Guiding Principles For Drafting A Story

A few guiding principles are operating while I’m drafting a novel. These aren’t overt. They don’t sit at the forefront of my consciousness. They run quietly and almost invisibly in the background while I’m doing my work. Here they are, in no particular order:

         1) I want to make this story interesting to me. I figure I’m a lot like other people—if I find it intriguing/engaging, other folks might be interested, as well.

         2) I want to empathize so deeply with my characters that I can understand why they do what they do (even when I’m appalled by their actions).

         3) I want to love all my characters. (see # 2)

         4) I need to create dramatic scenes (with temporal action and dialogue) as well as narrative summary.

         5) Usually I get lost in the story before I get found again and figure out exactly how the story will unfold. Getting lost is good! For one thing, it means that the story has put its spell on me.

         6) I shouldn’t be afraid of what’s odd, weird, or different about my story, how it departs from the conventional. Most memorable art has something odd/unusual at its core.

Big writing day

I'm working on a YA novel. I wrote 1,860 words today. I'll admit it: I'm impressed! :-)  And I actually think a lot of it is pretty good!

(My mentor Don Murray was big on counting words--whenever I do, I think of him.)

New Book About Boy Learners

    I highly recommend "Writing The Playbook," a new book by Kelley King. It's a wise, practical book, and very much in line with the thinking I lay out in my books Boy Writers and Guy-Write. Available from Corwin.

Falling Back in Love With An Unpublished Manuscript

         I have an idea for a book. Actually it’s more than an idea—one of my editors liked it well enough to give me a contract—but I haven’t written it yet. I put it away for a while. I often find it helpful to have this away-time from a manuscript. For one thing it gives me a necessary distance, so I can look at it with some objectivity. I had planned to get back to it in a month or so, but other projects intervened, then I partially tore my Achilles, and now a bunch of months have passed since I worked on it.

         Now I’m ready. I want to start revising it, but first I have to fall back in love with what drew me to the idea in the first place. At first, this can feel awkward as a dinner with an old flame. I realize that I hardly remember her, er, I mean it.  We need time to get reacquainted. In order to produce a good book I know I’ve got to rediscover the magic, the mystery, the allure that originally drew me to this idea.

         How?

         I’m sure other writers have various ways of rekindling the romance. For me, it starts with rereading. If it’s a novel, I need to get to know the characters again, their strengths, quirks, secrets and weaknesses. What they want, and what they fear. 

In this case I’ll be working on a poetic picture book. I reread slowly and I reread for pleasure. I want to remember the rhythms of the language. At this stage of the process I try to be generous with myself. No, the manuscript isn’t perfect (alas, it almost never is) but there are definitely a number of good things in it. Now is the time to savor the positives.

As I reread the manuscript I start to get excited. That’s a good sign! I reclaim my original purpose.. I can see what I was trying to do so many months ago. I start getting ideas for embracing my original vision but also for extending it. If I can do that I just might be to create a book that’s better, more fully realized, than what I wrote the first time around.

Guy-Write workshops in Hong Kong

On March 1 and 2 I did two "Guy-Write" workshops with boys (grades 3-5) at the Hong Kong International School. I was inspired by their passion, creativity, and originality. These boys really love to write! We spent two wonderful hours together. That was perhaps a hair too long (next time I might limit it to 90 minutes) but overall it was a rewarding experience for us all. I think I learned as much as they did.

Sap Season!

 

Here in New Hampshire the maple sap is running.  Our local elementary school even has a "sugar shack" where kids can boil down the sap they gather from local trees. The best weather for syrup-ing has sub-freezing temperatures at night, but above freezing during the day. When those conditions exist, the sap will flow.

      I love to feel the change of the seasons, when the land slowly morphs from winter to mud season to spring. Buds appear. The ground is swollen with water from melting snow. Creeks are lively and full, making their own tinkling music. The maple sap is running, and I find that my creating juices have started flowing, too. It's a season that makes me want to write.

Living in the Digital World

In the spirit of total candor, let me admit that I am profoundly ambivalent about the new digital world in which we live. On the plus side, I have met many new people via Facebook, Twitter, and my blog.  I now think of myself as belonging to an electronic community that spans the world.

 Also, I keep relearning the unfortunate fact that I'm a "digital immigrant." As a result of my birth date, these technologies are foreign to me. I speak with a heavy accent, so I try new technologies partly to push myself and to gain at least a little bit of fluency in this new digital world.

     On the other hand, I really do believe that something is lost in this new digital world. For instance I get many schools inviting me to do a "Skype author" with their students. I have author and teacher friends (hi Franki!) who love Skype visits. I wish I shared their enthusiasm! I have done a half dozen Skype visits, and may do some more, though for the most part have found them unsatisfying. There are often technical glitches, not to mention that maddening one-second delay.  I can't see the kids' faces too well so it makes it hard for me to read my audience. I feel detached. I've come to believe that nothing can replace having a real author in a school.

     Nowadays publishers expect authors to have a strong online presence. That is a reality, and there is certainly some upside to this, but I do worry that I spend too much time Facebooking, blogging, tweeting, etc when I should be writing. If you're going to create something of lasting value you have to delve deeply into your subject matter. And it won't happen instantaneously. It will take time and intense focus.