Author cites Disney inspiration
COMMENTARY started out as a standalone.”
When “Renegades” grew longer and more complex, she realized she had two books. When the same thing happened with “Archenemies,” she had a trilogy. She says she’s pretty sure she’ll be done at three books, “but it’s fooled me before.”
What’s the secret of her prolific style? “I do a lot of pre-planning, a lot of detailed outlines before I start the actual drafting process,” she said. “I can write my first draft pretty quickly. I usually write a first draft in under two months.”
She loves the young adult — YA — label and the fact that many of her readers are not in that age group. “I get lots of people in their 30s and 40s who come to my book signings and say, ‘I’m not your usual reader.’ But actually you kind of are,” she said.
“The Lunar Chronicles” has been sold to a studio, but Meyer has no idea about the project’s progress. She traces her fascination with fairy tales to a Walt Disney movie.
“When I was very little I saw Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ in the theater. I was 5 years old,” she said. “I thought it was the best thing. My grandma bought a book of fairy tales.”
The first story was Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” which Meyer quickly learned was nothing like the Disney movie. “I was shocked and devastated that it turned out to be a tragic story,” she said. “What else is Disney not telling me and what else is in these stories? I started the Grimm stories and delving into that world.”
The best-selling author said she owes a debt to Disney, Andersen and her grandmother.