NAME: ___________________________________________ 1ºBACH E

HOW TO WRITE A BESTSELLER

Stephenie Meyer used to be a stay-at-home mother and housewife, but one morning her life changed
dramatically. She woke up from a dream and realized that in her sleep she had come up with the
characters of her first best-selling novel, Twilight.
For the rest of the day, she couldn't get the characters out of her head, but with a husband and three
young sons to take care of, she had a million things to do. As soon as she had dealt with the immediate
necessities, she sat down at her computer and started writing about the romance between a smart 17-year-
old girl and a handsome vampire.
At first, she didn't tell anybody about the book. While her children were playing or doing swimming
lessons, she was inventing the plot in her mind. Then at night, when the house was quiet, she wrote it all
down.
After three months, she had finished her first novel, Twilight. With encouragement from her older sister
(the only other person who knew about the book), Meyer submitted her manuscript to various literary
agencies. After nine rejections and five no answers, Twilight eventually made its way to the publishing
company Little, Brown where everyone fell in love with the gripping, star-crossed lovers.
A few weeks after its release, Twilight reached number 5 in The New York Times bestseller list. Since
then, Meyer has become a best-seller in 37 countries and a millionaire several times over. Her books have
been turned into films and the three young actors who play the lead roles have become international stars.
When producers found British actor Robert Pattinson for the role of the vampire, Edward, Meyer said
that he was exactly as she had imagined him in her head.

1. Decide if the following statement is true (T) or false (F). Find evidence in the text to support your
answer.
Stephenie Meyer did most of her writing at night.
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Stephenie Meyer was working in a bank when she had the idea for her novel, Twilight.
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Stephenie Meyer hasn't made much money from her book.
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Stephenie Meyer's sister thought the story was really good.
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Choose four of the following situations. Write what you would say in or about each one. Use
between 6 and 20 words for each.
1. Your friend is bored. Suggest going to the cinema.

2. You are late with your English homework. You want to apologize.

3. Your friend has just finished a good book. You want to read it.

4. You borrow a DVD from a friend. You promise to give it back tomorrow.