Cornelia Funke, author of Inkheart, is interviewed here.
“I usually let a manuscript go only after I’ve done at least five drafts. I am a merciless editor. I cut entire chapters. I cut entire characters. That’s partially because in the first draft I write by instinct. It’s best if you don’t know what you’re doing. Of course, you have to have a basic structure. I start with a place or a character, and it is best if I have no idea what is going to happen. I must allow the characters to have freedom. I must be patient. Very patient. I must allow them to grow.”
I’ve never read