S.E. Hinton

Wrote "The Outsiders" at age 15, inspired after a friend was beaten up on his way home from the movies. The mother of one of her friends read the manuscript and contacted an agent based in New York. Viking signed her up for a small advance and the book was published when she was 19. Hinton's first royalty check was $10, and the book nearly went out of print. But librarians and teachers made it a best seller, and a landmark.

If you want to be a writer, I have two pieces of advice. One is to be a reader. I think that's one of the most important parts of learning to write. The other piece of advice is `Just do it!' Don't think about it, don't agonize, sit down and write.