Frequently asked questions

I have had more than 130 books published so far. My first was A Big Day for Scepters, which came out in 1977. You can see the whole list in my complete bibliography.(javascript:void(0))

My ideas come from a lot of different places – my imagination, my experiences when I was young, or even ideas inspired by other books. I pretty much do all of my writing in an office in my house.

Not if I can help it. One thing I do to avoid having that happen is to skip all around a story if my ideas in any one part are running out. Another thing I do is to knowingly write something dumb (because I can't think of anything better) just so that I can keep going. (I try my best to remember to fix the dumb parts later).

Of course. But taking a deep breath and experimenting with an idea is part of the writing process. It's perfectly fine to decide that a story isn't working after spending a little or a lot of time on it. When that happens, I just put the story aside and start on something else. (If I never finish the story, I may still be able to use parts of it in something else).

I don't know. I do know that every story fits best into one format, so, for example, it's not good to stretch a picture book idea into a novel – or cram a novel into a picture book. When I first think of an idea, I often don't know what kind of story it will turn out to be. I guess I just have a lot of different-sized ideas that I try out to see what will happen next.

I'm not sure if "discipline" is the right word (and besides, it's tricky to spell). Writing is hard and fun at the same time, and writing children's books is the best job I can think of having. So if I didn't do it, I'd have to do something I like less. That possibility certainly helps keep me focused.

The Wilder Summer is the longest at 164 pages.

Well, even my shortest books (except for the board books, which are in their own special category) are still 32 pages. Among those, Trucks has the fewest words – 84.

It all depends on the kind of book. Generally, I spend several months on al the drafts of a picture book or easy reader. A chapter book tends to take longer, anywhere from 6-9 months. However, I do work on more than one book at a time.

I don't have any one favorite. I really like the variety. Being able to try so many different kinds of books has helped me stay enthusiastic about every book I write.

I'm always happy to answer your questions, so you can reach out to me via the contact page (javascript:void(0))on my website or Instagram.(https://www.instagram.com/stephenkrensky/) If you want to read more about me, you can check out this article from Encyclopedia.com.(https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/krensky-stephen-1953-stephen-alan-krensky)