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You never forget your first...car. Well, my son's first car is officially a goner. Purchased new by my mom in 1996, it was passed down first to my sister, next to my older son, and then to my younger son. We had so hoped it would last until he leaves for college in late August, but poor old Chrystal succumbed to a deadly mix of oil and antifreeze.
This got me thinking about what cars mean to boys. How cars mean way more than transportation. They mean freedom.
So I decided to give a car to a favorite boy of mine. Not my son. I adore the kid, but he'll have to share my Prius for the next four months. Nope. I'm giving a car to my main character.
One of my favorite books with a car as an important player is John Green's PAPER TOWNS. Quentin drives a lot. Unfortunately, he drive his mom's minivan. (Full disclosure, we have one of those, too.) And the scene where his parents finally give him a car of his own is laugh out loud funny.
So for funsies, I'm giving my MC his own set of wheels. Now he can get around, get out of town, get into and out of more trouble than before.My first car was a station wagon -- about as cool as a minivan in those days. But I loved it. Loved driving. Loved loading up the back seat with more friends than I should have and cruising about.
Remember your first car?
In my last post I suggested that it might be “easier to juggle giraffes than to sell a rhyming picture book manuscript” (see “
Giraffe Juggling”). That’s still true, but at the moment, I feel like I’ve caught a giraffe and am bracing myself for the toss.
The latest critique of my rhyming PB manuscript left me stymied by a new question: “Have you thought about where you might submit this?” Submit? Really?
Immersed in meter, plot and my thesaurus, I had resolved not to consider next steps. I consulted the wonderful resources you readers suggested (thank you!), and revised, revised, revised. And, surprise -- the manuscript earned a thumbs up from my critique partners.
I am thrilled to see light at the end of the revision tunnel. Admittedly, the manuscript is needs tweaks, but they feel manageable. Today, my efforts to hone this craft made a difference and lifted me to a new level of confidence. I’m not juggling yet, but at least the giraffe is within my grasp. I know this is just the beginning of a confidence-deflating process (ah, rejections) but still, I'm looking forward to launching that giraffe skyward. So this is my way of encouraging all you frustrated writers out there: Keep at it! You can catch a giraffe too.
I’ve never met agent sister
Brigid Kemmerer in person, but after interviewing her for The Paper Wait, I feel like I’ve had a virtual cup of coffee with her! Brigid is the author of the
Elemental series. The first book
Storm is due out Tuesday, April 24th. If that’s too long a wait for you, the awesome prequel,
Elemental, is available for download NOW. Last week she took time out of her busy schedule to chat with me about craft.
Four brothers who can control the elements – how cool is that! How did you get the idea for the Elemental Series?
The first novel I wrote in high school was about four vampire brothers, named Michael, Nicholas, Gabriel, and Christopher. It was a silly story, but I still have most of it on paper. In my twenties, when I really began to take writing seriously, I wrote a few books but was unable to find a literary agent or a publisher. I couldn’t get those four brothers out of my head – but I didn’t want to do vampires again. I started tossing around ideas that would work with the number four. Four horsemen of the apocalypse. Four leaf clovers. Four, four, four. The four elements of earth, air, fire, and water seemed to work best—and I had a lot of ideas how I could make it fun. What teenagers wouldn’t want to be able to control the elements?
Did you originally set out to write a series or is that something that came after you began writing?
I love discovering new series, so I wrote the book with the hope that I’d be able to write more—and luckily Kensington chose to buy three! Storm is out on April 24, Spark will be released on August 24, and Spirit is scheduled for early next summer. When I originally started the series, I planned on having the books follow Becca’s point of view all the way through, much like Bella in Twilight or Katniss in The Hunger Games. I’d even written half of Storm entirely from Becca’s point of view. But then I realized I was selling the brothers short, that they should each get a chance to tell their story. I went back and rewrote the first half of Storm to include Chris’s side of things, and it just developed organically from there.
In regards to the prequel, Elemental, I actually wrote that after Storm was completely finished, and I was halfway through Spark. There’s a lot of reference to an event five years before the events in Storm, and the short story came together easily.
What inspires you to write – do you start with characters or plot?
Characters! Wait. And plot! No, seriously. I think one of the greatest writing mistakes is starting with a scenario instead of a plot. (I used to do that all the time, and my books ended up long and rambling.) Starting with a scenario is easy: it’s like coming home and saying to your spouse, “I stopped off at the grocery store, but armed men jumped out of the freezer aisle.”
Instant conflict, instant excitement. But if you don’t start the story knowing what those armed men want, and how the story is going to ultimately resolve itself, you’ll spend 400 pages floundering around trying to figure out your plot. That’s what I had to make myself do with Storm. I knew what the ultimate conflict was going to be, and I kept my eye on the ball the whole time. That’s when I finally sold a novel.
What have you learned on y
The other day, I was discussing with my family whether people can change. Actually, it wasn't so much a discussion as me posing a theory, them agreeing, and then all of us providing more and more evidence. Which is pretty much my favourite kind of discussion, at least while on holiday.
My theory was that it is very difficult, very difficult, and relatively rare, for people to change themselves. (And this has an implication for novelists, as you'll see.)
Of course people do change. We know that. Any individual changes a tiny bit each day, imperceptibly, adding up to large changes over decades. Sometimes, changes can be more sudden, especially during the growing up years. Various landmarks change us: leaving school/university, having children/not having children, close bereavement, major changes of circumstances. These bring changes to our personalities over the years, and changes to our habits.
But these changes tend to be a) gradual b) an adaptation to changed surroundings/ environment/ people around us and c) largely involuntary. They do not answer the question: CAN people change? In other words, can they change when they want to? Can we often change our behaviours when we see a negative consequence, or, indeed, a positive one? (I know that people sometimes can - change addictive behaviours, for example - but they generally need a great deal of help and intervention.)
The reason I was thinking about this was because I am hopelessly useless at changing bad behaviours. How many times have I looked at the bathroom scales and said that I was going to eat less, exercise more? (Twice today, anyway.) How many times have I made resolutions to drink more water and less wine; eat more fruit and less sugar; not buy ice-cream "just in case one of my daughters comes home unexpectedly"; do an hour's writing before answering emails; say no to speaking engagements; spend less time at my desk; enjoy weekends properly; be less of a workaholic; get less cross when people are stupid; not snap at my husband (no link there to the previous remark!); do more gardening and cooking (hobbies which I love and are good for me); get up from my desk every hour? Countless times, is how many. And I never change my habits. At all.
I am utterly beholden to my adult, middle-aged personality, which happens to be that of a driven workaholic, hopelessly Type A, unstoppably entrepreneurial, unable to say no to any exciting idea that pops into my head at four in the morning. I was different when I was fourteen and will probably be different when I'm 84. But there is no discernible change between how I am now at 50, how I was when I was 40 or 30. I have a whole different life, but my bad habits and behaviours I'd dearly like to alter remain stubbornly unaltered, even though I recognise completely that changing would be good for me and probably give me a longer life.
SO, writers and readers, why oh why oh why oh why do the characters in our books always have to change and develop? Even if the action takes place over two weeks, or two days. It seems to be one of the unbreakable rules of novels.
The Carnegie Medal even has criteria for characterisation, including:
Are the characters believable and convincing?
Are they [the characters] well-rounded, and do they develop during the course of the book?
Do they act consistently in character throughout the book?
You know, it rather bugs me that a character
must develop during the course of what may be a very short timespan
Plot driven vs. character driven-- I love them both. But even books with the most crazy, imaginative plots (HUNGER GAMES, anyone?) better give me characters that make me care. Characters I want to spend time with. Characters I HAVE to root for. Characters that break my heart.
When I read HUNGER GAMES, I was ready to jump in and watch Katniss's back. And I was Team Peeta all the way. But in John Green's latest novel, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, Hazel and Augusta did more than break my heart. They shattered it.
Green's writing is so much more than witty dialogue and gritty truths. He finds ways to show fierceness and bravery in simple, unexpected choices.
Augusta doesn't smoke cigarettes. He dangles them. His biggest character tic is one of choice. That unlit cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth screams in frustration and pain, boasts of triumphs great and small, and shouts out laughter and fear.
All by choice. Augusta's choice.
In THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, lots of stuff happens that the characters can't control. And that broke my heart. But the choices they made -- well, that's what shattered it.
Author in a quandary - should I use past tense or present tense in my novel? Big decision. Big difference.
Deirdre F. Baker's thoughtful article about the effect of past or present tense in novels appeared in the January/February issue of Horn Book.
"Present Tensions, or It's All Happening Now" is an interesting take on the relationship between tense and the author's role:
"The past tense shows the narrator, perhaps even the author, quietly admitting responsibility for the way the story is told, admitting that it's a product of looking back and seeing the threads of cause-and-effect. It's a silent declaration on the author's part: this is an act of interpretation, of art, with what I see as the meaningful bits included in the story."
So what about prose written in the present tense?
"Of course the story in the present tense is also shaped, but the present tense hides that influence. We don't have the past tense-tense assurance that the narrator has made sense of what's happening. . . In this way the present tense is a layer of concealment over the writer's influence on the way the story is told . . . The present tense is reportage or live drama."
Deirdre Baker also points out that present tense is the tense of Twitter, Facebook and the video culture of You Tube. "Re-viewing makes the past present." I never thought of it that way. Fascinating.
In addition to tense, of course, the author needs to choose a POV. I tend to prefer past tense no matter what the POV or subject.
Do you have a favorite combination of tense and POV? And how much does subject matter control these decisions?
Flipping through cable the other night, I came across the show "My Strange Addiction" on TLC. I don't normally watch it but found myself morbidly fascinated as I watched a clip of a guy in love,
like physically in love, with his car. Odd, to say the least, but it made me rethink the post I'd been working on for fear that you, gentle readers, may think I've gone bonkers.
Then I thought,
nah. Forge ahead.
So here is my "strange writing addiction"...
I'm crushing on my antagonist.
First off, no, this is NOT a physical relationship, and maybe it's not me, but my MC who's fascinated by...let's call him Luke. In my mind (and in my outline!) he started as a supporting role but suddenly? He wants to steal the show and my heroine's heart.
Thing is...Luke is selfish, mean and manipulative. And of course, totally hot, but a jerk all the same.
So what's a writer to do?
Years ago, I was in an online writing course and our chat somehow lead to the topic of "characters speaking to you". One woman confessed that her characters had told her how to rearrange the furniture in her living room. Thankfully, I was behind a computer and not in front of her rolling my eyes and whispering "They make meds for that, don't they?" to a classmate next to me. At that point, I just thought it was weird.
And now, here's Luke. Sitting next to me, convincing me to write a blog post about him. That's all sorts of sick...isn't it? I even defended him to my crit partners. I cringed when someone called him a turd. No he's not! You just don't get him. I thought.
And then I thought...WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?
I know there are schools of thought in writing that tell us to just go with it, to follow a character, see what comes out of their mouths, let them romp around and we're there to just write it all down. And a lot of times this works for me, when I get out of my own way and let the characters speak, scenes feel more natural and everything just sort of clicks into place. But do you think there's ever a time when a character is speaking a little too loud? A little too insistent, no matter, um, how charming he or she happens to be?
So my question Paper Waiters is this: How do you know if your character is driving you to the best possible scene or completely derailing you? What do you do? Reign them in or let them be?
*My original bad boy crush. Matt Dillon. There is no rhyme or reason for this picture being included with this post except that it's damn sexy - in spite of the cigarette, but I'll let him get away with it because he is, after all, a bad boy...
Usually I live on a literary diet that ranges from the Gruffalo to the Gallagher Girls and the munchables in between. I rarely pick up books intended for adults. But this week has been different. I've had two experiences that have made me, not change my view of books exactly, but have made me think more carefully about what I do.
First, on the recommendation of
Rosy Thornton, I'm reading James Wood's
How Fiction Works. It's a short book of literary criticism. It's a manual on how books function. It's a thesis on modernism. It's pretty good, really. I have found that what I thought was writerly intuition, is in fact a cultural construct that I can't escape. The close-third-person points of view of my characters have come to me in a line of influence directly from Flaubert. Who'd have thought?
The second experience I had was hearing Hisham Matar speak about his work at the
Bath Festival of Literature. He discussed the process of writing
In the Country of Men. So much of what he said sounded so right that I was a bit dazzled by it all. In much the same way people with faith might feel when they hear an inspiration preacher. (As an aside, he read from his work and described being in the shade in Tripoli as being in 'grey patches of mercy' - yum.) What I took from the talk was that Matar is secretive about his work as he writes, then confused and surprised by it when it's done. He also said that to write was an act of praise; that by taking, naming and recording we were celebrating living.
I loved the idea that I am part of a tradition of writing that goes back centuries. Like a beacon fire passing information across great distances, our words record what it means to be alive now, our concerns and preoccupations, our joys and fears.
Reading what were contemporary novels when they were written, but are now 'classics' offer us a way to time travel. Austen is a favourite writer of mine; her wit is surprising to us, given the ponderous length of her sentences. But her sentence length is just
when she was. Her wit is
what she was. She was a product of her time as much as we are and we can visit that time by opening her books. She noticed, named and recorded the early nineteenth century
Next time I sit down to write a novel (which will be in April, I expect), I will have a deeper understanding of the tools I have at my disposal. I'll also bear in mind that every detail I choose to include can be seen as an act of praise. An act of celebrating life as I'm living it. Unless it's a book about squabbling siblings, or missing animals, or urban covens. In which case it will just be business as usual. But right now, I'm inspired.
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I am a great fan of regional writers like the southeast Florida writer, Carl Hiaasen and the southwestern writer, Tony Hillerman. They know the areas in which they live so well that reading their books is like taking a mini vacation. What makes an interesting comparison is how they write for children.
In his adult books, Hillerman's characters reappear and by the time you've read several of them, they've become old friends. His retelling of a Zuni myth, "The Boy Who Made Dragonfly," is distinctly written for children. Hillerman's love for the southwest and his knowledge of Southwestern Indian life and lore permeate all of his work.
In Hiaasen's books for adults, different characters, but with the same weaknesses and outlandish attitudes of characters in earlier novels appear in subsequent novels. Hiaasen has a fondness for detailing the environmental challenges of south Florida. He's known for crazy, complicated plots. making his books great vacation "reads."
But his children's books are a different matter. "Flush," "Scat," and "Hoot," are first class. In each he has crafted a plot with the environment at stake, nefarious or crazy adults, and a child hero. Compared to his adult books, the plots are tight and the characters realistic. These books read easily and well. His latest book, "Chomp," is due out in March, and I'll be one fo the first to buy it. Adding to my enjoyment will be a good lesson in the art of writing.
As I near the finish line of my WIP, I'm beginning to think about my next novel. Several ideas are fighting to be next in line, but today, one of them took the lead. I was in the mood.
Let me go back a few years. I had an idea for a middle grade ghost story set at the beach. I did some preliminary research, knew my two protagonists, and knew who my ghost would be.
But now I also want to write a book about a kid in high school band -- I've got the plot structure for that one, but no plot yet. I've got the beginning of a YA about a theater kid that I want to get back to, and a YA mystery begging to be solved.
So what happened today to make that MG jump to the front of the pack?
Well, I went for a walk on the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ. I've walked that boardwalk countless times. My husband was born and raised there and my in-laws still live there. But today was different.
Today was...moody.
The sky was overcast, but the sun was breaking through in shafts of light right where the waves break. Sea Isle City, seen from a distance curving out and into the ocean, was shrouded in mist. The boardwalk was deserted. I was alone.
And more than anything, I wanted to write about it. I was in the mood.
I think my in-laws will see a lot of me this summer.
I'll share a photo when I get home to my own computer. Can't download from my phone on the one I'm using.
So does anyone else care to join me in a summer WIP? Plan it now and fast draft throughout the summer months? Come on in! The water's fine!
The other day I asked a nine year old girl what she was reading. She answered, "The Magic Thief." I asked her what she liked about it. "It has everything you would expect from a book."
A reader has expectations, either great or small; she wants the pages to draw her in and pull her along until the final page, where her expectations are fulfilled, and she reaches, hopefully, for the next book.
Those who teach creative writing say the worst sin a writer can commit is to bore his reader. Write, then, not for yourself, but for the reader.
Question: When writing in first person, who does your main character talk to?
When I began writing, I always considered my audience. My first novel was middle grade, so my main character spoke to a middle grade reader. As I wrote it, I pictured him speaking directly to the reader -- to every reader who picked up that book. He would tell that story to anyone willing to listen.
But now, as I revise a YA, I'm giving very careful thought as to whom my main character will confide his deepest personal thoughts and feelings.
MY WIP is written in past tense, which gives me more options than my first novel -- written in present tense -- did. So who does this boy talk to? And how does this choice color the way he tells his story?
Does he talk to a girl he is currently in love with, sitting on a dock, watching boats sail in and out? Or is he a little tipsy and telling the story of senior year to his freshman roommate? Or, is he talking to the reader, and if so, how far away is he from the timeline of the story? Each choice changes the way the story is told, unbeknownst to the reader.
I'm not ready to reveal the choice I made. After all, I'm still revising. I may change it again. And again. And again. But I do know one thing for certain. My main character deserves to tell his story to someone who will really listen.
So I ask all you first person writers -- who does your main character talk to?
I don’t go in for Writing Competitions, which is far more my laziness than an ideological position. Yet many people, including published writers, find them fun, possibly because of the attraction of a deadline. Nevertheless, I have just been the Secretary for a small, local writing competition.
The whole thing was organised by a newly formed Friends of the Library group and was publicised through the library, the local paper and other contacts. It was quite a success, especially the social evening when the Top Ten Ghost Stories were read aloud by a trio of experienced readers.
(Before you ask. While it can be important to honour writers by letting them read their own work, this library is large and has no microphone system. So it was far better to honour the works by letting the words be heard.)
Back to the Secretary role. We had fewer then a hundred entries but by the time the pile of envelopes had been emptied, I was very sure of what entrants to all postal writing competitions should know.
So. Things Not to Do when sending in to a Postal Competition.Do make sure you put on the correct value of stamps for an A4 envelope so that it reaches the destination. (Yes, I went to the nearby Sorting Office, because I wanted this first Competition to be a success. Yes, I got the envelope. Yes, I found it was from an elderly writer I actually knew. No, it didn’t win.)
Those impressive named judges are very unlikely to receive your entry directly, so any ”wow” factor such as decorative coloured envelopes will not reach them, let alone affect the judging. Stationery, in such quantities, is not as amusing as when one is idly luxuriating in stationery shops.
Be aware that triple-sealed envelopes will truly annoy the competition secretary. She or he may have to use scissors to get the wretched envelope open and might, by then, be in a very bad mood. You think your work is so precious? Then use a better quality envelope in the first place.
Come to that, use a better size envelope anyway. Do not fold your A4 story to fit into something designed for a notelet. Haven’t you just spent time on this story? Relatively, is this envelope a fitting choice? And you did use A4 paper, didn't you?
Use a cover sheet with title name, address and so on. However, do put the title of your piece clearly at the top of the first page too. And when you do, give the poor title a bit of room. Don’t cram it right at the top of the page and start your story a single line space below. You need to show you value your work.
Do put those page numbers on the top right hand corner. Please. Your story may be photocopied among several others as part of the judging process. Copying machines are erratic creatures, liable to break down at odd moments. It is very easy to (almost!) lose an un-numbered page - especially if the story is an informal dialogue between two un-named characters. If your story becomes a chosen piece, any numbering at the foot of pages will make it harder for performing readers to lightly check through the order of your story when reading.
Yet, after all the above, do not put your name on the top right hand corner of every page as well as numbering it. You can place the title there, but do make sure the page number is to the right and clear. Redacting those documents took a long time – and this was a small competition that I wanted to succeed. .
Finally. Never, ever, ever include any photograph or illustration when entering for a writing competition. Even if you have been taught extreme cut ‘
I'm a great believer in passion. I want to be passionate about what I write. And so far I have been. I can almost reach delusional about my characters, they become so real to me.
But what about marketability? Isn't that important, too? I'm not suggesting abandoning the passion and writing to trends, but a market tweak here and a trendy tweak there, might be the difference between publishing success and publishing silence.
I recently finished Nova Ren Suma's beautifully written Imaginary Girls. The family-based themes of parental distance and abandonment and sibling reverence and rivalry ring loud, clear and true. But the undercurrent of mystery and magical realism give this book a real twist. I'm certain the author was passionate about her characters, but by placing those characters in her magical world, she's done something really different. Something trendy? Maybe. But when wonderful characters, plus great writing, plus plot with a touch of trend, equals success, who can argue?
One of my favorite reality shows is Project Runway. If you’re not familiar with PR imagine the elevator pitch as this - Twelve unknown fashion designers vying for the chance to show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and win $100,000 to jumpstart their own line. Each week they are given challenges to create fresh, modern, fashion forward designs which are judged by a panel of experts. The culmination of each episode is the runway show, when we find who’s in and who’s out and who goes on to be in the final three (or four depending on how the fashion gods want to go that season) to compete at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.
I’m drawn to this show for many reasons - the drama, the fashion, but mostly I love to see creative minds in action. It fascinates me how the designers can take seemingly ridiculous challenges – like fashioning a garment out of supplies from a pet store (photo above) – and produce such breathtaking results. They aren’t always breathtaking. Some are downright disastrous and often there are epic fails (which usually produce the most hysterical one-liners from designer Michael Kors.) These components are what make this such an exciting show to watch unfold.
So where are the parallels to writing?
High Stakes – what makes this show so dramatic – other than the multitude of creative personalities – is what’s at stake each week – design something amazing or you’re out. Throw in some crazy materials, time limitations and team members that don’t get along and it’s a recipe for compelling drama.
Apply these same principles to your writing – intense situations, offbeat characters that clash and high stakes which can alter your protagonists life depending on if they meet their goals or not will help you craft a page turner.
Think Outside the Box – When you are limited to buying your design supplies from Petland Discount you have no choice but to think outside the box. How to apply that to your writing?
On every page. In your descriptions…dialogue…plot line…characters. Anything that remotely speaks mundane – think of a way to change it up, make it fresh and ultimately make it yours! Your unique voice.
Don’t Design for the Judges – In every season there’s a designer or two the judges seem to have something against. No matter what they put on that runway, their vision just doesn’t connect with the experts. Inevitably there will be that episode where you’ll see the ill-fated designer struggling with the design because of what the judges told them and suddenly they are more worried about the opinion of the judges than fully fleshing out their design vision. May as well start packing up that sewing kit, dear.
Take out the word judges and put in…editor…agent…market and this easily applies to writing. While it’s important to have an eye on the market, or the wish list of an editor/agent, writing specifically to please someone else will almost always lead to flat, uninspired prose which in turn leads to frustration, rejection and a whole lotta chocolate. If you don’t connect to and/or love your writing, who else will?
Make it Work! – Tim Gunn’s trademark usually uttered after he gently talks a designer off the ledge. Said designer has either completely derailed or is standing with their hands in their hair surrounded by bolts of fabric they suddenly have no idea what to do with.
Ha…that’s me, during revision! This is the wisd
For the past several weeks, I have been overwhelmed with moving trucks and cardboard boxes. Our family's cross country move is very exciting, but it has also managed to turn my entire life upside down.
That got me thinking. Do moving and writing have anything in common?
And I managed to find several similarities...
Similarity #1-- That frustrating period when you feel you should be done, but you're not! There is still unpacking and setting up and finding doctors to do. Or, in the case of writing, revising and revising and revising to do. (Oh how I want the manuscript-- or the move-- to be done, but it's not!)
Similarity #2-- Both are more work than anybody can possibly understand who isn't doing it or hasn't done it before. I would never have imagined how insane it would be to pack up the lives and possessions of four people and move them to the other side of the country. Not until I started doing it. Similarly, people who don't write have no understanding of how challenging, frustrating and exciting the process can be.
Similarity #3-- Finally, I realized that making a move is all about making a really big change. And, whenever I make a change, my writing travels in exciting new directions. When I started to learn the cello, I didn't become a great musician, but I did end up writing a collection of poems about a girl who played the cello. And when I made my biggest change-- having children-- I learned all about trucks and ended up writing what will be my first published book, "Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night?".
So in the midst of my remaining bits of chaos, I wonder: What new interests might come from this cross country move? And what writing projects might emerge from these new interests?
We all write them.
Okay. Full disclosure. I just wrote, "We all right them," and had to delete and rewrite my first line. It was as if my brain wanted to help me prove my point.
Now I know the difference between write and right. I also know the difference between a sh%#@y first draft, a better second draft, and a good third draft. And I know how to keep going until one draft feels just right.
It took some time for me to get to this point. I wrote my first novel chapter by chapter -- rewriting and reworking each chapter many times before moving on. I didn't have the confidence to write a sh%#@y first draft. I thought I needed a really strong sense of every plot line, every character, every setting and sensory detail before I moved on.
I was wrong.
Now when I write a first draft, I look at it like dating. That first draft is just to get to know your characters. Having a main plot line and a few subplots helps, but even if you trash your plot, but you got to know your characters really well, that sh%#@y first draft served it's purpose. If you know your characters, you can put them in any situation and their dialogue and reactions will ring true.
The second draft, well, that's sort of like an engagement. You're making plans together, testing the waters, maybe having a fight or two. You're adding tension to that relationship.
By the third draft you're a newlywed. Everything is all sparkly. Sigh.
Every draft after that adds the grit of little details. The toilet seat is up. Somebody has to take the dog out in the rain. There is no clean underwear.
When you finally reach the point in your manuscript marriage when everything feels just right, it's time to submit...
And start looking about for the next batch of characters to fall in love with.
My Internet came back on about thirty minutes ago, after being down for days. Our phone is back, too. We only lost power for two days. And the television no longer blips every ten seconds. We were lucky that's all we lost.
Not everyone else was.
I grew up in Cranford, NJ. In my latest WIP, the town is called Crestview, but as I wrote every scene, my writer's eye saw Cranford. So you know those writer's tricks? The ones where you're stumped, have a bit of writer's block, so you throw an unexpected event in there to shake up your writing -- shake up your characters? Hurricane Irene really shook up my setting.
I was in Cranford on Tuesday, helping dear friends who live near the river. Tuesday was a gorgeous day -- brilliant blue sky and low humidity. I drove in to town from the parkway. Everything looked as I had remembered it. Sure, there was a couch at the curb here and piled up carpet there, but everything looked fairly normal until you got near the river. Then, every street was fronted with furniture from driveway to driveway. The entire town smelled like mud.
I can't say I thought about my writing then. I didn't. I thought about my friends and their neighbors. But now, as I polish my manuscript and get it ready to send to my agent, I'm reminded how important setting is to every story. Seeing my setting shaken on its head made me want to get those little details right. Because sometimes the smallest detail tells an entire story.
The common advice for writers today, at least for writers of children's literature, is to keep the plot going, action packed, use as little description as possible, and damn the adverbs and adjectives. Voice must be close third or first person. Any hint of an omnicient storyteller is deadly. Why? Writers are in competition with the visual images of TV, movies, internet games and all forms of visual stimulation. The quiet rhythms of words are no longer enough.
Eudora Welty learned her craft as a child by creeping under the dining room table and listening to the adults talk. Jane Austen paid close attention to the music of conversation. And in multiple books and short stories, Mark Twain imitated the language of the streets, camps and polite society laced with his own sardonic observations. Their readers "listened" as they read.
I thought of this a great deal recently as I watched two young boys at play, constructing stories of their own with a large village of old blocks and ancient toys. Now, at the age of nine, will they ask their parents to "read me a story?" or will the siren call of the TV screen beckon? Will coming generations lose the ability to picture things in their mind even as the written word unfolds before them?
I'm getting close to the finish line. Yes, that finish line. The one where you get to type "the end" finish line. And for me, this may be the hardest part of writing.
I write realistic fiction. No vampires or zombies attacking. The world isn't ending. No need to try to figure out who done it. (Not that there's anything wrong with that! I'm a sucker for a blood-sucking or spattering, a huge fan of dystopian, and love a smoking gun.)
But I write realistic, contemporary fiction. And as I near the end of a novel, I know I need to raise the stakes, up the ante, make my main character suffer.
I'm set with the final crisis, the one that makes the world crash in, but I needed to come up with the final turning point -- that part in the story where the main character thinks it can't get worse than this (oh, what he doesn't know!). I've been pondering this for weeks. Nothing seemed big enough. I was drawing blanks. So I turned to my bookshelves, scanning books on writing, looking for some help. And all I can say is, thank you Donald Maass!
I read through his chapter on Turning Points in his Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook. Maass uses some great examples of deep emotion as turning points. Addie, in Jodi Picoult's Salem Falls finally taking the sheets off her dead daughter's bed and saying goodbye as the fresh scent of Tide rises from the washing machine. In The Lovely Bones, Susie Salmon's father, unable to contain his grief and rage, smashes his collection of ships in bottles.
So now, as I work through this final turning point of my WIP, I'm focused on my main character's emotional arc -- I'm finding his reactions don't have to be extreme, but he does need to react and his emotions must be more volatile that ever before.
He has to suffer, but thanks to reminders from Donald Maass, his fictional suffering can put an end to my writer's block.
Here's to chasing away writer's block! Cheers!
Okay, I haven't read it yet myself, but I will buy it and I will read it. Why? Because Mary Glickman is my new favorite author.
And why is Mary Glickman my new favorite author? Well, if you read Chuck Sambuchino's blog at the Guide to Literary Agents, you've read Mary's inspiring story. You can click here for the full saga, but I'll give you one paragraph to wet your appetite:
Cynthia Ozick once remarked that being published for the first time at 38 was a kind of little death. For me being published at the age of 61 was a kind of resurrection. Home in the Morning is my seventh novel written and the first one published, although out of the seven, only one was really bad. The rest were damn good. But I’ve learned a lot of this business is all about luck. You can have the wrong idea at the wrong time (my first novel), the right idea at the wrong time (that’d be two through five), the wrong idea at any time at all (number six, the really bad one), and if you’re lucky, the right idea at the right time (Home in the Morning).
Open Road Books published Home in the Morning in November 2010. it's recently been optioned for film by Sundance director Jim Kohlberg.
So wherever you are as you read this -- at your desk with a cup of coffee, on your couch with a glass of wine, or in your bed with a water bottle on your nightstand, raise your drink and toast Mary Glickman, the queen of perseverance. And then buy her book!
I'm writing this new post while traveling in the magnificent southwest. We have been hiking in the red rock city of Sedona this week. Once you leave the bustle of downtown Sedona and find your trail head and swing off down the path, you forget the business of town and enter the quiet and solitude of this inspiring land.
Since some of my books are non-fiction, the natural beauty here starts my literary juices flowing. Many believe that positive energy emmanates from special vortexes here. The unique splendor of the land does inspire me to write as I gaze at these incredible rock formations and start to figure how to explain these wonders to children in a way that will interest and entertain them and convey to them the sense of beauty and the science of the sites.
We also visited the Grand Canyon, just a few hours north of Sedona. This is such an awe inspiring place in its vastness and beauty. So again jolted, I jot down new ideas for manuscripts on rivers, erosion and canyons that must differ from my book, CANYON, but which will tell another story of this fabulous world.
And now I need to sit down when we return home and form these ideas into text. Forming ideas - like nature forming canyons and rock formations - hopefully my ideas take form faster than in geological time!
That's what we writers need - time - a difficult commodity - and sometimes it seems like it does take eons to complete a manuscript, bring it to the critique group, revise and refine it, and hopefully bring it to a firm formation, and not to have to abandon it, as we have been talking about here this month.
Inspiration - Time - Formation
Better get started!
About a month ago, I sent a friend one of my manuscripts to read. By friend I mean a lifetime bestie - the kind of friend who knows all my embarrassing stories, probably has a few (okay LOTS of) incriminating pictures, someone you don’t see for months but once you are in each other’s company it’s like no time has passed.
Oddly enough, I don’t usually share my writing with my "circle of friends" friends. And I never really understood why, until my friend asked me – “Am I in it?”
My first response was “No, you’re not.”
The longer I thought about it though I wondered if maybe part of her was in my novel.
Some of what I write, especially when it comes to the bare bones of a story, is usually inspired by an event that affected me personally. That doesn’t mean the finished product resembles anything near said actual event or person, but I suddenly understand the need for a literary disclaimer.
The truth is some of my characters are definitely inspired by real people.
Honestly, how could they NOT be?
When creating characters I don’t usually make elaborate dossiers unless I’m bored or stuck. I tend to figure out my characters as I put them into situations. And while this isn’t always the quickest route to take (right now I have two characters on a bus who’ve just decided they want to sit there for awhile and enjoy each other’s company – ugh!) it works for me. I can tell the difference between when I’m sandwiching characters in a scene for my sake and when the scene arises organically through their reactions and responses. And boy do I love those organic days. Sometimes I don’t even realize I’m basing a character on some part of someone until after I’ve gone over it a few times.
Other times I know immediately.
A former boss, a guidance counselor, ex-boyfriends, cars (yes, cars), my favorite English teacher, various mean girls and my niece have all inspired characters in my novels. Some of these have only made a cameo, others full-fledged supporting roles. But is it my niece? No. Her artistic flair, yes. Would she think it was her if she read my novel? Probably not, but she might. And since said character is rather kick-ass (imho), I don’t think she’d have a problem.
Now my exes...HA...might have a different opinion (see headline).
So how about you? Fess up...will you have to put the disclaimer Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental in the front matter of your novel? Or do all of your characters spring forth from your imagination?
*Photo credit: um, not sure, but that's me and the crowd of people I spent my formative years with...and no, not one of them appears in my novels. For real. Reminds me of the Nickelback song Photograph...we all have one like this...right??
I recently saw the remake of "True Grit." It's a stunning movie, (if you can ignore the gore and rattlers.) The Cohen Brothers have outdone themselves with costumes, scenery and cinematography. They could well win some Oscars but for one thing, I think. The antiquated speech was often difficult to understand.
I haven't read the book or seen the original film, and I intend to do both. Then I'll know whether the speech "impediment" was due to poor direction or poor enunciation.
The human ear adjusts easily to the spoken word, even if the language is archaic. It takes only minutes into a Shakespeare play to catch the rhythm and puzzle out the metaphors.
Which leads me to the speech of my characters. In my present manuscript, I don't "hear" my characters the way I want to. I want to hear the Virginian drawl without using ellipses. I want my reader to be able to distinguish the characters speaking without slogging through tag lines, at least, a lot of them. It is through their speech patterns that characters become three-dimensional and lock themselves in the reader's mind.
Today's writer has fewer tools available. Backstory has been declared burdensome and description a drag on the pacing. Narration is a "no no." That leaves dialogue and swift action to push the plot along.
Who's talking now? The reader wants to know...without trying (or ellipses.)
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Wonderful post highlighting the importance a mentor can play. Congratulations to all at Bath Spa
Mine was Vivian French, who taught a module on children's writing on a course I did at Bristol (the Certificate in Creative Writing - now sadly defunct). Without her enthusiasm, encouragement and generosity, I would never have got started on writing for children. I teach writing classes now in the community, and they are very much influenced by the teaching I had on that course - in particular from Julia Green, always so nurturing and appreciative!
Paul Dodsgon - I won a place on a mentoring scheme at Exeter uni, and he took my rather turgid travelogue and supported me while rewrote the whole thing about 5 times, making it the book the best book I can possibly make it (and it has had some wonderful reviews, so it was worth it!).
It was his honesty that made a difference - if one bit worked, he told me so - and then listed all the things that didn't. But he always believed I could do it - so I did!
It's amazing the difference a good mentor can make to your confidence (and skill level!), isn't it? And how nice that we have Julia in common, Sue!
Actually Liz Kessler has been rather fab to me too and I have secretly (and totally without her permission) appointed her my unofficial mentor. I also love her writing which helps - you have to have confidence in your mentor.
It's so lovely to think that someone has taken the time to read over something I've written and is willing to help me onwards with it.
Steve Voake mentored me on the Bath Spa MA course. No matter how bruised and shattered my confidence was, I always left his office smiling. The support and the encouragement of a well-respected author can make all the difference to a writer just starting out. We need more mentors! And they need to give out their mobile numbers which, for some bizarre reason, Steve refuses to do. I don't understand it, I promised I would ration myself to 20 calls a day?
Abie - that is hilarious!
Che, hmmm, mentors on speed-dial, that would be something!
Yes, congrats to all involved!
Mentoring must be an incredibly satisfying thing to do - to watch and nurture talent, to see it blossom. Congratulations Elen, on a job well done.
What a wonderful programme the MA Writing for Children is! Congratulations to all anthology contributors. I there any way I can obtain an electronic copy? It's not on Amazon and I live in a land far, far away...
Island Writer - hello! No, the anthology isn't really intended for sale. What happens is that the publishing world is sent a copy in advance of the launch, then, at the party there's a bit of 'speed dating' going on to see who'd like to read more. It's an exciting way to do it!
Love this post! For me, the idea of 'writing mentors' is part of the whole thing that I love about the writing community - that we are all beginners at some point, and when we are, we gain knowledge and inspiration from others. Then when we get to their position, we pass it on to the next wave of people entering the business. It's very 'pay it forward' and I love it.
And THANK YOU for the lovely comments, both from you and from Abie. Am very honoured to be appointed 'unofficial mentor'! :)
Julia Green was my first mentor too - she was wonderful! I still tell everyone who asks that the Bath MA was the best thing I've done for my writing career ...
I would just LOVE to have a mentor!
How far back? CS Lewis. He taught my PhD supervisor. I think Tolkien taught him, too, but CS Lewis was *his* PhD supervisor.
That makes me look much older than everyone else.... You shouldn't have asked that 'how far back? question, Elen!
Stroppy, that's brilliant!
I knew a writer who was taught by F R Leavis, but CS Lewis is much cooler!