author had a few lucky breaks and I'm no exception. I started with a small publisher, moved to a medium-sized one, then got on with Random House. Each step can be traced back eventually to someone I met at a conference or something like that.

The biggest lucky break I've had? Having the right book at the right time when THE HUNGER GAMES became a huge phenomenon. Thanks, Ms. Collins! I'd write you a check, but... I think you're okay.

BlondeTiger and Lady_Mel, among others, asked where I get my inspiration: Mainly from books, TV, and movies. It's a tough *coughcough* part of my job, but I do a lot of all three of those! They all combine to create an idea factory in my head, as well as teach me about what works and what doesn't work in storytelling. Plus they get me EXCITED about writing and creating.

Chunky: Thanks for asking about the slang in THE MAZE RUNNER. That was a lot of fun to create. Basically, it had two purposes:

1. To show that this was taking place in a different time and to give their language its own flavor.

2. To give their words a harshness - to match their environment - without getting banned from every school in the world. It wouldn't have made much sense for Minho to say, "Gee darn golly, there's a goshdang Griever up there!" I was being practical.

Thanks for the questions. Are you bored yet? Wish you'd lost your eyeballs in a screwdriver mishap? Thanks anyway!

Ok, I wanted to give a shout-out to a budding film project by the same guys who made the amazingly awesome book trailer for THE MAZE RUNNER. Please check them out on kickstarter.com, and become a backer. I did it, because I really believe in them and I know they are extremely talented filmmakers. Their future is bright.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

Q&A: 2012 Part 1

Thanks for all the great questions! Instead of rambling on and on, I'll just jump right into some of them. The way I'll do this is say the name of the person who asked, then usually just give my answer by restating the question as well. Here we go...

Sallie Mazzur: I'm not real big on reading books for a second time. There are so many good ones out there, I don't think I can ever get to them all, so I don't want to do repeats. But the one I've probably read more than any others is ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card.

Thekellys: Ah, yes. Who is Minho named after? I get this question often. And the answer is very simple. The events of THE MAZE RUNNER take place well in the future, so I purposefully wanted a main character who is named after someone who doesn't exist yet in our day. So keep an eye out for the great man who will rise up in our society called Minho. (Could it be my niece's husband? Maybe!)

Pherisphena Ladea: I'm not one to say never, but I can't imagine ever writing a book following up the events of THE DEATH CURE. That story is told, and I think any sequel would be extremely boring. However, I'd always planned on writing a prequel - at least one - and you guys can look forward to THE KILL ORDER this August.

Dubloon: Thank you for calling some of my scenes "soul-sucking." I take that as a very high compliment! All I can say is I try my best. Something I've learned over the years is to show patience when you write. If you have an exciting or game-changing scene, sometimes you're temped to write it really fast. But you'll heighten the tension and strengthen the resolution by taking the right amount of time to get there.

Robert MacGillivray: I appreciate all those who've asked about the potential movie for THE MAZE RUNNER. Believe me, no one on the planet wants this to happen more than I do. And I really think it's going to happen. I'm not allowed to say much, but it's public knowledge that Twentieth Century Fox optioned the rights, that a script has been written, and that things are moving slowly but surely. Stay tuned!!!

5 questions at a time seems like a good pace. Check back soon and I'll answer the next batch. And, as always, feel free to leave a question in the comments.

Did everyone see THE HUNGER GAMES movie? I was beyond impressed, and I'm very happy there's so much hope for book adaptations. Although I still think they should've had me play the part of Katniss. A wig, some makeup, a couple of body doubles...

JK Jen-Law!