Building a Story: Character

As I work out ideas for a new novel, thoughts about the characters emerge fairly early in the process. I don’t usually create detailed character charts or summaries. I find I don’t know enough about the character—or even what characters will be in the story— until I get into writing it. But as I read more about plot, I’m getting a better picture of what I really need to know about the characters to make the story work. Some recent advice that is shaping how I think about my new characters:

Creating Two-Word Characters, Guest post by Nick Thacker at K.M. Weiland’s Wordplay. 

I like this idea, because it gives a quick “tag” for thinking about the character and keeping in mind a key trait as I’m working with them for the story. It also forces me to think about what the most important thing is about each character that I want readers to know.

Quote from the post:  “The Two-Word approach lets me hone in on the two most important, overarching qualities of my characters that will truly bring them to life for my readers.”

From the Intern: Reasons Editors Pass (Part 3) by Nicole Steinhaus on YA Stands.

This is such a useful post to review if you’re working on developing a character. I’ve read a lot of middle grade books where there are evil villains because kids can relate to it easily. But I think there’s still room for “layers of gray” and characters that are a little more complicated and less clear cut. For example, I’m sure “mean popular girl” has feelings too.

Quote from the post:  “See what types of characters are out there. Then do something different.”

Agent Jill Corcoran on “What Makes a Book Sell” offers important advice about thinking about the “whys” for including each character in the story. 

I often automatically include a friend for my main character because friends are so important for middle grade readers, but this post reminded me that every character needs to have role in moving the story forward. The friend character can’t just be there to showcase some quality of the main character.

Quote from the post: “Be absolutely mindful of every character you put in the book.”

 What have you learned recently about creating characters?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: The Lions of Little Rock

Today’s pick: The Lions of Little Rock  by Kristin Levine

G.P. Putnam & Sons, 2012

From the publisher:
Two girls separated by race form an unbreakable bond during the tumultuous integration of Little Rock schools in 1958.

Twelve-year-old Marlee doesn't have many friends until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is bold and brave, and always knows the right thing to say, especially to Sally, the resident mean girl. Liz even helps Marlee overcome her greatest fear - speaking, which Marlee never does outside her family.

But then Liz is gone, replaced by the rumor that she was a Negro girl passing as white. But Marlee decides that doesn't matter. Liz is her best friend. And to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are willing to take on integration and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families.

My take:

I got very absorbed in this story. I learned a lot -- about the perspectives and prejudices of the 1950’s, about segregation and history, and about people and their fears and compassion. But what I enjoyed most about this book was the friendship between Marlee and Liz. Both of them were courageous and strong characters. Remembering back to how shy I was in school, I was rooting for Marlee to find her voice and not be so quiet.

If I was writing any kind of historical fiction for children, I’d definitely return to this book because the author is so successful at weaving in the historical context with the typical middle grade issues of friendships and bullying or exclusion. It's also a great book to read to study character. The story is so completely from Marlee's perspective, I really cared about what was going to happen next.

Favourite quote:

“I think a friend is someone who helps you change for the better. And whether you see them once a day or once a year, if it’s a true friend, it doesn’t matter.”

Other info:

Kristin Levine is a mom and writer living in Alexandria, Virginia.

In an interview at BookPage, Kristin talks about writing about race as a white person: “At times, I worry I will say something stupid or unintentionally offensive. In the end, however, I decided that that was a risk I needed to take because being silent just wasn’t enough.”

Other books written by this author include:

The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had

For more, visit Kristin Levine’s website.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was dreamed up Shannon Messenger, author of Keeper of the Lost Cities. Visit her blog for an up-to-date list of all the bloggers who are participating and posting about middle grade books today!

A Backpack of Story Ideas

The other day I found a purse that I'd stopped using last year when I got a new one. There was lots of stuff still inside - pens and notepaper, receipts, a few coins, some candies, a favourite pen that I thought I'd lost, and some lip gloss I hadn't seen for a while. 

It got me thinking about how my daughter's backpack is filled with all sorts of things - forgotten homework and parent notices, erasers, socks, precious pencils worn down to stubs, candy wrappers (no leftover candies here), stones, and many odds and ends that have no significance to me, but are (or were at some point) important to her.

It would be cool to use a prop like this to generate story ideas.

From one backpack or bag you can begin to develop a character: Why is she saving rocks, does she have a rock collection? Does she want to be prepared to defend herself? Is she collecting it for her bug house?  Thinking about why the character has that specific item helps to establish some of her emotions and motivation.

It might also spark a story: What's something cool a character could discover in their mom's purse? Why are they snooping in their mom's purse? What should they do about that thing they found in the purse in the attic? Why does that boy's backpack always have a weird smell? Is there something alive in there? And many more. Does it give you a few ideas?

I don't often sit down and generate all the possible ideas that can come from a single item, but it's a fun way to get the creative juices flowing.

Do you ever think about what's inside your character's backpack or purse?

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: May B.

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians!

Today’s pick: May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

Schwartz & Wade, 2012

From Amazon:

I've known it since last night:

It's been too long to expect them to return.

Something's happened.

"If May is a brave, stubborn fighter, the short, free-verse lines are one-two punches in this Laura Ingalls Wilder-inspired ode to the human spirit," raved Kirkus Reviews in a starred review.

May is helping out on a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead—just until Christmas, says Pa. She wants to contribute, but it's hard to be separated from her family by 15 long, unfamiliar miles. Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May's memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her. But she's determined to find her way home again. Caroline Starr Rose's fast-paced novel, written in beautiful and riveting verse, gives readers a strong new heroine to love.

My take:

I read this novel in an afternoon and really enjoyed it. I loved reading all the “Little House” books when I was a girl (I even blogged about that once) and this book reminded me a little of those books. But the writing style was quite different and so were the situations and problems that May B. encountered. I got so involved in the story that May’s abandonment at the homestead took me by surprise and kept me hooked to the end to find out what happened. This is a great book for girls that enjoy reading about survival and pioneers. It’s also connects well to curriculum units on pioneers and early settlers.

As a writer, I loved the way the author created such compelling images and evoked deep emotion in very spare prose. This is a novel I want to have for my own bookshelf.

 Favourite quotes:

“Like a prairie hen I settle down until I can’t be seen, breathing comfort from grass and soil.”

“I sit in the rocker before the fire, thankful for hot coffee, and for the flicker of light cast on the cover of my book.”

“But tonight in this stillness, I realize there’s no shame in hoping for things that might seem out of reach.”

 Other info:

Caroline Starr Rose has lived in many places, including Saudi Arabia, Australia and New Mexico, where she now lives and writes fulltime.

According to an interview with Caroline Starr Rose over at The Reading Fever, one of the hardest scenes for Caroline to write was one where May reads a poem and struggles over her reading.

Caroline says this about her writing process: “While drafting, I imagined a quilt with each poem standing in for a different square of fabric. As I moved from poem to poem, I trusted certain themes and story strands would unfold, just as patterns form on a quilt.” From an interview with Caroline Starr Rose byauthor Augusta Scattergood.   

Other books written by this author include:

Over in the Wetlands (picture book, to be released in 2014)

For more, visit Carolyn Starr Rose’s website.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was dreamed up by the incredible Shannon Messenger, author of Keeper of the Lost Cities. Visit her blog for an up-to-date list of all the bloggers who are participating and posting about middle grade books today!

Congratulations to Christina Farley!!

Happy Friday!

I'm so excited this week. My writing buddy, Christina Farley sold her YA novel, Gilded! Yay!!!!

I can hardly wait to read it when it comes out. Visit Christy's blog to hear the whole story. If you haven't seen her blog, you might want to check it out. She's so enthusiastic about writing, it's contagious. And I love reading about the interesting places she's lived in and visited.

Seeing how Christy's determination and hard work is inspiring. My goal this weekend is to get a couple more chapters revised and have a delicious turkey dinner with my family (Canadian Thanksgiving). Do you have any writing goals this weekend? Happy writing!

Creating Worlds and Characters

Since things have been too crazy for me lately to write my own blog post, I'm going to direct you two very interesting posts I read this morning:

In her post, MG vs. YA Characters, YA author Beth Revis gives us a really interesting take on what's beneath the surface of characters and some insights on how to get into their perspective. It definitely gave me a lot to think about.

Over at The League of Extraordinary Writers, Lorin Oberweger guest posts on World Building, posing the question: Are you world building or world recycling? It's all about how the worlds you see in TV, movies or other books influence the way you shape your own story world. Lorin also gives us some tips and questions for how you can make the world you're creating unique.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: All the Lovely Bad Ones

Today’s pick: All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn

Clarion Books, 2008

Publisher’s Description:

Travis and his sister, Corey, can’t resist a good trick. When they learn that their grandmother’s quiet Vermont inn, where they’re spending the summer, has a history of ghost sightings, they decide to do a little “haunting” of their own. Before long, their supernatural pranks have tourists flocking to the inn and business booms.

But Travis and Corey soon find out that they aren’t the only ghosts at Fox Hill Inn. Their thoughtless games have awakened something dangerous, something that should have stayed asleep. Restless, spiteful spirits swarm the inn, while a dark and terrifying presence stalks the halls and the old oak grove on the inn’s grounds. Only Travis and Corey can lay to rest the ghosts they’ve stirred. This means discovering the secret of Fox Hill and the horrors visited on its inhabitants years before…

Once again, Mary Downing Hahn has created a chilling and gripping ghost story in the tradition of The Old Willis Place, Witch Catcher, and Deep and Dark and Dangerous.

My take:

I don’t usually read ghost stories but I’ve seen this one at the library often so I thought it must be a good one. It wasn’t a long book and it was fast-paced, so I read it quickly. I loved the idea that by pretending to be ghosts, Corey and Travis woke some real ghosts and spirits. It was definitely a little scary! I liked the way different ghosts in the story had different motives. The characters of the guests staying at the inn added some humour to the story.

As a writer, I’d study this novel more closely to see how the writer builds suspense.

How I discovered this book:

 I found this on the shelf at my local library and I was attracted to the spooky cover.

 

Other info:

Mary Downing Hahn was once a children’s librarian and has been writing children’s books for over 30 years. Her books include historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and fantasy, but she is best known for her mysteries and ghost stories.

According to her website, one of the reasons she likes writing ghost stories is because “a ghost may also give a character insight or empathy, a deeper understanding of his own nature or of the world around him.”

One suggestion she has for writers is “Keep your writing vivid by using as many of your senses as you can.”

This author lives in Maryland.

Other books by this author include:

Closed for the Season (2009)

Deep and Dark and Dangerous (2007) – a ghost story

Witch Catcher (2006)

Janey And The Famous Author (2005)

The Old Willis Place (2004) – a ghost story

Hear the Wind Blow (2003)

Anna on the Farm (2001)

Promises to the Dead (2000)

Anna All Year Round (1999)

As Ever, Gordy (1998)

Following My Own Footsteps (1996)

The Gentleman Outlaw and Me—Eli (1996)

Look for Me by Moonlight (1995)

Time for Andrew (1994)

The Wind Blows Backward (1993)

The Spanish Kidnapping Disaster (1991)

Stepping on the Cracks (1991)

The Dead Man in Indian Creek (1990)

The Doll in the Garden (1989) – a ghost story

December Stillness (1988)

Following the Mystery Man (1988)

The Jellyfish Season (1987)

Tallahassee Higgins (1987)

Wait Till Helen Comes (1986) – a ghost story

Daphne's Book (1983)

The Time of the Witch (1982)

The Sara Summer (1979)
 

For more, visit Mary Downing Hahn’s website.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday was dreamed up by the incredible Shannon Messenger. Visit her blog for an up-to-date list of all the bloggers who are participating and posting about middle grade books today!