Bestselling young adult author Ellen Hopkins inspires me. During her speech at the SCBWI Seattle regional conference last May she showed a picture of a beautiful sunrise taken from her Nevada window. She said she stopped writing to take the picture at four-thirty in the morning. I remember being astonished at her commitment, up in the middle of the night writing. Then last week when I heard her speak again, this time in Denver, she said she answers about three hundred readers’ emails each day. I wonder where she finds the time to write her best-selling novels, travel for speaking engagements and answer hundreds of readers’ emails.
I think her relentless energy comes from a realization that her voice is needed. She feels a personal calling to speak to young adults, all of them, but especially those experiencing difficulties. She’s determined to reach her readers. Her message is so strong she loses track of time, she doesn’t tire. She’s doing something she loves and something that gives meaning to her life.
I’m impressed by her ability to give so much of herself in her writing. I can’t believe she’s got teenagers with tattoos and multiple piercings voluntarily reading poetry. She’s practically a miracle worker in my book, but she’s modest. She sat with a group of about thirty of us novice writers in Denver and said something like “My book, Crank, came out only five years ago, six years ago I was like you.” I don’t know about that, but I do know she’s a fantastic speaker. If you ever have the opportunity I recommend seeing her.
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