Veronica Roth’s brilliant blog
post. This post was written
way back in October and I wanted to respond to it, comment on it, do something,
but it was so brilliant yet simple I felt that I could not match its
eloquence.
I’m not going to try to now, either. The gist of what Veronica says (but
please read her post) is: you have to go out and do things in order to be able
to write well. Experiencing new
things gives people (and therefore writers!) a fuller understanding of the world
that they can write about to give their books more depth. Don’t just sit in your house and write
all day, every day. Fly a kite!
Move to Eastern Europe! Try Korean food! Volunteer at an elementary school! Do something! (Just to be fair, Beth Revis
[Across the Universe
] gave the same
boiled-down advice during the Breathless Reads tour a few weeks ago that
reminded me of Veronica’s post.)
] gave the same
boiled-down advice during the Breathless Reads tour a few weeks ago that
reminded me of Veronica’s post.)
I completely agree with this advice, and it’s always
interesting to me to see how what I do influences my writing. Here are a few recent examples…
The Rose of Coracus
(WIP)
·
Read Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games
and realized that maybe the oomph needed as a
climax in my novel was a little revolting and rebellion. Not full-blown and
horrifyingly violent like in Mockingjay
,
but the idea is there. The same can
be said about Katniss and Prim’s relationship inspiring me to build up Shayna
and her sister Minna’s.
and realized that maybe the oomph needed as a
climax in my novel was a little revolting and rebellion. Not full-blown and
horrifyingly violent like in Mockingjay,
but the idea is there. The same can
be said about Katniss and Prim’s relationship inspiring me to build up Shayna
and her sister Minna’s.
The Lady and the
Unicorn’s Lover (WIP)
·
Read Tracy Chevaliar’s historical fiction novel,
The Lady and the Unicorn
, then saw
the famous tapestry in the Cloisters Museum in New York, then wrote a term
paper about medieval tapestry for my art history class in London, which
inspired the playful title of my novel.
, then saw
the famous tapestry in the Cloisters Museum in New York, then wrote a term
paper about medieval tapestry for my art history class in London, which
inspired the playful title of my novel.
·
Watched the wonderful British TV series, Downton
Abbey
, which inspired me to increase how much the servants’ lives (beyond the
main character) are depicted.
, which inspired me to increase how much the servants’ lives (beyond the
main character) are depicted.
Untitled Picture Book
Idea #1
·
I bought new socks the other day. They’re made from bamboo. I suggested (hopefully) to my boyfriend
that pandas would now become attracted to me and follow me home. This seems
like a playful premise for a children’s book.
Untitled Contemporary
YA Series #1
·
I was thinking recently about my church youth
group and some of the wonderful experiences we had together during middle and
high school. There were also a lot
of serious issues that had to be dealt with. Since there’s been a lot of talk
about teens wanting stories about real kids (not rich/ famous ones) and/or
novels that deal with ‘problems’ I’ve been wondering if my experiences with
that group could be the basis of a series.
Untitled Contemporary
YA novel #1
·
My boyfriend has a crazy roommate. The roommate
doesn’t have any social skills, barely speaks English yet reads classics (like
the tome Gone with the Wind-only
people like me read that!), and keeps very strange hours (often returning to
the apartment at 4am only to leave again at 7am). Thus, the currently theories are that he is either a spy
from a foreign country or a vampire.
He’s great source material for some sort of story.
So, there you have it, by reading books, watching tv,
visiting museums, studying, buying socks (!), socializing and just living- aka
not writing- I’ve come up with plenty of story ideas and ways to make my
writing fuller.
Mmmmm….and now I want vanilla ice cream with peanut butter
cups and chocolate swirls!
