Turning daydreams into a best-seller.

• Position: Christopher Paolini - Brief Article - Interview

At 15, Christopher Paolini began writing a story about a teenage boy and his dragon. That story became Eragon, a New York Times best-seller and soon-to-be motion picture. A second book, Eldest, reached stores in August. Paolini, now 21, spoke with Upfront about being a published author.

What's the hardest part of writing?

Sitting down every morning and writing. It's very easy for me to come up with story ideas ... but it's having to just work at it consistently.

Were you surprised at the popularity of Eragon?

Very surprised. I just tried to write a story that I would enjoy reading myself, and I was lucky enough to write something that other people enjoyed as well.

What are the major themes that you dear with?

Some of the themes are the difficulty of deciding...