Update - A Letter to Orson Scott Card

Good news! My dad contacted a guy from church, who contacted Aaron Johnston (Card's co-author), and he said that he would be delighted to answer my questions! (click here for original post)

So here's the new plan: I reformat the e-mail to address Johnston, send it off, wait for a reply, and, when it comes, follow up with a thank-you note and politely ask him if he would be willing to pass it on to "Scott," as they call him. If all goes well, I will have collected TWO responses from different successful authors!

Crossing my fingers...

A Letter to Orson Scott Card

"Who's your favorite author?" asked my dad knowingly.

I didn't hesitate. "Orson Scott Card!"

"Knew it." He smiled. "Thought I might let you know that if you ever want to write a letter, I can almost guarantee you a genuine interaction with the guy."

My mouth dropped open. Like, a real reply? Like, not from his secretary? I wasn't expecting such a grand finale from our conversation about networking.

Everywhere I turn on the internet, writers are saying, "get connected! Grow your network!" And I think that is a very legitimate concept. Every friend you make is another person who you can help and who can help you - a sort of authorly symbiosis. 

Now, sitting on the edge of confidence, letter composed, I'm not so sure that my dad's connection will be enough to earn a thoughtful note. Nonetheless, I would love to fine-tune what I have so far:

Dear Mr. Card,

My name is Drew, and I am an aspiring teenage author who has long respected your books, Ender’s Game and Pathfinder. Both stand out to me as incredibly unique and inspiring stories. Given your talent and success, I felt you were the best person to approach with a couple questions I have about English class:

What do you think is the value in analyzing archaic literature, if anything?

What can be gained in conforming to a professor’s writing guidelines when you’d rather use your own stylistic structuring (again, if anything)?

 

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts!

Thank you for your time,

Drew

 

What do you think? Too short? Too many colors? Too anything?  

Ooh, how about this: what questions would you ask a prolific writer like Orson Scott Card?

My plan is to send this off after a few days on the blog and after my dad reviews it. So if you have anything to ask, speak up! :)