For Writers

Finding Writing Inspiration through the Five Senses

By on January 20, 2016   /   Fiction, For Writers, Writing  

I’m starting to think about a new book. It’s hazy now, like shapes in the fog, but it’s getting closer. I am not an outliner, so I have to feel my way through that fog, stumbling in a direction that I hope is right. I find that the more I can immerse myself in the world of the story, the quicker it comes. Here are some of the tricks I’ve used; I would love to hear yours.

tree trunk

  1. Sight

Like many writers, I gather images to inspire me. I’ve got a framed photo of a giant tree on my writing desk, a remnant of my first book. I have pictures of people who look like the people in my books saved in my Scrivener files, as well as pictures of the settings, animals, even particular pieces of furniture. Pinterest is great for this. For those on Twitter, the hashtag #novelaesthetics is really fun.

rufus wainwright

  1. Sound

I know that a book is coming closer when I start gathering songs for a new playlist. Rufus Wainwright’s Hallelujah instantly transports me to the world of my first book. I don’t listen to the playlist when I’m actually writing (too distracting), but when I’m thinking about the book, on a run or on a drive, it helps me get in the zone.

big red

  1. Smell

Much of my first book takes place in the woods, so when I was hiking, I would try to note and hold onto the smells—the pine, the earth, the dew. I also, though, am an inveterate gum chewer, and I have assigned a different type of gum to my different works in progress. I’m chewing a lot of Big Red these days. If I open a pack anywhere in the world, I immediately think about my work in progress.

biscuit dough

  1. Taste

The taste of the gum also helps me. The fiery, cinnamon taste of Big Red puts me in the right frame of mind for the quick and snappy soccer players I’m writing. The inspiration goes the other way, too. I remember writing one biscuit-baking scene and getting so hungry that I had to go bake some myself. The kids were thrilled to wake up to fresh biscuits on a school day.

oysters

  1. Touch

Going to the woods also helped me get into the tactile nature of the woods. I would feel the bumpy bark, shuffle through the pine needles, note the hot sun on the back of my neck. For the book that is coming, I recently brought an oyster shell home from a canoeing trip. Something about the sleek, iridescent ridges spoke to me. It feels right in my hands, though I don’t know yet how it fits in with my forming story. I can’t wait to find out.

Katharine Manning is a middle grade writer. Her books are fueled by cherry blow pops, as well as Big Red. She had six cavities the first time she went to the dentist, but has since learned much better dental hygiene. You can find her online at www.katharinemanning.com or through her book blog, www.kidbooklist.com. On Twitter, she’s @SuperKate.

 

 

Back to Top

All in the Family

By on January 13, 2016   /   For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers  

As we shoot past the holidays into the orbital path of a new year, I am reminded of the recent time spent with family. Family…for better or for worse. Spending time with family can be one of the best, or most trying, of endeavors. Either way, I think most people will agree we can look at our functional and/or dysfunctional family unit as a central influence in most of our lives.

The value of a functional or dysfunctional family in middle-grade literature is one of its most inherently attractive parts of this age. The interplay between a MG protagonist and the family unit creates a dramatic backdrop that pulls us into the story. The reader can relate to the struggle of the MC as they move forward toward discovering who they are. They relate to the sometimes awkward struggle of the middle-grade years when kids have one foot anchored in the safety of the family while the other one steps in the direction of independence.

Families offer a selection of great creative tools for the middle-grade writer. We can use the family to set up plot, conflict, emotion. It provides familiarity. The family can help define the main character, the setting, and the backstory. As you can see, the family unit in middle-grade lit is powerful. The magnetic power of the family is like a tractor beam pulling us toward the story mothership.

In thinking about families as an integral part of the story landscape, what attributes do you like the best?

  • A loving, supporting family group like the Weasleys?
  • A despicable family unit like the Wormwoods in Matilda?
  • Maybe an attribute of not being a real family at all, but a “family-by-choice” family, like Tupelo Landing’s Mo, Ms. Lana and the Colonel?
  • Even animal families can get into the act. For example,  Bingo, J’miah, the raccoon brothers and True Blue Scouts of the Sugarman Swamp, along with their parents, Little Mama and Daddy-O, are one of my personal favorite animal families.
  • How about a supernatural non-traditional family like Nobody Owen’s ghost family in the graveyard? Or the Other Mother and Other Father that Coraline Jones was tempted to choose over her real parents?
  • Perhaps a sweet and kindly custodial relative like Count Olaf?

When you read your next middle-grade book, take notice of a family influence on the character and story arc. The family dynamic is powerful in all our lives; it helps mold the who we are, positively or negatively. The power of the family dynamic holds true for fictional characters, as well, where it also helps to mold the story.

In the true spirit of family, here is your chore for the day. Kind of like homework done around the family table, but a lot easier than algebra. Think about those favorite middle-grade books you have and share some of your favorite middle-grade lit families in the comments below.

Finally, as Dorothy Gale says in the Wizard of Oz film as she taps her ruby slippers, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like…”

Henri Gascar_John_III_Sobieski_with_his_family_1693

John III Sobieski with his family by Henri Gascar, circa 1693

Back to Top

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

By on January 11, 2016   /   For Kids, For Librarians, For Teachers, For Writers, Writing  

It’s a question kids ask all the time. Sometimes I think they expect you to answer: “Oh, I just consult The Big Book of Book Ideas,” or maybe “I shop online at the Idea Store. All authors do.”

Once the playwright David Mamet was asked that question, and he answered: “I think of them.”

But that’s a bit snarky as an answer to kids who are genuinely curious about the writing process.

So here’s what I say instead. I tell kids I get my ideas from three main sources:

1) Random Things Around Me. I look at people. I pay special attention to body language. (That’s where the first chapter of TRAUMA QUEEN came from: observing one girl’s self-protective posture when she showed up to her middle school school for Pajama Day). I also eavesdrop a lot–at Starbucks, on trains. I listen in on phone conversations (Hey, if a cellphone conversation occurs in public–loudly–it’s fair game!) I even keep a small notebook in my pocket, so I can jot down snatches of conversation. I’m a big fan of dialogue, so much of my writing I get through my ears.

2) Emotional memories. Kids often suspect fiction is autobiographical. I explain that while my characters usually reflect something of my own temperament and interests, I never merely transcribe events from my own life. (My life isn’t that interesting, truth be told.) But what I do use is memories of how I felt as a kid–when I was bullied. When I developed a crush. When my mom embarrassed me. When my friends made me laugh. Sometimes it’s painful to revisit certain middle school emotions, but doing this helps me create relatable characters.

3) My imagination. I write realistic fiction. It drives me crazy when I hear kids saying that they prefer fantasy “because it’s more imaginative.” I tell them that actually, realistic fiction requires MORE imagination than fantasy, because if your characters are in trouble, you can’t just summon a dragon or chant an incantation or transport your character to another dimension. You have to solve their problems in a way that obeys the laws of the real world–a world that’s basically a triangle, with Family, School and Friends as its three points. And here’s the tricky part: you have to create a triangle that’s somehow fresh and surprising, because otherwise, why would your reader bother to read your story?

Creating a fresh, surprising, emotionally resonant narrative within the confines of that triangle isn’t easy. Sometimes it take several imaginative leaps before you get it right.

But you know how you tell that you’ve done it? When the reader assumes your story is really just autobiography.

Barbara Dee’s sixth novel, TRUTH OR DARE, will be published by Aladdin/Simon & Schuster in September 2016.

Back to Top