The highlights… Vi’s voice and character came very easily to me. Eventually, I just scrapped the whole section and rewrote it from scratch. There are some simulations in the story, and I worked on those for a long time.

There are a couple parts of the book that gave me huge fits. Taking something that is 90,000 words and shaping it into something coherent is a huge challenge. What were the challenges working on “Possession”? And conversely, the highlights?Īh, the challenges. Every time I read POSSESSION, I feel something different, but I can always relate to Vi. We often go through periods of our lives, searching for something or wondering if we’re on the right track. I think anyone, no matter their age, can relate to that. She’s sort of lost, but not okay with that. Who is your favorite character in the book? Why? So the revision end of things is much longer for me. Then I did several more revisions over the next year before it sold to Simon & Schuster. After that, I worked on it on and off for about 8 months. I draft incredibly fast, so I pounded out the first version of POSSESSION in just 17 days. So that might contribute to some of the darker feel. I am a huge fan of books that make me feel something. It deals with mind control and brainwashing, so by nature, it’s a little on the dark side. “Possession” has a darker feel to it than other YA lit. POSSESSION is the story of a fifteen-year-old girl who struggles to learn what she believes in a society where she’s always been told (read: brainwashed) what to do, what to wear, what to eat, who to hang out with. I did some research, found the label, and thought, “I want to write a book like this.” So I did. The thought of creating an alternate future intrigued me. I’d just finished a dystopian novel-though I didn’t have a label for it at the time. Where did the idea for “Possession” come from? Most of my writing is done from 9 – 11 PM at night, after my children are in bed. I only dream of writing all day! I actually teach elementary school in my spare time. It helps block out the chaos that surrounds me. I like to listen to loud music when I revise and edit. I like to draft really fast, to get the story out of my head as quickly as possible. I mean, who experiences more ups and downs than a sixteen-year-old girl? Uh, no one.ĭo you have any rituals? Do you write all day? It’s like free therapy!Ī teenage girl became the perfect sponge for all the super-highs and super-lows of life. I started writing as a way to drain the emotional angst in my life. Writing was the farthest thing down the list. I ended up switching to Elementary Education, with an emphasis in physical science (since I had so many science credits) and a math minor. I went into college with a major of Chemistry Education. No! I even took the AP English exam as a junior in high school so I could be Language Arts-free as a senior. Background - Have you always wanted to write? Why?

Elana johnson books