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"  I&amp;#039;m always wildly impressed by authors who manage to write their novels while also juggling a full time job, especially when they&amp;#039;re 9 to 8 (really, who only works &amp;#039;till 5 anymore?) is tied to writing and editing. I used to work with Katherine Kingsley, author of the YA seriesPretty On The Outside, at a men&amp;#039;s magazine about four years ago. In fact, she took over my old job as an editorial assistant, working for two of the masthead&amp;#039;s most prominent (read: busiest) editors. So of course, I had to ask her how in the world she found the time to pen a YA novel about British young things ruling their posh prep school in London then actually getting it published with two others on the way. Here&amp;#039;s what she had to say:  You were working at GQ as an editorial assistant when you wrote the first novel, Pretty On The Outside. How did you find time to write? Actually, it wasn&amp;#039;t so much about finding time to write\u2014even beleaguered assistants have evenings and weekends off. It was about resolving to write in my spare time instead of doing other stuff. Not that that was so easy. I was in my twenties in NYC. There were infinite temptations\u2014partying, shopping, brunching, going to galleries with friends. But I made writing my priority. I made sure that the weekends weren&amp;#039;t just one long hangover recovery. I also moved out of Manhattan to a bigger apartment in Brooklyn, which made staying at home and writing a lot easier\u2014there were less distractions, and I didn&amp;#039;t have to use my bed as a desk.  Did you ever write at work? Ummm, maybe... I&amp;#039;m hoping my old boss isn&amp;#039;t reading this. But that didn&amp;#039;t work out so well\u2014it was like I was trying to live two separate lives in the same space\u2014one minute, writing for professional guys; the next minute, writing for teenage girls. Cynics might say that there&amp;#039;s not much difference between those two demographics! But the writing I did at home was invariably better. What&amp;#039;s your advice for aspiring writers out there that have a full time job but want to start a novel or a short story? Forget the excuses and just do it. Switch off your phone. Disconnect your Internet. Actively schedule evenings in. Also, choose yourself an editor. Pick a friend\u2014not a boyfriend\u2014whose opinion and editing instincts you respect, and set a date for them to read your work. Then stick to that date. Motivation is key\u2014and there&amp;#039;s nothing as motivating as a deadline.  Who are some of your favorite young adult authors and why? Philip Pullman. His books are brilliantly imagined, able to transport you to fascinating times, places and situations. Sarah Dessen. She writes edgy but vulnerable characters and I love her use of imagery. Cecily von Zeigesar. Seriously. The first two Gossip Girl novels are hilarious, addictive, and cleverly observed. Charlotte Bronte. Ok, so she&amp;#039;s not a teen author, but I think Jane Eyre is the ultimate teen romance. It&amp;#039;s got everything: love; mystery; a young, passionate heroine discovering the world. What more could you want?  How did you come up with the idea for the series? While I was interning (during college) at a children&amp;#039;s publisher in New York, I noticed how much teen fiction there was about American high school. The Brits were completely under-represented. I started thinking about my friends back in London, and the wealthy boarding-school crowd popped into my head. British upper class teens have such glamorous traditions, such crazy families, and such jet-setting lifestyles, that the opportunity to write about them just seemed too good to be true.  How did you get your book deal? I spent a year coming up with my characters, plotting the first book, and writing seven chapters (about fifty pages)\u2014all on weekends while I was working full time. Then I sent out my proposal and sample chapters to publishers, and waited. And waited. I ended up getting a book deal on the morning of my 27th birthday. Needless to say, it was the best present of my life. Photo: Courtesy of Simon Pulse "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/culture/books/news/a4034/katherine-kingsley-on-how-being-a-writer-can-be-two-full-time-jobs-4615/>