“I start with an idea or a problem or a conflict, or even a situation t...” — Sharon Draper Quote

“I start with an idea or a problem or a conflict, or even a situation that might be pertinent to the lives of young people, then the characters grow from that point. I try to make strong characters that change and develop and learn from their mistakes.”

“I learned to dream through reading, learned to create dreams through writing, and learned to develop dreamers through teaching. I shall always be a dreamer. Come dream with me.”

“When students ask me today, 'What do you think we should learn from this book?' I tell them, 'Whatever you got out of it.'”

“With the 'Hazelwood High' trilogy, I wasn't sure I was writing a trilogy. I would just write one book, then another, and then another, because the young adults who wrote me told me that they wanted to read more.”

“I try to give a voice to teens, who might be afraid to speak up about difficult issues, and a platform for parents and teachers to have frank, meaningful discussions with those young people.”

“When a mother quarrels with a daughter, she has a double dose of unhappiness hers from the conflict, and empathy with her daughter's from the conflict with her. Throughout her life a mother retains this special need to maintain a good relationship with her daughter.”

“The sad fact is that horrendous human conflict is nothing new.”

“Wenger is an immense manager and a great man. He takes care of his players, maybe too much. He's not a man of conflict.”

“'Once Upon a Time', 'Mirror Mirror' - those shows and films focus on women and their conflict with one another. What the heck is going on in contemporary fairy tales? Women are not dominating the world; they are not evil.”

“For storytelling purposes, there has to be conflict, but that doesn't mean the people have to be mean. I've never liked mean-spirited comedy.”

“I think it's a lot easier to tell a war story about two sides of a conflict with one another as opposed to one side in conflict with itself.”