An Interview with Jenny Han, Siobhan Vivian, and Morgan Matson
--------------------------------------------------------------
Jenny Han, Siobhan Vivian, and Morgan Matson From late nights
studying together in graduate school to late nights trying to
meet their publishers’ deadlines, Jenny Han, Morgan Matson, and
Siobhan Vivian have stuck together through it all. Find out how
this trio of YA writing powerhouses met, why friendship is so
central in their stories and in their lives, and, most
importantly, which of their characters would fall in love with
each other.
How did the three of you become friends and why do you feel it’s
important to have a close group of supportive friends?
MM: We all met in graduate school in New York City a decade ago!
And we’ve stayed friends ever since.
SV: Dude. Was that really ten years ago? Feels like ten minutes.
MM: I know. I didn’t want to believe it either.
JH: In some ways it feels like twenty years ago to me! What I
really love is that even though the three of us no longer live in
the same city, we still go away on writing retreats together and
do book tours together. Our books keep us close.
MM: Jenny organizes the most amazing writing retreats. We all
hang out and write and catch up. It’s a yearly highlight.
SV: I feel it’s so important to have friends who understand this
weird thing we all do. I can ask Morgan and Jenny anything…from
the business side (is this deal point in my contract too
aggressive?) to the creative side (where’s a fun place my two
characters can make out?).
MM: And it’s so great to have friends you can text when you need
story advice, or just to commiserate with someone who understands
the process. It makes what can be a pretty solitary job feel a
lot less so. Also, Jenny is a genius book-title-er.
Do the three of you have similar or different creative styles?
Do you approach writing your books in a similar way?
JH: We have really different creative styles. I write a first
draft almost like a series of vignettes, never in order. It's
very spare. I figure out the shape of the book as I piece it all
together.
SV: I think Morgan’s a lot like me, because she also has a
background in screenplay writing, and we enjoy thinking about
structure, all the narrative places a story could potentially go.
MM: It’s true! And as for my process, I can’t write out of
order—I need to write in a linear fashion, straight through to
the end. And I don’t really have an outline. I have a vague idea
of where I want to go, but that’s it. I like getting some
surprises along the way.
SV: Same here. I feel like Jenny ly knows her characters
from the first page, whereas I have to put them on a journey and
make them do stuff in order to discover who they are.
Which characters from your respective books do you feel would be
friends with each other? Who would get along the best? Would any
of your characters have crushes on each other?
SV: I’ll say that John McClaren from To All the Boys I’ve Loved
Before and Levi Hamrick from The Last Boy and Girl in the World
would be friends. They both have a quiet nerdy confidence about
them.
MM: I think Andie from The Unexpected Everything would
definitely have a crush on Jesse Ford from The Last Boy and Girl!
SV: I was thinking that also, but I don’t think Andie and Taylor
from the Summer series could be friends IRL. Andie is like a
dressage show horse and Taylor is like a wild pony.
JH: Natalie from Not That Kind of Girl would be friends with
Margot from To All The Boys I've Loved Before. They're both
driven, high-achieving girls with bright futures.
MM: Emily from Since You’ve Been Gone would totally be friends
with Lara Jean from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I
Still Love You. I think they have similar personality types! I
can see them hanging out at home together and cooking.
JH: I can also see Lara Jean having a crush on Roger from Amy &
Roger's Epic Detour because—mix tapes!
MM: Lara Jean would introduce him to doo-wop girl groups and
Roger’s life would never be the same.
What’s the one piece of advice you would like to give aspiring
writers that you wish you had when you first started out?
JH: I would tell them not to be in a rush. Because, yes, it is
absolutely amazing to be able to write for a living, but there is
also something truly wonderful about writing just for you, just
because you have to, because you can't not.
MM: Read a lot, and write a lot. Don’t expect to be a perfect
writer on the first try—writing is a skill, and just like any
other skill, you get better at it the more you do it!
SV: Find friends who will support you, who understand your work,
and who know how to get the best writing out of you. You don’t
have to do it alone! That’s what keeps the three of us together.
