Frequently Asked Questions

With
ANSWERS BY NICHOLAS SPARKS

When will his next novel be out?

Nicholas's next novel, The Choice, will be published September 25, 2007.

Where does Nicholas Sparks get his ideas?

That's a question even he can't answer, though he does admit that the ideas never come easily. Because his novels deal with universal themes and universal characters, it's difficult to conceive of an entertaining, interesting, and original story that hasn't been told before, either in a book or in a film. Generally, he works through hundreds of ideas and characters (a process that can take months) before finally making his decision and beginning to write.

Does he accept story ideas from other people?

To avoid any litigation problems, he has been advised by his attorneys not to look at or accept story ideas.

How long does it take Nicholas Sparks to write a novel? Does he work every day? How many hours per day?

It can take as long as three months to conceive of a story, and in those periods, Nicholas works on projects for television or film, he outlines possible ideas both mentally and on paper, he tours, works with foreign and domestic publishers, or handles the paperwork associated with being an author.

As far as writing the novels, his work schedule varies depending on where he is in a particular novel, since some sections are easier to write than others. He generally works five or six days a week. His goal is to complete 2,000 each day, and that can take anywhere from three to eight hours, usually averaging five hours. Generally, he starts at around 9:00 a.m. and tries to finish by 2:00 p.m. He has, however, written at all hours of the day and night.

He generally works at home, though he also writes when touring. Sometimes he needs quiet, other times it doesn't matter. Sometimes he listens to music, other times not. Sometimes he puts the television on, other times he doesn't.

In the end, it usually takes four or five months to complete a novel, not counting editing, which adds an additional month or so.

What does he want his readers to take away from his novels?

For the novel as a whole, Nicholas Sparks sets out to write an easy-to-read, entertaining, original love story with a poignant ending, one that generates genuine emotion. That's what he'd like his readers to take away. As for the writing style, he writes with the goals of efficiency, conciseness, and originality in uncluttered, vigorous prose.

Will he read my manuscript and tell me what he thinks?

To avoid any litigation problems, he has been advised by attorneys not to read manuscripts that have not already been accepted by publishers. To learn the steps Nicholas took when starting out, see Writer's Corner.

Will he forward my manuscript to his agent or editor? Or can he recommend an agent for me?

Again, there are some potential legal problems with this, and the answer is, unfortunately, no. However, Nicholas is fully aware of the difficulties in both writing a novel and finding an agent, especially for those who haven't previously been published. The web site explains the steps that he took when starting out, as well as what he has learned since. See Writer's Corner.

What advice can he give me about writing?

See Writer's Corner.

What inspired him to write The Notebook? Message in a Bottle? A Walk to Remember? The Rescue? A Bend in the Road? Nights in Rodanthe The Guardian? The Wedding? Three Weeks with my Brother?

For a detailed discussion of the general information, notes on writing, and background information regarding each novel (inspiration), click on the specific title above.

When did Nicholas Sparks begin writing?

Nicholas wrote his first novel at age nineteen, his second novel at twenty-two. At twenty-five, he co-wrote a book with Billy Mills, the 1964 Olympic 10,000 meter gold medallist, entitled Wokini. At twenty-eight, he wrote The Notebook. For more detailed information, see Biography.

Does he write longhand or work on a computer?

He writes on a computer.

Does he care what the critics write about his work?

There is a general misconception about critical reviews of Nicholas Sparks's novels: i.e. that most reviews have been less than kind. In fact, four out of every five reviews are positive and though that pleases him, he has always written, and will continue to write stories for himself and those who enjoy his work. For further information, see Reviews of The Notebook, Reviews of Message In A Bottle, Reviews of A Walk to Remember, Reviews of The Rescue, Reviews of A Bend in the Road, Reviews of Nights in Rodanthe.

Why is each of his novels so different?

Though every novel is a love story set in Eastern North Carolina, each novel has a different theme, and the theme not only sets the tone for the novel, but influences everything within the novel: characters, voice, writing style, and settings. The themes for each novel, in order of publication, were: (1) The Notebook -- unconditional, everlasting love, (2) Message in a Bottle -- love after grief, (3) A Walk to Remember -- the beauty, power and innocence of first love, (4) The Rescue -- love as savior (or rescue), (5) A Bend in the Road -- love and forgiveness, (6) Nights in Rodanthe -- love and sacrifice, and (7) The Guardian -- love and danger, (8) The Wedding -- love and renewal.

Because the themes were different, the narrative voices were different, the characters were different, the writing style varied dramatically, the length was altered accordingly, and the settings were chosen for maximum effect within the story.

Does he have a lot of input when it comes to adapting his work into film?

Nicholas has some input, though it varies from project to project. Nicholas does read the screenplays and will offer suggestions if asked to do so. He is not involved with casting, budgets, location, or other assignments best left to those in the film business.

How does he feel about the film version of Message in a Bottle? A Walk to Remember and The Notebook?

He is very pleased with both films on a number of levels. It's important to understand that films and novels are different mediums and tell stories in different ways. What works well in novels doesn't work well on film and vice versa. For example, introspection works well in books but not in film. A car chase works well on film and uses only two minutes to show what might take twenty pages to write. Also, a typical novel runs 350 pages while a screenplay runs 120. In other words, two-thirds of any novel is automatically eliminated before the first page of a screenplay is even written.

With that in mind, he tends to look for the following: Did the film follow the basic outline of the novel? Did the film capture the major theme of the novel? Were the characters consistent with those described in the novel? Was the film good when compared to other films? Was the film successful?

In the case of Message in a Bottle, the answers to those questions were, in his opinion, yes. The film was true to the novel in outline, theme and the characters. He thought the film was well done and entertaining, and after opening number one at the box office, the worldwide gross approached $120 million, successful in anyone's judgment.

As for A Walk to Remember, the answer is also yes. He loves the film and believes it is a wonderful adaptation. It was released in January, 2002.

The Notebook was also a wonderful adaptation. The performances were spectacular, the cinematography was vivid, and the director crafted the film with care. Nicholas loved the film version.

Does he get a chance to meet the stars?

Yes. Nicholas usually goes to the set a couple of times and meets everyone involved in the projects.

How many novels has he sold?

This is a tough question to answer, simply because it changes on a daily basis and there are many factors to consider: whether or not book-club sales are included, differing publishing schedules around the world, the difference between "books in print" and "books sold" and the fact that A Bend in the Road was just released in paperback a few months ago, and due to varying international publishing schedules, is only available in a few other countries besides the United States. With that said, the worldwide estimate is 50 million sold, with another few million in print.

Does he work from an outline?

Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. The Notebook was written without an outline, Message in a Bottle had no outline for the first 120 pages, but had a highly detailed outline for the last 120 pages. A Walk to Remember had no outline. The Rescue had a moderately detailed outline in the beginning, a highly detailed outline for the middle portion of the novel, but none for the last third of the novel. A Bend in the Road had a fairly detailed outline for the entire novel. Nights in Rodanthe had no outline. The Guardian had a detailed outline. In The Wedding, the last half had an outline, and for Three Weeks with my Brother, there was no outline. True Believer had no outline, and At First Sight had a detailed, chapter by chapter, outline.

What is the first step he takes in writing a new novel?

The first step is to come up with a general theme, one that influences the style in which it's written, the proper narrative voice, the appropriate characters and settings, and the length of the novel. (For specific themes, see The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Rescue, A Bend in the Road, Nights in Rodanthe.)

How much does he know about the story before he begins? For instance, does he know the end of the story in advance?

Once he's decided on the theme, he starts to mentally outline the story and begin running through possible ideas. Before he starts writing, he knows how the story begins and ends, as well as five or six of the major events in the novel, which serve as turning points. Once he has those things, he's ready to begin. Most of what happens in between the five or six major events is created as he proceeds.

As a man, how does he feel about writing love stories?

First, a definition: Love stories are essentially modern day Greek tragedies. The love story is one of the oldest and most explored genres in literature. For example, The Iliad's Trojan War was fought over the love of a woman. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was a love story.

Because of the three requirements in this particular genre (a)originality, (b) universality of character and setting, and (c) a plot interesting enough to keep the pages turning, and the fact that the conflict of the story is generally internal, it's among the most difficult genres in which to work. It's easy to write a story or create a character using two of the three requirements (Hannibal Lecter is interesting and original, but not universal, for instance; Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton is original and interesting, but not universal), but combining all three is easier said than done.

It's the same with the challenge of internal conflict. External conflict (a crime to be solved, a killer on the loose, a monster in the woods, a terrorist threatening disaster, a young boy learning magic) is much easier to write in a way that keeps the reader interested than internal conflict (will Garrett Blake be able to put his past behind him? Will Allie remember Noah?). It's also difficult to employ universal, internal conflict without resorting to timeworn cliches, which Nicholas works hard to avoid.

With that said, he enjoys the challenge this genre presents. It's also interesting to note that in recent history, men tend to have written more successfully in this genre than women. (Women, on the other hand, dominate the romance novel genre). Love Story was written by Erich Segal, The Bridges of Madison County was written by Robert James Waller, The Horse Whisperer was written by Nicholas Evans, so Nicholas Sparks is not alone.

What is the difference between a love story and a romance novel?

It's equivalent to the difference between a "legal thriller" and a "techno-thriller." In that instance, both novels include many of the same elements: suspense, good and bad pitted against each other, scenes that build to a major plot point, etc. But aside from the obvious, those novels are in different sub-genres and the sub-genres have different requirements. For instance, legal thrillers generally have a court scene on center stage, techno-thrillers use the world or a city as their focus. Legal thrillers explore the nuances of law, techno-thrillers explore the nuances of scientific or military conflict.

The same situation applies with romance novels and love stories. Though both have romantic elements, the sub-genres have different requirements. Love stories must use universal characters and settings. Romance novels are not bound by this requirement and characters can be rich, famous or people who lived centuries ago and the settings can be exotic. Love stories can differ in theme, romance novels have a general theme; "the taming of a man." And finally, romance novels have happy endings while love stories are not bound by this requirement. Love stories usually end tragically or at best, with a bittersweet feeling for the reader.

What does he read?

Nicholas reads an average of 125 books a year and has done so since he was young. He reads commercial fiction, selected modern literary fiction, the Penguin Classics (though not the ones you probably think, since he's read all the big names and titles in the past), history and biography. For recommendations, click on Reading List.

Who are his favorite authors?

Due to the volume of books he reads, it's impossible to choose a favorite. He has said publicly however, that the only modern contemporary writer of fiction that he can guarantee will be read 100 years from now is Stephen King, and he is a great admirer of Mr. King's work.

Will he send me a signed photograph?

Again, due to reasons of volume, this is no longer possible.

To what does Nicholas Sparks attribute the popularity of his novels?

The number one predictor of a novel's success is the name of the author who wrote it, simply because popular authors have a built-in audience. Nicholas Sparks is one such author.

On a more general level, when talking to those who have shown up at events, some of the reasons readers and critics have given are as follows: the novels are easy-to-read and entertaining, the reader is made to feel like "a fly on the wall" and feels involved in the story, readers can relate to the characters, the stories are believable as if they could happen to anyone, they "generate authentic emotional power," (USA Today), they are romantic and sweet, there's a lack of profanity, the love scenes are left more to the imagination than described, and they make readers both laugh and cry.

If the question has to do with the success of Nicholas's first novel, there were a number of factors that attributed to its popularity: tremendous support from the publisher for which he's grateful, the length of his tour, a beautiful cover, support from booksellers, etc. It's important to realize that none of those things guarantee success, however. The publishing world is littered with high-priced, high-profile first novels that never hit the list at all. These days, it seems there are only three ways for an author to hit the best-seller list with a first novel. One, have the novel recommended by Oprah (All of the books she's chosen for Oprah's Book Club have become best-sellers, first time authors included, such as Deep End of the Ocean by Jacqueline Mitchard.) Two, have the novel receive wide and lavish critical acclaim, thereby triggering the interest of the major media, i.e. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. Or three, write a novel that has good word-of-mouth, (a well-written book that people read and enjoy and feel compelled to recommend to others) i.e. The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells.

The Notebook was a word-of-mouth book.

(Note: The three ways are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Among Oprah's picks are novels by the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.)

What are his hobbies?

In addition to writing, reading and spending time with his five children, Nicholas runs 30 miles a week, lifts weights 4 times a week and practices Tae Kwon Do. As a black belt, he competes at both the regional and national level.

Will he come talk to our school, group or conference?

Nicholas receives hundreds, if not thousands, of requests for speeches or appearances per year and due to his workload and his desire to spend time with his family, he only accepts some 4-5 invitations per year.

Someone told me that Nicholas Sparks will sign books that are sent to his home.

Unfortunately, due to the time it takes to sign all the requests, he is not accepting any additional requests until further notice. Nicholas apologizes and hopes you understand the reason for this policy.

Is it true that Nicholas answers all of his fan mail at least once?

At one time, he was able to answer the fan mail, but due to the sheer volume of letters he receives, he is unable to do so at this time. To answer everyone's letter would impinge on the time he needs to write, and again, he hopes you believe he's made the right decision. He does, however, tour extensively, and does his best to sign all books brought to his events, but there are some bookstores with their own guidelines as to whether or not previously purchased copies will be signed. The best advice is to contact the bookstore in advance, to see how the event will be run..

Is it true that all his novels are based on his own life?

His novels aren't so much based on his life as they are inspired by events in his own life, and though that goes for most of his work, it doesn't apply to all of his books. For instance, his sixth novel, Nights in Rodanthe, was entirely fictional. For a further discussion, please see links to specific novels: The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Rescue, A Bend in the Road, Nights in Rodanthe, The Guardian, and The Wedding.

I've heard that Nicholas Sparks is writing a screenplay. Is that right?

Yes. Nicholas adapted his seventh novel, The Guardian (to be published in spring 2003), into a screenplay, though it has not been offered to Hollywood to this point. More information should be available shortly and the site will be updated on this topic in the near future.

Is it true Nicholas had written two novels before The Notebook was published, and if so, will he ever publish them?

Yes, it's true, but no, they will never be seen. Nicholas regards the work on those novels as an apprenticeship of sorts, one that showed him that he not only enjoyed writing stories, but that he had the ability to finish a novel once he'd started. However, he does not feel they are well-written enough to be published.

Rumor has it that there might also be a television series based on one of his novels. Is this true?

Unfortunately, no. I was asked to help adapt a pilot based on The Rescue for CBS, but in the end, the studio turned it down.

I'd really like to get my book signed. How do I do that? Will Nicholas be coming to my area for any events?

Nicholas tours extensively with the publication of each novel and he will happily sign all books brought to his events. When the tour dates and locations become available, he will post that information in the "My Calendar" section of the Web site. If you learn that he is not going to be in a city near you, the best way to get a signed book is to call one of the bookstores where he will be going, and order a book with a request to have it signed. Please note that most bookstores require a credit card number to make the purchase, and there may be additional shipping costs as well.

Will Nicholas ever write in another genre?

In the future, he may, but only if he believes he could tell the story well.

Right now, he's satisfied with writing dramatic fiction, and there are no plans to branch out.

Why do so many of your stories involve death?

I suppose there are a few reasons that my stories include tragic elements. The first is that tragic or bittersweet stories are part of what defines a love story (much like a "happy ending" to a romance novel, or the hero triumphing in a thriller.) The reason for that is that a love story is primarily a dramatic story, and the best dramatic stories allow the readers to experience a full range of emotions. Hopefully, my readers feel a bit of everything -- empathy, hopefulness, happiness, love, anger and sadness -- as they turn the pages of my novels. Another reason goes to the statement (which I didn't invent) that goes like this: "All great love stories, by definition, must end in tragedy." Without great love, there's no tragedy and vice versa. Also, my stories are supposed to seem real (as opposed to fantasic) and tragedy is part of everyone's life. The final reason is that most of my novels are inspired by events in my family, and sadly, that was the way that most of the family stories ended.

Why does Nicholas read books, and why does he write them?

Nicholas responds: "I enjoy, and have always enjoyed, reading; to ask why is akin to asking why I enjoy anything. I just do. As for writing, I do it because I can. While I generally avoid cliches, the following is apt: I don't live to write, I write to live."

How does Nicholas approach character motivation?

Nicholas responds: "Character motivation differs from character to character and novel to novel, but as a general rule, all my characters are motivated by the nobler parts of their character; the belief in honesty, integrity, kindness, bravery and loyalty."

What is Nicholas's Remedy for Writer's Block?

When I'm blocked, it's nearly always because -- sub-consciously -- I know I've made a mistake either with character development, structure, or story. It's as if my mind tells me that I'm wrong somehow, and that I'd better stop because I'm heading in the wrong direction. Thus, I find myself writing more slowly until I simply can't write anymore -- a classic case of writer's block. In a situation like that, I quit trying to press forward and instead ponder the book, or I begin to edit the previously written sections. I might go through everything I've already written a hundred times, tweaking and changing little things, as if I'm trying to find my way through a darkened room. And little by little, I find those errors. Once they're corrected, I find that I can then begin writing new material.

The problem, however, is that I seldom know what I did wrong. I know it's wrong, but not where, what, why, how or when. Thus, I make changes and change them back. . . it can be a long process, but it always eventually works out.

How does Nicholas write women so well?

First, I'd like to thank those who posted this question in the message board. I'm honored that you think I do. But answering that question isn't easy. In a nutshell, I try to write both men and women well. But in answering the question specificially, I suppose it comes down to the fact that the women in my life have always been important and I've respected them not only as women, but as individuals. They have been wonderful role models for me. I had a wonderful mother, I married a fantastic lady, and both my agent and editor are female. I suppose I've learned from them.

Which one of Nicholas's books would he say is the most interesting book that he's written?

Interesting for me, or interesting for the reader? I can't answer the latter, and as for the former, I honestly couldn't say. I'm passionately interested in every novel as I write it, and later, even as I reread it.

Will Nicholas be writing any more books with younger characters?

By this, I assume you mean high school age. And yes, I plan to. When, however, is another question, and it's best answered by saying I'll write another when I have another story worth writing.