Interview with Scott Westerfeld
March 11th, 2008 at 12:26 am by --KALEB NATION--
If you don’t know who Scott Westerfeld is, you perhaps have something against reading the New York Times bestseller lists. He’s been all over the lists with his UGLIES series, including hitting the top spot. His latest, the fourth book in the series, is still on. So you can imagine how pleased I am to introduce to you my:
Interview with Scott Westerfeld
1. Hi Scott, thanks for coming on! First, there’s a tradition here to describe yourself in ten words or less. The closer you land to exactly ten words of an improv bio, the more points you get:
A novelist who is waiting for hoverboards to be invented.
2. Uglies is easily your most popular series to date. How do you think writing for YA is different than when you wrote for adults?
With adults, you can afford to meander for a while before starting the story. But teens are a little bit harder to trick, so you have to write in a more direct and disciplined way.
3. Why did you decide to add a fourth book to the Uglies Trilogy?
As I was touring around for Uglies, I started to notice that some kids would ask me questions like, “Do you live in a mansion.” In other words, they were trying to figure out how famous I was. It occurred to me that fame was very important to us in this society, almost as much as beauty (the two are related, of course) so it made sense to project the post-pretty culture into that whole world.
4. All the books in your Uglies Trilogy-in-four-parts have been New York Times bestsellers- but the fourth was your first to hit Number 1. How did getting to the top feel different than the first time you hit the list years before?
Well–and this is TERRIBLY petty–but it was Jenna Bush I was pushing out of the top spot. And she’d been on TV all weekend before her book came out, and was the presidents daughter, which was kind of cheating. So, yeah, it was fun to nudge her gently aside.
5. Was it ever difficult through the Uglies series for you to write in the voices of female protagonists, since you are a guy?
I get that question a lot, but it’s kind of funny–no one asks me how I can write like a teenager *three hundred years in the future*, but the gender divide seems to throw people. Like, is being female really more different than living in another era?
6. Some of your works have been optioned for films, and I’m sure all your fans are eager for any tidbits. What’s the latest news?
There hasn’t been a lot of movement on the Uglies movie front. In my imagination, what’s happening is this: Whenever the producers talk to the bigwigs about the story, they get asked, “Wait a minute. You want to make a movie about . . . ugly people?” And things go downhill from there.
But in reality I don’t know what’s going on. They never tell the writers anything. I’m waiting for someone who grew up with the books to get old enough to be a movie producer. Then we’ll see some action.
7. As a ghostwriter, have you ever run across books you’ve worked on in stores (and perhaps given a tiny snicker)?
Hmm . . not really.
8. You are a part of a writers’ group in New York that includes mega-authors like Holly Black, Maureen Johnson, Libba Bray, and more. Obviously, only real professionals can get in. What is a typical meeting like in such company?
Everyone sits around typing for an hour in silence, and then someone asks, “Um, what’s that thing that you push when you go up into an attic? Is that a hatch?” And everyone goes, “I think it’s just called an attic door, even if it looks like a hatch.” And whoever asked says, “Oh, yeah.” And then we go back to typing.
It’s really quite fascinating stuff.
9. On your blog (www.scottwesterfeld.com), you commonly get around 600 comments a post: one even had 2,250! Do you see blogging as a new medium for author publicity and ways for writers to connect with their readers?
It makes so much sense to me to interact with my readers, I can’t imagine not doing it. Maybe that goes back to my science fiction roots. In sf, fans and writers have been interacting at conventions for decades, so the internet isn’t such a big innovation. But it sure makes it easier.
10. Do you have any music you listen to that helps you write?
I can’t listen to music if I’m choosing it, because I’ll start thinking about what to play next. But when I write in coffee shops, it helps that other people are choosing the music. Besides, the people who work at coffee shops have better taste than me.
11. Like me, you loathe the deathly scourge of winter, but were born in probably the coldest city of Texas (it actually snowed in Dallas a day ago). What is the worst part of the cold for you?
I hate all the futzing with jackets and scares and gloves, and how there’s never enough room on the chairs at a restaurant to store everything.
12. And lastly, what projects are you working on right now that we can look forward to?
I’m doing another action adventure series, like Uglies, but set in 1914–a sort of weird 1914 with different technology and science. I can’t say too much yet, except that the coolest thing about it is that it’s going to be illustrated.
Posted in Authors, Interviews, Writing
Tags: scott westerfeld
March 13th, 2008 at 1:09 am
wow, great interveiw with scott-sama! Thanks Kaleb Nation!!!
March 13th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Excellent interview, worth the time to read it!
March 13th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Way worth the read. It is awsome that you can get to know an author because he posts up like everything. THANKS Scott your awsomee.
March 13th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Hi people, thanks for coming! Can somebody explain to me the -la’s and the -wa’s?
March 13th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Great interview!
Scott talks about the wa and la in this video. (I am 95% positive it is this part, part one but there is more than one part and I cant listen to be sure as I’m currently at work!)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WT3bzYIBpkw
March 13th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Basically, if your name has an L in it you end it with -wa, and if not it’s -la. Obviously from my name you can see i don’t really suit this rule but hey =P
Awesome interview Scott-la, your writing group sounds muy funsticle xD xx
March 13th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
awesome interview. scott’s books rock!!!
March 13th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
sweet interview. Very interesting questions, and, of course, *fantabulous* answers.
The -la’s and the -wa’s are just a part of Uglies obsession. I’m not sure about the rule, I think if there’s an “L” in your name you make it “wa”.
But since my name is practically the same as Tally in Uglies, it was easy for me to figure out. Tally-wa; Allie-wa…yeah.
I thought it was called a hatch.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
awsome I’m excited for his next book thanks for the interviwe
March 14th, 2008 at 4:00 am
[...] interview with Scott Westerfeld over on the Kaleb Nation blog, mainly about writing. No Tags addthis_url = [...]
March 14th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Thanks, I’m glad you all liked it.
March 15th, 2008 at 4:21 am
[...] Nation interviews Scott Westerfeld, who talks about his Uglies books. [via [...]
March 26th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
[...] last one linked to me because it just so happened Scott Westerfeld said the exact same thing in my interview with him. That is the most confusing of all, next to whoever is stalking Christopher Paolini’s blue [...]
April 20th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
SCott WEsterfield i luv him read his blog like all the time I sO gLAd u posted it!!! G.E.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
thats really cool that you got to interview him
May 4th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Kaleb, you are amazing. I discover your twilightguys site and find all sort of interesting, funny stuff written by a really cool guy who on top of this, was left a comment by THE Stephenie Meyer (my literary idol) and then I come here and find you’ve intervied Scott Westerfeld (another cool author). You lucky dog. I love all of your stuff and really admire you. Keep up the totally awesome work!
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Cool interview! Great questions Kaleb; And great responses Scott!
July 11th, 2008 at 1:38 am
that was cool
i love scott westerfield!
peeps and uglies are on my tops for books. i just wish i could have one question answered why does he keep switching up his characters in his books? (the last days and extras hmmm?)
July 15th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
awesome interview kaleb!
July 16th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Awesome interview!! I love the Uglies series. I’m reading them for the first time now! This is so cool.
July 24th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I Love Scott Wetserfeld and Libba Bray!!!! haha I should like to see one of those meetings myself someday!!! haha Wishful thinking. lol
August 15th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
haha, wonderful interview with scott-sama. thanks kaleb!
September 6th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
The La’s and Wa’s tacked on to the end of names started in Pretties.
It’s basically a “bubbly” nickname the teenagers give eachother.
September 13th, 2008 at 7:47 am
I like the interview. I’ve been a Scott Westerfield fan forever. Keep reading strong!
September 20th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I loved the Uglies series! It was kind of funny, because I was looking on all the Uglies forums, and everyone was talking about Twilight…so that’s partly how I got into Twilight. It’s EVERYWHERE!!! It’s scary…haha. Sorry to any Uglies fans who will hate me for bringing up Twilight…I know that at the time, it really irritated me. Sorry. Anyhoo…I also read the Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld, and I loved that, too. I was going to read Peeps, too, but my friend who was going to loan the books to me didn’t finish them in time
September 29th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
i cant believe you interviewed Scott!! He’s awesome!!! the la’s and wa’s are like nicknames that they give to eachother. it was some thing the pretties and specials gave to eachother. my friends and i did it for a while. lol we used all the terms from the books like bubbly. we even put la and wa at the end of our names! lol
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:04 pm
it dana-wa here the books u have are awssome the only bad part is at diego with zane whoever agress talk toi me at danalynn24@gmail.com
February 23rd, 2009 at 6:10 pm
for megan were did u get Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld and twilight is so wierd me and my friends used to be in love with the books but now there tottallt out of head in suckynes now were in love with uglies u sould really message me please at danalynn24@gmail.com
February 24th, 2009 at 8:13 am
This interview is very interesting. I am probably using it for my report ^_*
March 10th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Great interview =D anyways i found this site about hoverboardshttp://www.futurehorizons.net/hoverboard.htm
Love the Uglies series, finished all of them in 6 days =)
March 12th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
I’m kinda haveing trouble cause i’m a slow reader so, next time, make the length and width smaller and say that it has 600 pages, k
thanks a lot,
LEAH
April 14th, 2009 at 12:24 am
SCott WEsterfield i luv him read his blog like all the time I sO gLAd u posted it!!! G.E.
May 19th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
La and Was are from the series. in the 4th book. they call each other la and wa at the end of their names. like the main character calls Tally Tally-wa. and etc.
July 14th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Fawesome interview, Scott and Kaleb… 8D
July 15th, 2009 at 3:30 am
Fawesome interview, Scott and Kaleb… 8D
December 11th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Could you please tell your fans what the book that you are working on is called and when its coming out? We're dying here!
June 12th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Yeah, definately bubbly
June 13th, 2011 at 11:10 pm
What!? you're Kaleb (nice interview, of course).