What should teens who want to write be doing to work on their craft and enjoy it?

SD: My main advice is just to write. Write as much as you can, as often as you can. And read everything you can get your hands on. Classes are great, but really, the best way to learn is by reading how others handle things like plot and setting and dialogue, and then sit down and try to do it yourself. It's all trial and error, writing and revising. You just have to keep at it. It's not always easy, but it's the only way anything ever gets done. TRC: Your parents were both professors, educating others about the joy of words. You wanted to write since you were little and have referred to the typewriter you used from grade school on. Do you think your daughter will be a writer? How would you encourage her? SD: I would love for her to write, of course. It's a great job. I'm doing my part by reading to her a lot, and she already really loves books. If my husband has his way, she'll be a professional mountain biker, so I guess genetics will make the final decision. Maybe she can do both? ...  more