Looking for writing advice? Check out my free on-line video series, Mission: Write!

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I am thrilled to finally announce a project that I have been working on with Simon & Schuster for the past year:

Whether you’re a young writer looking for tips, a teacher hoping to educate your students about creative writing, or a homeschooler looking for some fun new lessons, Mission: Write should appeal to you.  There are currently six videos (with more coming in the future) hosted by me — and accompanying lesson plans written by the brilliant educator, Rose Brock.

Best of all, it’s free!  So take a look for yourself.  Just click here to watch and learn!

244 thoughts on “Looking for writing advice? Check out my free on-line video series, Mission: Write!”

  1. Mr. Gibbs,
    I had a question about parents in your books. Typically, most parents probably wouldn’t let there kids be spies or detectives (at least not to the extent of Teddy, Ben, or Charlie). How do handle those situations but make it still seem realistic?

  2. Alex Rider –

    If you have read my books you should see that I actually devote a lot of time to the subject of the parents having to confront the danger that their children are in. It comes later in the SS series, but is quite prominent in both FunJungle and Moon Base Alpha. Charlie is the only one who doesn’t have this issue, because she is estranged from her parents, but the issue comes up with Dante. In each series, I want the parents to be very concerned for their child’s safety (although I make more of a joke of this in SS).

  3. Mr. Gibbs,

    I just read the spy camp graphic novel, and I would just like to say that it was great! I loved it! It made me realize how good the 2nd spy school book was! I just have a question! When will you announce the ESSGN cover title? Will it be around June? (Thats when you revealed the Spy Camp Cover!) I’m just curious! But I got to say, SCGN was one of the best books I’ve read!

    *Also, I got the exclusive edition, but I have a question about it! There was like a document that had information about some of the characters, is that part of the normal book, or only the exclusive edition?

  4. The 8th Grader –

    I am not sure when the cover for the ESSGN will be released.

    The bonus material is the camp map and brochure

  5. Fans Of Stuart Gibbs’ Books,

    Is it just me, or are any of you guys excited for the later graphic novel editions for some of the spy school books? One of my all-time favorites is SS7, or SSBI (They’re the same thing) (And if the rate of graphic novels coming out stays the same) will have a graphic novel edition in 2028! (But sadly, there is no way to come out with 2 graphic novels every year…)– Anyone have any comments?

  6. The 8th Grader-

    I cannot wait for SSBI AND SSS! I also think that SSAS would be REALLY epic!

  8. Mr. Gibbs,
    When you edit your books, do you rewrite the whole thing over and over until it works out how you want it? I’ve heard of some authors doing that.

  9. Yup this is Will –

    You are describing the editing process. I’m not sure how else anyone would edit their books.

  13. Dear Stuart Gibbs,
    I’m Sienna and I’m from South Korea! When I started reading Spy School, I became totally OBSESSED with it! I was SUPERR upset when I realized the 11th wasn’t out yet! I read all of the Spy School series already and I am DYING to read the 11th one. And I have a few questions for you about the Spy School Series.
    (1) How did Alexander Hale come into Ben’s house without any person letting him in? And even though he’s a spy, it was proved in the later books that he was faking everything. So how did he break in? (Book 1)
    (2) Why didn’t Erica’s family trust Trixie (at first) to be a spy? Even though she might be a little fine with the normal life, wasn’t it tradition in Erica’s family to make everyone a spy?
    (If the answer of these questions came in the book, please let me know!)

    And I also have a few questions about you too!
    (1) I saw that in your comments to other people’s letters, that you have a dog. BTW, I LOVEE dogs! Unfortunately I have allergies to both dogs and cats. But luckily, I only get slightly itchy. Anyway, since you have a dog, what does it look like and what did you name it?
    (2) What inspired you at first to write books? Not JUST the Spy School series, but all of them! Including Charlie Thorne (which I started reading aswell)!
    (3) What was your first book and when did it get published? When did you start writing your Spy School series?
    (4) What are your hobbies or things that you HATE doing? For me, my hobby is singing and playing games. I HATE sitting still and being in tight spaces. (I feel like I have claustrophobia or something!)

    And you know how Zoe loves making nick-names for her friends? Well I made a nickname for some of the characters! See below . . .
    (1) Ben = Einstein Spy
    (2) Erica = Spy Queen
    (3) Zoe = Zee-Bee
    (4) Murray = Couch potato
    (5) Jawa = Brains
    (6) Chip = Potato Chip
    (7) Ashley = Sparkle Girl
    (8) Joshua = Cyborg
    (9) Catherine = Brit Warrior

    (If you think other nicknames would suit them better please let me know! ^^ )
    Another quick question : Are the years in spy school based on age, level, or something else?
    Thank you so much for taking your time to read this, I was super thrilled to write this! I can’t wait for the 11th book!! I really hope you see this and reply~
    Thank you again for reading, and I hope you have a GREAT day!
    Sincerely, Sienna Lee (XOXO)
    (P.S Hurry up with the 11th book please! I am dying and can’t believe it’s coming out in October!)
    (P.S.S I’ll write more like this if you reply to me!)
    (P.S.S.S If I’m writing too much, SO SORRY!)
    (P.S.S.S.S Just so you know, I’m just WAYY too excited of writing this to you! Gotta calm down my heart because it’s FLYING here! Anyway, thank you Stuart Gibbs for the amazing books! My new dream job is a spy now! LOL!)

  15. Dear Stuart Gibbs,
    hello!! My name is Sienna Lee and I live in South Korea! Since this is my first time writing this, I wanted to make it a little short. So, I have a few questions for you! If you reply to this, I will ask questions about your books aswell! My favorite book that you wrote was Spy School, BTW! I already read 1~10!

    Q1. Do you have a pet? And if you do, what does it look like and what is it’s name? If you don’t have a pet, what animal would you like? And what will you name it?
    Q2. When did you start writing books? And what’s your favorite one you’ve written so far?
    Q3. Do you play any instruments? If you do, what do you play and how long have you been doing it? If you don’t play any instruments, what would you like to play?

    That’s it for today! I hope you liked reading this and reply to me! I can’t believe I’m writing to my favorite author of all time!
    Thank you so much for reading this, I can’t wait to see your reply (if you reply, of course)
    Sincerely, Sienna Lee

    (P.S. PLEASE QUICKLY WRITE THE 11TH BOOK OF SPY SCHOOL! I AM DYING TO READ IT!!)

  16. Sienna Lee

    First of all, it is very exciting to hear from a fan in South Korea.

    Your first two questions really fall under the category of Questions I Can’t Answer. (I have a blog post about those.) Every book could have a million different details, and I simply can’t have answers for every one of them.

    As for the questions about me:

    1) I have a labradoodle, which is a hypoallergenic dog. So you can generally have a labradoodle (or any poodle mix) if you have allergies. (Sadly, my dog has asked that his name be kept a secret.)

    2) The inspirations for all my different series are detailed on my FAQ page.

    3) My first book did not get published. I wrote it in kindergarten It was called The Day the Dinosaurs Came Back. I started writing the Spy School series about twelve years ago.

    4) I like doing outdoorsy things like hiking and biking and skiing. I do not like the opera very much.

    As for your last question, the years at sy school are based on age.

    Those are some good nicknames for my characters.

    Thanks for writing!

  17. Sienna Lee –

    I see you have added some questions.

    I started writing books when i was very young. Before I was even in school. I do not have a favorite book of my own.

    I play the drums. Although I am very out of practice.

  20. Mr. Gibbs

    Have you ever learned how to solve a Rubik’s Cube?
    If so, how good were you at it?
    Same question goes to everyone else reading this.

  21. bob –

    If you’re familiar with the Spy School series, it ought to be evident who those characters are.

  23. Dear Stuart Gibbs,
    OMG! I can’t believe you added a reply so quickly! TYSM 😀 You are my favorite writer so far and I can’t believe you replied to me! 🙂
    And I have a few more questions to ask!
    (1) Who is your favorite character in Spy School?
    (2) Who is your favorite villain in Spy School?
    (3) Who is your least favorite character in Spy School?
    (4) Do you ship Berica (Ben and Erica) or Zen (Zoe and Ben) ?

    Thank you for replying again and I hope you have a great day! Today I’m sick so I can’t do much so I decided to write this! 🙂

  24. Oh and sorry about the two letters.
    I thought my first one didn’t get posted so I tried again.
    Sorry if I caused you any confusion! ^^

  26. Sienna Lee –

    I don’t really have a favorite or least favorite character in SS (or any of my books). I have worked too hard creating all those characters to say that I like one more (or less) than any of the others.

    And who I ship ought to become evident as the series goes on.

  27. Dear Stuart Gibbs,
    oh that’s cool! For me, my list of a few characters who I like is..
    (1) Erica Hale
    (2) Zoe Zibbell
    (3) Catherine Hale
    (4) Jessica Shang

    And I ship BERICA (Ben and Erica) and I do NOT ship Zurray (Murray and Zoe)
    Also, do you like singing or dancing?
    What was your dream (job) when you were young?
    Do you have any siblings? If you do what are their names?

  28. Sienna Lee –

    I do not like singing very much, but that’s probably because I’m not good at it. Dancing is better.

    Being an author was my dream job when I was young.

    I have a sister. Suzanne. (Which was also my wife’s name, which can be a little confusing.)

  29. Stuart Gibbs –

    LOL! I love both singing and dancing, I like singing along to songs as I also dance along to them.

    RN my dream job is probably an author or an actress at the moment.

    And I’m an only child.

    Do you like playing games? If you do, what games do you play? Do you play games such as Minecraft, Roblox, Among Us, or Fortnite?

    Do you have kids? If you do, what are their names? And what do you like doing with them the most?

  30. Sienna Lee –

    Sure, I like games. The ones i play with my family the most are gin rummy and Monopoly Deal (which is a card game that is far more fun than the actually Monopoly game).

    I have two children who I have dedicated many of my books to, so it’s not too hard to figure out their names: Dashiell and Violet.

  31. Stuart Gibbs –

    that’s cool! I like playing games like UNO and Dobble with my family.

    On Sunday we’re going to try another new board game!

    I’ve never played any of those games before, maybe it’s not in our country.
    But anyhow they sound fun!

    BTW, do your children get ur book first before it gets published to everyone??

  32. Sienna Lee –

    My children are able to read early drafts of my books, long before anyone else gets to read them.

  35. Hello Mr Gibbs,
    My friend has been writing a book and I have been giving him advice for the plot of it, but we ran into a roadblock about when you should add a plot twist, so could you please explain when and when not you would add or not add a plot twist?

  36. Yusef Iqbai –

    To be honest, I really can’t tell you when and when not to add a plot twist in your story — because I’m not writing it. Every story is different. Every writer writes differently. In fact, we probably even have different definitions of what a plot twist is. I don’t know anything about your friend’s story or what kind of plot twist he is even imagining. The best I can say is: If your friend feels like he has come to the correct point in his story to add a plot twist, then his instinct is probably right.

  37. Mr. Gibbs,

    Hope you’re doing well! I have a question. Every summer I write a story inspired by a different genre. Last year I wrote an adventure story about a crew of lady pirates sailing the Caribbean. But for this year, I’m unsure of what to do next. I could do one about an explorer, I could do a western or a space opera… How do I decide which idea stems my interest most? How do you yourself decide which idea you’re going to follow next? Love your books!

    Thanks,

    Tyler

  38. Tyler M –

    Generally, the idea I decide to write is the one that I can’t stop thinking about. It has to be an idea that excites me because i am going to spend the next two years of my life working on it. So I would pick the idea that excites you the most too.

  39. Dear Mr. Gibbs,
    I am 11 years old and love your books. Me and my friend are writing a second book to our series, but we are kinda getting stuck on some boring parts that neither of us want to write. We don’t want to quit because we have already spent 16 months on our first book (The Lion Kidnapper) Thanks 🙂

    P.S. The Lion Kidnapper = The Lying Kidnapper

  40. Alison G –

    The best advice I can give is, if you think a part of your book is boring, then you should either figure out a way to not have that scene in your book, or you need to figure out how to make it more interesting.

  42. John –

    It is a lot of work to make new videos and we haven’t scheduled a time to shoot more yet, so it will be a while.

  43. – Mr. Gibbs

    I really like all your books and I have read all of them (except the graphic novels, which I don’t read). I am really excited for the new spy school book. Are you going to make any new series because I have finished everything and I know I will finish the new spy school book really fast (I finish good books super fast). If you do I would be really excited. Thanks!

    – Someone

  44. Someone –

    I am not planning any new series at this time. Instead, I am planning to continue all my current series.

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