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I write about the beginnings, middles, and endings that fuel our stories...Statistics for The Backstory
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I know next to nothing about basketball, but when March Madness hits, I see people scrambling to predict who will win. They even put down money to back their frenzied calculations.
It can be like that with that first idea when you are writing. It explodes in a mad frenzy of possibilities. All we want is that big win at the end. And we want to get to the end. As soon as possible. Now. Do not pass Go. Do not pause to collect the two hundred dollars.
When we are first getting our story down on paper, it may be fragmented. As my writer friends know, I am a fan of working in coffee shops, and I use coffee shop analogies freely and often. So . . . imagine a busy coffee shop—in a big city. You have just moved to the neighborhood and you are visiting it for the first time.
There is a lot going on, but a great deal of it is just a thin surface layer. You go into the coffee shop and the customers are all your characters, major and minor. You see them—you might see what they are wearing, but you really don’t know anything about them yet.
You hear bits and pieces of conversations, but you aren’t interacting with anyone but the barista or the guy at the counter.
You are seated in a corner by yourself, trying to make sense of all that is going on around you. People are on their laptops, not paying any attention to you. People are in pairs and groups, having their own conversations. You are excited about being in this new place, but you really aren’t comfortable yet.
The next day, things get a little more familiar. You notice some people from the day before. Someone gives you a recognizing nod. You start to notice how the customers are interacting with each other. You sense the tension between the couple by the window. You notice the woman off to the side appears to have slept in her clothes. You start to wonder about their stories.
Each day, each revision, you add another layer.
You may think you have your story down pat—especially if you are an extensive note taker or an outliner. I heard about a writer, who wrote her entire novel in her head while she was gardening. Finished the entire thing. Then she went home and put the words down on paper.
We all want to be done. It’s human nature to want to see a job through to the end. It is the best feeling in the world to type THE END. But for a writer, the first time you type those words, it usually just means the beginning. It’s the beginning of your layering process. The beginning of your revision.
I used to hate it. But I look forward to it now. It means my words are turning into a real story. So don’t get sucked in by the March Madness. Slow down and enjoy the ride.
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Blog: The Backstory (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Annie Dillard says, “ . . . spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good … give it, give it all, give it now. Something more will arise for later, something better.” This wisdom has become one of my favorite recipes for writing.
I love this, because I am guilty of saving my writing. But really, for what am I saving it? A perfectly good idea can end up like back-of-the-refrigerator food--something that was perfectly good on Saturday, but ended up getting stashed away and wasted by next Friday. I have a million little notebooks—I always have one going, as do most of the writers I know. But if a good line comes to you—or a great character idea—or some fantastic setting details, find a way to put it in right now. Don’t let it disappear forever into the pages of your journal; get it down on a page of your book.
H.G. Wells had another great writing recipe. He said, “If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise; attack it at an hour when it isn’t expecting it.”
I am a big proponent of writing at the same time everyday. It may just be a mind game that I play with myself, but I truly believe that my body and mind get used to this 5:00 a.m. time. The words automatically start trickling out after I’ve had my first few sips of coffee. The routine of it all works for me. However, we have all gotten to a point in our story where either we, or the story feels stagnant. So try again. Try it at 5:00 p.m., instead. If you are too tired at this time, because your first writing time of the day was at 5 a.m., go for a walk. Let the ideas start to flow. Do what makes your mind wander to your story. Walking, running, riding your bike, cooking, baking, knitting…be open to it, and your characters might just start talking to you.
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Paula Danziger definitely had it right. She knew how to create a truth-telling world. This is the draw-you-in-immediately-make-you-laugh-sob-and-wet-your-pants-all-at-the-same-time kind of telling the truth.
Wonderful to read, but not so easy to write.
But once you actually get down to adding that emotional layer--once you are actually laughing, sobbing, and wetting your pants while you are typing, it's going to be the most satisfying kind of work you can do.
My editor, Reka Simonsen, used to say to me, "Dig Deeper."
So that's my challenge for you this week. Think of things that make you cringe and write down exactly what you are feeling. Then give that feeling to one of your characters. Drum up that embarrassing moment--you know which one. Then pass it on to one of your characters. Go ahead. You got this.
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I have always been partial to anything that is broken-down and decrepit or unusual, because such things always spark a story for me. I can't help but imagine: Who lived there? What went on in that place over the years?
Some people feel that in order for a place in a story to feel authentic, it has to be a very familiar place -- a place the author has experienced in great detail. But I don't necessarily agree. We can add details in a such a way that it becomes real and familiar.
And I think that setting is very subjective. We experience setting in the same way that we experience people. We all see and notice different details around us. Think about giving someone directions, for example. Some of us will deliver what I call the MapQuest version, using strictly mileage and left and right turns, while most of my writer and illustrator friends will use color, shape, and landmarks.
The details of settings add emotion to the story, because we can actually have strong emotional reactions to places, especially when we have our own history there. Certain elements may spark vivid memories, both good and not so wonderful--your childhood home, for example.
The setting is the holder of the large details, and more importantly, the tiny, sharp details of the character's world. The writer is coloring the picture for the reader. I always hope that my reader will feel as if s/he is eavesdropping -- as if s/he is a fly on the wall of the setting. Your unique setting allows the reader to crawl into your story.
My invitation to you writers out there: Notice a detail of a place as you are out driving or walking. It stands out to you in some way, but you may have no idea how or why this is. You do know that you can completely picture your character there. Write it. Do it now. See where it takes you...
I am cross-posting over at Smack-Dab-In-the-Middle today ... and I am looking at the frozen New England tundra of my back yard, with serious doubts that anything will ever grow there again. I'd much rather think about growing characters. I can't make the dirt-streaked snow melt, but I can do whatever I want with my characters.
E.B. White said, "Don't write about man. Write about a man."
I love that quote, because it reminds me that a well-drawn character takes a story to a completely different level. If a reader does this well, she can make her reader laugh, or cry -- or both.
By creating real characters, a writer can bring out raw emotion in the reader. I'm not only talking about realistic fiction, either. I'm talking about creating a character so real, that without even noticing, the reader invites that character into his life. Well after he has put the book down, he is quoting the character, or saying things like, "That sounds like something Bilbo Baggins would do." ...or..."I'm more of a Gryffindor than a Hufflepuff."
So to create real characters, you have to go out and look at real people. Eavesdrop and study mannerisms and quirks. Don't keep to yourself. (Change out of your pajamas and get out from behind that computer screen.) You need to mingle--to be nosy. You need to talk to strangers. Strike up a conversation with the least likely person. I'm not asking you to go chat up the meth dealer on the corner, but talk to someone who you think is the least like you.
Then write down what those strangers say-- and not just what they say, but how they say it. How do they stand, sit, move? What are they doing with their hands?
Write it down. All of it. Take a piece of one person, and a phrase from another. Add. Water. Prune. Your characters are beginning to grow...I can't wait to meet them.
Beware!
Watch out!
Heed my warning!
We can always exercise a little caution in our lives. But can we be too cautious as writers?
Sometimes we need to ignore the caution flag and step out of our comfort zones.
I'd be willing to bet that you have at least one idea that's been lurking around in a back out-of-the-way mind cavern. It may have been stashed away eons ago, because it's a little out of the ordinary or too away from the mainstream. Maybe someone tried to convince you that nobody was buying/reading (blank) right now.
Ignore the soothsayer's warning and uncover that idea. Peel off the layers and let it grow into a story. It's hung around for so long for a reason, don't you think?
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Amira, just twelve years old and in the midst of civil war-torn Sudan, wants nothing more than to learn to read and write and to attend school. I fell in love with little Amira from Andrea Davis Pinkney's first word in her stunning new novel, THE RED PENCIL.
I was reminded of how words and teachers have made me who I am as a person, as a third-generation teacher, and as a writer.
I most likely wouldn't be here if my grandmother hadn't been allowed to stay in school. She was born to a family of several children and would have been required to quit school early on and help on the farm and care for her younger siblings. An education wasn't considered important for a girl.
She was born without fingers on her left hand. Her father thought she would never marry. He knew she would need to be able to support herself, so she was allowed to go to school. She graduated and became a teacher. She and the man who would become my grandfather wrote long letters back and forth before they were married. He had lost one of his legs when he was run over by a cart in Ireland.
I wish I had those letters, but I was lucky enough to have my grandma in my life until I was twenty. I loved that hand of hers, especially when I was a little girl. Instead of holding my hand, I held hers. It fit perfectly in my kid-sized hand.
I remember exactly what her watch looked like on her narrow wrist. But what I remember even more clearly is her voice. She couldn't carry a tune at all, but she sang out loudly from the church pew. I can remember the rise and fall of that wonderful voice as she recited her favorite poems to me. Poems she'd learned in school.
Thank you, Grandma, for teaching me the power of letters and words. And thank you, Andrea Davis Pinkney, for the power of The Red Pencil.
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Resolve is not only the perfect blog theme for the beginning of 2015, it is also the ideal theme for writing, especially in the verb sense of the word.
It means to sort something out, to fix it, to straighten it and find a solution. It means to decide firmly on a course of action or to figure it all out.
As writers, and as human beings in general, we are constantly trying to step over that slippery puddle that has the word, FEAR hidden beneath that thin layer of precarious winter ice.
So . . . I CHALLENGE YOU THIS MONTH. Whether it's your novel, your first marathon, that mysterious stain in the upstairs bathroom . . . maybe it's that dream job you've been dying to make your own or that intimidating volume of Proust you've been wanting to tackle . . .
Get your resolve on and make it happen.
I leave you with one more Amy Poehler quote (because I kind of want to be her when I grow up):
Writers can harvest ideas at the drop of a pick axe, right? As soon as we sit down and touch our fingers to the computer keys, those brilliant ideas just spill out onto the page like giant raindrops . . . right?
Yesterday, I gave a mini workshop on grabbing onto ideas and putting them into a story.
I explained that you must make the reader fall in love with your character from the very first second, so that they will cry right along with your character when bad things happen, and cheer for them until the very last page.
A woman sat in front of me, listening intently, with a pained expression on her face.
Great, I thought. My talk must completely stink, and she'll be heading for the door at any moment.
But she finally raised her hand tentatively. "I have lots of ideas," she said.
"Do you write them down?" I asked. "What's the idea that is closest to your heart?"
She hesitated for a moment, then went on to talk about her characters and her setting.
"Does your character have a problem?" I asked.
The pained expression soaked into her face again. "I don't want to give her too much of a problem. I would feel too bad for her."
"It will keep your reader turning the page," I explained.
Then, as if the Writer Fairy had cast her magic wand, in walked my friend and author-extraordinaire Eric Luper. "You have to do it," he said.
We tag-teamed the poor woman, trying to convince her that the worse things got for her character, the more her readers would want to--and have to turn the page.
I hope she is home today feeling truly bad for her character. I hope she is crying sloppy tears as she harvests her ideas and makes her character's situation almost untenable -- almost. Then I hope those tears become joyful ones as her character climbs out from under the heavy rock pile.
Now I'm going to go and try taking my own advice. The character in my WIP had better be prepared, because things are going to get ugly . . .
My cousin talked me into it on an unsuspecting Seattle summer evening a year ago.
Today is my day to post over at Smack-Dab-in-the-Middle, so to save you a click, I'll be cross-posting here:
I am a definite fan of book trailers. In our digital media-rich world, it's important to use anything we can to get kids to pick up a book.
The strangest thing happened yesterday. I was getting to work on this month's Smack Dab blog post which happened to be about book trailers (!), when I saw a tweet from library media specialist, Lori Kirtley, with a link to a book trailer that she and her fourth graders had done for my first book, ALSO KNOWN AS HARPER. It took serendipity to a whole new level. Seriously, what are the chances of that happening?
I direct messaged Lori to get permission to post it, so here it is:
Book Trailer for ALSO KNOWN AS HARPER
Thank you, Lori!
In making the video for my second book, A FINDERS-KEEPERS PLACE, I called upon cheap child labor, also known as my daughter, Holly. She has a cameo in the video, but she may not appreciate my telling everyone. Also, she may be huffy about her paycheck which is apparently still "in the mail". Please click below:
Book Trailer for A FINDERS-KEEPERS PLACE by Ann Haywood Leal
What do those words have in common? I can't say! I want to, but I am of Irish background, and something very terrible could happen if I give too much away.
Holly Schindler |
Something I can say, is that I was thrilled to be asked to blog hop with the wonderful Holly Schindler.
Please check out her blog HERE.
Here are Holly's questions for me:
1. What am I working on now?
I am a little superstitious about giving too much away (must be the Irish in me!). I am actually working on two things right now. The first is a middle-grade novel with an unusual setting. It has been both the most difficult thing I've ever written and the most fun. The second is also middle-grade, and I'll only give away two words:
"escape" and "lost".
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Hmmm... very good question. My first two books have been realistic fiction about pretty serious subjects. Of my two current works-in-progress, the first probably pushes the realistic part of realistic fiction, and the second includes a lot more humor.
3. Why do I write what I do?
I am on a constant quest to write the book that would make my twelve-year-old self race to the shelf in the library. I would love to give my readers that same urgent "can't-wait-to-get-my-hands-on-it" urgency.
4. How does my writing process work?
I usually start with a setting ... then I wait for the characters to show up. I try to drop myself right into the setting and imagine what might have happened there. Who lived there, and what might have gone wrong?
Please don't forget to visit some of my fabulous author friends at the next stops on the tour:
Jolie Stekly: www.cuppajolie.blogspot.com
Jolie Stekly is a freelance writer and novelist, teacher, fitness instructor, and former SCBWI co-regional advisor of the Western Washington chapter. She now directs the fall retreats for the region. Jolie is a member of "Team Blog" for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and was awarded SCBWI's 2009 Member-of-the-Year.
Deborah Lytton: http://deborahlytton.blogspot.com
Debby Lytton is a writer and actress who grew up in front of the camera, beginning her career at age six when she was discovered by a Hollywood agent. Her acting credits include five years on the hit daytime soap opera Days of our Lives as “Melissa Anderson." Debby is also an attorney and most importantly, a mother of two.
Debby's debut novel JANE IN BLOOM (Dutton Children's Books) was honored by the Missouri Association of School Librarians with Third Place in the Truman Awards (2011-2012) and was chosen by Chicago Public Library as one of the Best of the Best Books of 2009. JANE IN BLOOM was also selected by the Kansas National Education Association for the 2010 Kansas State Reading Circle Catalog.
Going up the wobbly path at Smack-Dab-in-the-Middle today...http://smack-dab-in-the-middle.blogspot.com
It will happen without warning to the true book believer.
Don't be afraid...just take a look by clicking HERE.
I am blogging over at Smack-Dab-in-the-Middle today. I'll give a word list preview:
*ambulance
*prison
*police car
...come on over and see what's going on! http://smack-dab-in-the-middle.blogspot.com
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