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Hey everyone! It’s Clara Kensie, back with a new Question of the Week! Pretty much the only thing writers love as much as writing is talking about writing. So each week here at Adventures in YA Publishing, I post a question for you to answer. The questions cover all topics important to writers: craft, career, writers’ life, reading and books. Together we’ll become better writers by sharing tips and discussing our habits and practices.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
September 15, 2013
FIRST OR THIRD PERSON?
My answer: I’ve always written in first person. It’s what comes naturally to me when I write. Maybe it’s because when I was a kid, I used my diary to write stories about a girl who used her psychic powers to solve mysteries. I purposely did not hide my diary, in hopes that someone would find it and assume I was writing about myself. So of course, I wrote those stories in first person. The habit, I guess, stuck with me my whole life. When reading, I don't have a preference. I like both. But with writing, it’s first person for me! One day, though, I'd like to try writing in third person. Who knows, perhaps my next manuscript will be in third person.
YOUR TURN: Do you write in first or third person, or both? Why? Do you have a preference for reading?
Hey everyone! It’s Clara Kensie, back with a new Question of the Week! Pretty much the only thing writers love as much as writing is talking about writing. So each week here at Adventures in YA Publishing, I post a question for you to answer. The questions cover all topics important to writers: craft, career, writers’ life, reading and books. Together we’ll become better writers by sharing tips and discussing our habits and practices.
Question of the Week for April 7, 2013:
Did You Write During Spring Break?
I hope everyone had a nice spring break! Now that we’re all back to our usual schedule, let’s talk about how much writing we did over our spring breaks. How did your writing schedule change, if at all? For those of you with kids home from school, were you able to get any writing done? If you went away, did you bring your manuscript and make time to write? Or did you take a break from writing altogether?
My answer: I always have a hard time going “off schedule.” My kids were home from school and we went on a three-day getaway at the end of the week. I scheduled time to write each day, but that time was often cut short. I wrote a whopping 1400 words the entire week. I’m back to my regular writing schedule now and trying to catch up. I’m always envious of those writers who are able to stick to their writing schedule no matter what else is going on. I need to be that disciplined!
YOUR TURN: How much writing did you do over Spring break?
Hey everyone! It’s Clara Kensie, back with a new Question of the Week! Pretty much the only thing writers love as much as writing is talking about writing. So each week here at Adventures in YA Publishing, I post a question for you to answer. The questions cover all topics important to writers: craft, career, writers’ life, reading and books. Together we’ll become better writers by sharing tips and discussing our habits and practices.
Question of the week for March 24, 2013:
Other than writing, what creative pursuits do you regularly enjoy?
Crafts, watercolors, photography, pottery. Sewing, music, dancing, design. What are your other creative outlets?
My answer: I’ve always been a creative person. Along with creative writing, art was my favorite subject in school, and my favorite student activities were choir and poms. As an adult I was a huge scrapbooker for a few years—I shudder when I think of how much money I spent on scrapbooking supplies! I also painted, a hobby I was able to turn into a job. Yep, people, actual, real live human beings, paid me to paint murals on their walls, a fact that astounded me because I didn’t think I was very talented.
I’ve enjoyed writing since I was a kid, but when I started writing my first novel a few years ago, it sucked up all my creativity for anything else. I discovered a joy in writing that I’d never experienced before in any other creative pursuit: an obsessive, addictive joy. Today, writing is my main creative outlet. It’s all I need. Every so often I’ll set a canvas on my easel and take a paintbrush to it, but usually it’s to open a new way of thinking about my current manuscript—to capture a mood in paint that I then describe in words.
YOUR TURN: Other than writing, what creative pursuits do you regularly enjoy? Did you give up any of them in favor of writing, or are you able to find a balance? Do you think your other creative outlets help you with your writing? In what way?
By: Clara Kensie,
on 3/17/2013
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Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, everyone! Before you head out to that parade, why don’t you take a couple of minutes to answer the new Question of the Week?
Pretty much the only thing writers love as much as writing is talking about writing. So each week here at Adventures in YA Publishing, I post a question for you to answer. The questions cover all topics important to writers: craft, career, writers’ life, reading and books. Together we’ll become better writers by sharing tips and discussing our habits and practices.
Question of the Week for March 17, 2013:
What is your favorite book on the craft of writing?
As writers, we all probably have at least one bookshelf filled with books about how to write. Which of your craft books do you consider mandatory? To which one do you refer over and over again?
My answer: Yikes! Why did I have to ask such a hard question? How can I pick just one? Let’s see… after much deliberation, I’ve made my choice. While I value many, many craft books and reference them often, my favorite would have to be SAVE THE CAT! by Blake Snyder. Written for screenwriters, the advice and tips work perfectly for novelists too. The book is a quick and humorous read, and Mr. Snyder uses personal anecdotes and analyzes popular movies to illustrate his points, which makes them easy to learn. I reference this book dozens hundreds of times while I’m plotting my manuscripts.
I also love the follow-ups: SAVE THE CAT GOES TO THE MOVIES, which breaks down fifty well-known movies according to the STC plotting method, and SAVE THE CAT STRIKES BACK, which expands upon each point in the original book and offers even more advice. While Save the Cat isn’t the only craft book I use, it is my favorite.
The only negative side effect: my family loathes watching movies with me now because I’m always labeling the plot points according to Save the Cat!
YOUR TURN: What is your favorite book on the craft of writing? Why do you love it?
I can’t wait to go buy a whole bunch of new craft books based on your suggestions!
~Clara Kensie
Hey everyone! It’s Clara Kensie again, with a new Question of the Week! Pretty much the only thing writers love as much as writing is talking about writing. So each week here at Adventures in YA Publishing, I post a question for you to answer. The questions cover all topics important to writers: craft, career, writers’ life, reading and books. Together we’ll become better writers by sharing tips and discussing our habits and practices.
Question of the Week for March 10, 2013
Do you listen to music while you write?
My answer: I can write in silence, but I almost always have my earbuds in while I write. I use music to block out the world around me so I can focus on my manuscript. However, I am a singer, and if I know the lyrics, I will sing along. Therefore while I’m writing, I must listen to music without lyrics, or lyrics I don’t know. I often listen to the Sigur Ros station on my tablet's Pandora app. Sigur Ros is an ambient post-rock band from Reykjavik, Iceland. I love their music but I don’t understand the lyrics, so it’s perfect writing music for me. I also listen to the symphonic and classical music Pandora stations, as well as the Doctor Who station (I know, how awesome is that?), which plays movie and television scores. Scores are lyric-less, and they often have a sweeping, epic feel to them—perfect for writing romantic scenes—or they have a pulsing, urgent tone, perfect for writing action scenes.
I like the idea of making a playlist for each manuscript—a set of songs that match the tone of your story to put you in the right frame of mind to write it—but I’m reluctant to make one myself. Why? Because it would take me days, probably weeks, to select the perfect songs. And that’s time I’d rather spend writing!
YOUR TURN: Do you listen to music while you write? What do you listen to? Do you make playlists, and if so, how do you chose your songs? Or, do you prefer to write in silence?
Hi everyone! I’m Clara Kensie, and I’m thrilled to be back as part of the Adventures in YA Publishing team with a new weekly post. What’s my topic going to be? YOU!
Pretty much the only thing writers love as much as writing is talking about writing. So each week, I’ll post a question for you to answer. The questions will cover all topics important to writers: craft, career, writers’ life, reading and books. Together we’ll become better writers by sharing tips and discussing our habits and practices.
Question of the Week
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Plotter: A writer who plans their plot, characters, and settings before writing the story.
Pantser: A writer who writes “by the seat of their pants.” No plotting, no planning ahead.
My answer: I’m 80% plotter and 20% pantser. I guess that makes me a plantser.
My first two manuscripts were pantsed. I loved sitting at the computer each day and letting my characters surprise me. The result, however, were two manuscripts that totaled 186,000 and 205,000 words respectively, subplots that had no conclusion, and entire chapters that failed to move the story forward. Revision was more painful than prying out my eyeballs with a spork.
So, I decided to give plotting a try. To my delight, I loved it. Now, before I write the first word, I do a detailed story outline, sketches of each main character and setting, as well as a bit of research. However, sometimes there are issues I can’t solve by planning. In those cases, I just start writing and let my characters tell me what to do. And occasionally, once I’m writing, I realize something in my outline doesn’t work, so I change the outline. Pantsing releases my creativity in a way that plotting does not. I think 80/20 is a good balance for me.
YOUR TURN! Are you a plotter or a pantser, or a combination of both? Have you ever tried to switch? To what results?
Psst: there are no wrong answers!
~Clara
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized for it anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't" - Eleanor Roosevelt.
My answer: I’ve always written in first person. It’s what comes naturally to me when I write. Maybe it’s because when I was a kid, I used my diary to write stories about a girl who used her psychic powers to solve mysteries. I purposely did not hide my diary, in hopes that someone would find it and assume I was writing about myself. So of course, I wrote those stories in first person. The habit, I guess, stuck with me my whole life. When reading, I don't have a preference. I like both. But with writing, it’s first person for me! One day, though, I'd like to try writing in third person. Who knows, perhaps my next manuscript will be in third person.
Hi Clara - I am still a neophyte writer, but will still weigh in - my first book was first person - it felt right for the character and the plot. The next book that I am working on is third person, and I chose that as I wanted to be able to show multiple perspectives. I found that first person really forces you to have a very strong voice, much more so than third person - but is that just me? thanks for this amazing blog - so helpful!
Hi, WMM! You're right that sometimes 1st person or 3rd person just "feels right" for the character and the plot. Having a strong voice is important too, whether your book is in 1st or 3rd.
Thanks so much for your comment, WMM!
I write in third person because I don't want to be in my character's head THAT much!
It depends on the story. Multiple POVs usually sounds 3rd person when I'm writing it in my head--but one strong-voiced character will always be first person. I'm just finishing up a first person story in the midst of lots of third. The story just came that way.
I think it's helpful (and fun!) when I begin a new story to try out a couple different POVs. It gives me a feel for how I want the story to be told. I've probably written about 50% of each.
My first book was YA fantasy and it was in third person. I now write YA and NA contemp, and only write in first. It feels more natural that way and I can really get inside my character's head. Though that might not always be a good thing, since I also write from a 20 yo male point of view--and we all know how horny they can get. lol
For me it depends on the story. I think a longer bigger work is hard for first person which in my mind is better for shorter/average more intimate books.
I switch back and forth based on which POV bet serves a particular MS. If I need to get into multiple heads, I tend to use 3rd person closed for distinct chapters instead of switching 1st person POVs.
I don't have a reading preference, but I prefer writing in third person. Not sure why; I just like it better when I actually start writing.
First person - always. I need to be in their head, and the character needs to be in mine!
My first published books several years ago were all in 3rd. A few years ago I switched to 1st when I was struggling with deepening the character of Livie in THE HEALING SPELL. Now I write them all in 1st person POV - and have done my last two titles in 1st person *present*. Just came out that way . . . never planned it! :-)
My preference is first person, for a similar reason. Part habit, part because I can slip into the character a lot easier. Also, the current novel I'm working on is in first person for multiple reasons. For one, I prefer it. For two, my "target market" (AKA my teen who loves to read), says she prefers first person. I have seen a few advice articles that says "Don't write in first person", but the main reason being most writers don't know how to write in first person. Honestly, I can somewhat see where they were coming from. Although I believe the writing process is a constant work-in-progress, and as authors we are always looking to improve.
As close minded as it sounds, I refuse to read third person narrative, unless the book is deemed exceptional. I never feel like I truly connect with the characters because I can't become them, or walk in their shoes completely. The stream of consciousness or random thoughts don't come across genuine in third person. And if ther eis only one pov, I like not knowing anything other than what the character knows.
As for writing, I never write in third person because I feel detached from the characters. My biggest struggle is writing in present or past tense or choosing a male or female POV.
Most definitely third person POV, both while reading and writing. First person POV makes me feel claustrophobic, especially if the book is too 'voicey.' That doesn't mean I never read books with first person POV, but the pacing and narrative style has to be exceptional to pull me in.
I used to write ALL my books in 3rd person past tense. Thought I'd never change. Then my agent said she'd like me to try rewriting my novel in 1st. Eeep! But I did, and it just "wanted" to be present tense, too. Now I'm not sure if I can ever write in 3rd/past again!! For reading, I enjoy either.
Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't commented on your comments until today! I was on deadline this week (line edits on RUN TO YOU Book 1 were due Friday!) so I was on the interwebz only for a few minutes here and there.
BUT! Now I'm back and I love your comments! Everyone has their own likes and dislikes and their own reasons for liking and disliking, and that's great! Fantastic variety. Love it!
Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't commented on your comments until today! I was on deadline this week (line edits on RUN TO YOU Book 1 were due Friday!) so I was on the interwebz only for a few minutes here and there.
BUT! Now I'm back and I love your comments! Everyone has their own likes and dislikes and their own reasons for liking and disliking, and that's great! Fantastic variety. Love it!