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| Pirate Pens: Essential for Drafting |
This blog tour is where writers/authors answer questions about their writing process. Anna Schumacher, author of END TIMES (out from Penguin in May) posted hers last week and tagged me to participate. You can check out her writing process HERE.
What
am I working on?
I’m working on edits for NOOKS & CRANNIES (coming summer 2015 from Simon &
Schuster), a middle grade novel set in the Lake District of England that was pitched as Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory meets Clue. With lots of characters and a mystery-in-a-manor-house
vibe, it’s been a fun one to work on. I’m also drafting a new idea set in 1830s
Ireland.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I love all genres of middle grade and have to
assume that all those voices/stories/plots have seeped into my writing approach
over the years, so I wouldn't necessarily say that my writing differs distinctly from
what’s been written in the past or what’s out there now. In terms of historical fiction (my
stories so far tend to be set in the past), I think I try to straddle the line between straight historical and something
more playful—my ideas are set during specific times and I do research to add
certain details, but then I end up having a somewhat exaggerated bent to it. There’s no real fantasy or magic
in my writing (yet!), but I think it generally borders on something that could
garner reader responses of “Hey, this isn't realistic!” to which I might
respond, “You’re right! That’s what’s so nice about writing fiction~ sometimes
you get to break rules and be a little bit ridiculous or fantastical, even when
writing within a historical time/place.”
Why do I write what I do?
I write middle grade because
those are the books that initially solidified a love of reading for me and I’m
nostalgic for that time in my life. As for why I write in the genres I do
(mainly historical time periods), I don’t know. Though contemporary and fantasy
MG books are among my favorites, I can’t seem to follow through with writing ideas
in those genres (at least not yet, but I’ll keep trying).
How does your writing process work?
Come up with query-style summary paragraphs for an idea, draft most of a
novel, get stuck, resort to actual outlining, finish/polish draft, send to
critique partners, revise, send to CPs again, revise again.
~~~
And now, here are
two middle grade debut authors who've written novels that I love. Please stop by their blogs and
become a follower (they may be posting about their writing process next week and you won’t want to miss any stellar advice they have).
Louise Galveston- Louise
Galveston is the author of BY THE GRACE OF TODD (Penguin/Razorbill
Feb. 27, 2014). She and her husband live in the Midwest with their eleven kids
and a parrot. When Louise isn't writing or folding laundry, she directs her
local children’s theater, where she’s playwright in residence.
Check out her blog:
http://www.louisegalveston.blogspot.com/
Tara Dairman- Tara Dairman is a novelist, playwright, and survivor of the world’s longest honeymoon (2 years, 74 countries!). Thanks to her travels, parts of her debut middle-grade novel ALL FOUR STARS (Penguin/Putnam, July 10, 2014) were written in a mall in Brazil, a guesthouse in Morocco, and coffeehouses in Argentina, Cameroon, Gabon, and Tanzania. Revisions took place in the slightly less exotic locale of her parents’ basement in New York.
Check out her blog:
http://taradairman.com/blog/
