NOVEL INTENSIVE WITH MICHELLE BURKE, KATHLEEN DUEY, MARJETTA GEERLING
I took lots of random notes during the novel intensive at SCBWI Orlando. Here’s a quick summary:
1. If your main character wouldn’t see or notice something don’t describe it.
2. Readers want to live in the moment with the character – show don’t tell.
3. Give your character two to three lenses through which he/she sees the world. (e.g. In CATALYST by Laurie Halse Anderson the protagonist sees the world through a scientific lens. “Toby and I are the proton and neutron of our atomic family unit.”) The language develops because of the lens.
4. Study HOW TO READ NOVELS LIKE A PROFESSOR by Thomas Foster.
5. Interview your characters. Ask them, “Are you alright?” Though it sounds weird, Kathleen Duey swears by this.
I’d love to hear additional novel writing tips. So leave a comment and let’s discuss.
About Post Author
I recently posted a comment on my own blog, that I read on Cheryl Klein's blog, or in her book, or somewhere from her:
In the words of Ray Bradbury (via Cheryl), in answer to a question about discovering the middle of your story,
“Find out what your hero or heroine wants, and when he or she wakes up in the morning, just follow him or her all day.”
Kind of in the same vein as interviewing and asking questions, living in the moment.
Kind of like "This is the story of ______ who wants ______ more than anything in the world." I think that's the first thing you've got to figure out.