Goosebumps

R.L. Stine is the author of t he magnificent Goosebumps series. He takes many of his stories and relates them to his life. No he doesn't change shapes or get chased by zombies. But, for instance, his son tried on a Halloween mask, and it got stuck, giving him the idea for The Haunted Mask.

Stine adds a little humor in each of his stories, as he has published books such as 101 Silly Monster Jokes and Bozos on Patrol.

He started writing when he was just 9 years old, writing stories and jokes on a school typewriter. Once he graduated Ohio State, Stine, took various writing jobs before becoming the R.L. Stine we know today, I.E. the writer of The Goosebumps.

Scholastic is famous for publishing childrens books. They are the lucky publisher of books such as Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss, and TRhe Magic School Bus.

Scholastic was founding in 1920 by M.R. "Robbie" Robinson. Today the company has over $2 billion in revenues and 10,000 workers worldwide.

The company creates quality educational and entertaining materials, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, feature film, videos, and toys.

Scholastic has operations all over the world to include countris such as Argentina, Canada, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

"Scholastic will continue to develop materials that span cultural and national boundaries and serve the needs of parents, teachers, and children worldwide."

The most important choice in writing Give Yourself Goosebumps stories is the same one you make when you write any other kind of book. Choose an interesting "what if."

GET DOWN TO DETAILS
Once you establish a "what if", think about all the scary things that could happen to you in that situation. Then think about all the ways you might be able to get out of that terrifying situation. The choices you make about what happens and what you will do become your story.

HOW IN THE WORLD DID I GET HERE?
What did you do that got you into the "what if" situation? These situations are called your "setup."

THE BIG DECISION
After you decide on your setup, you must think of the two major choices you could make. This is a big choice. Each of these choices take you in a totally different direction. Think of a tree. The setup is like the trunk. The two major choices are like the two biggest branches of the tree.

THE PLOT THICKENS
Okay, now pick one of the branches and think:

What will happen here?
How will I survive?
What problems will I have to face?
Who might I meet here?
Can I trust him or her... or it?
What will be the danger?
When you answer these questions, you are branching out even further.

YOU BE THE JUDGE
Answer the questions below. As you are making the choices, you'll be asking your reader to make choices too. Don't forget to make the choices count. The secret to good Give Yourself Goosebumps books is that the reader is actively doing something, not just letting things happen to him or her.

WHO IS THE BAD GUY?
The best stories have the most interesting villains. The more weird and evil your foes are, the more exciting your story will be. It is also much more engaging if a major problem is revealed as the story goes on. Stories become dull if you do not keep experiencing or learning something new.

I DON'T BELIEVE IT!
Good stories shock you. Most importantly, Give Yourself Goosebumps endings should always be full of surprises. And they should be funny.

KEEPING TRACK OF IT ALL
By now, you are probably wondering how you keep track of all the page numbers. There are lots of ways to do it, but here is one way:

Let's say your book is going to be 32 pages long. Take a piece of paper and write down the numbers 1 to 32 just like this:

1 5 9 13
2 6 10 14
3 7 11 15
4 8 12 16

etc.

Then every time you use a page number cross it off on your piece of paper.

MAKING SENSE OF IT ALL
Draw a Give Yourself Goosebumps map. The map should show how the stories branch off and what page numbers you have assigned to each choice.

Picture how a tree looks on a piece of paper. It starts off with the roots. The roots of the tree on your map are the "what ifs."

The roots shoot up into the trunk of the tree. The trunk of the tree is your setup.

The trunk has two big branches coming out of the top. The two biggest branches of the tree are your two biggest choices to make.

The two biggest branches have a bunch of smaller branches coming off of them. These are your different storylines.

The tree continues to branch off. So does the story. Until you reach the end. However, which ending is up to the reader.

So there you have it. Try it out yourself. Go ahead and give yourself goosebumps.