Today, we have Lauren Baratz-Logsted talking about Historical Fiction!
~~~
Of the 23 books I've sold to publishers since 2003 the overwhelming majority have been set in contemporary times. Only three have been historical, all set in Victorian England: the adult novel Vertigo and the YA novels The Education of Bet and The Twin's Daughter. In each case I never made a decision first, "Oh, I want to write a historical novel!" Rather, setting was dictated by story idea. Vertigo is about a society wife who strikes up a correspondence with a man in prison for murdering his own wife who ultimately decides that the only way to get the life she wants is for her husband to get out of the way. The Education of Bet is about a teenager who will go to drastic lengths to get an equal education. The Twin's Daughter is about a teen who discovers her gorgeous mother has an identical twin who was raised in the workhouse. For either social or forensics reasons, all three stories only work if set in a time period other than our own.
In the case of Vertigo, I did no research before sitting down to write the first draft. Rather, I was guided by a lifetime of reading many novels set in that time period and a love of Masterpiece Theatre. It was only after the first draft was completed that I went back and read some 10 books on Victorian architecture and design and penal law so those details would be as accurate as I could make them.
For The Education of Bet, I re-read the classic novel of English boarding school life, Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes, to get an overview of what constituted bullying at that time and to remind myself of details of that very specific setting. I also researched how Will, the boy Bet is raised with, might go about secretly joining the military.
Finally, for The Twin's Daughter, since Lucy is essentially home-schooled, I did a lot of research on what she might be reading in the 1800s. I also researched British military involvements of the time for Lucy's love interest, Kit, and a lot on Victorian fashion.
That's it, really! Except before closing I would like to clear up two points. I've seen a few bloggers, when discussing The Education of Bet, quoting something that says that girls weren't allowed to go to school in Victorian England. I have no idea where they're getting that because I never said that, the book never says that, and it's simply untrue. The reason Bet is denied an education is because of social status. Could girls go to school? Of course. Would the deceased maid's daughter be given an expensive education? Of course not. Another mistake I've been seeing is a few sites saying The Twin's Daughter takes place during WWI. Again, there's nothing I've ever written in the book or said about the book to indicate anything other than that it takes place in the 1800s so I don't know where this is coming from either. Not complaining - an author should never do that! - but I am explaining for once, something I normally caution authors against, because while I don't mind at all being taken to task for errors I have made, I rather prefer not being so for things I've never said.
And now that really is it - thanks for having me!
Showing posts with label Whats Your Genre Week. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whats Your Genre Week. Show all posts
9.01.2010
What's Your Genre? Week: Caragh M. O’Brien on Dystopian
“Dystopia” sounds like a kind of near-sighted vertigo, but actually it’s worse. In essence, a dystopia is the opposite of a utopia, an ideal society. It’s a society where something has gone very wrong. If you ever read Orwell’s 1984, Rand’s Anthem, Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Lowry’s The Giver or more recently McCarthy’s The Road, Collins’s The Hunger Games or Ness’s The Knife of Never Letting Go, you’ve read a dystopian novel.
Beyond that definition--the opposite of an ideal society--the parameters are pretty wide open. What makes a dystopian novel (often simply called “a dystopia,” or “a dystopian”) interesting is that it calls into question what makes a society work at all, and it holds up a twisted mirror to our own society so that we’re likely to squirm at a freshly seen truth, even if it’s extreme in the novel. Cloning, climate change, plastic surgery, suburbia, and child warriors are all fair game. The action can take place in the future or in an alternative reality, and because of this, dystopian novels often are categorized with Sci-fi.
Dystopian novels have conflict inherently built in, because any self-respecting protagonist is certain to start resisting the warped society sooner or later. Even a small, private action like keeping a diary or a list of baby names becomes political, with bigger repercussions. Such novels are fun to write for this reason, and at the moment, popular to read as well.
In the recent surge of middle grade and young adult dystopian novels, gutsy young protagonists abound. They’re smart. Like Katniss Everdeen, they’re survivors, even if they aren’t literally fighting for their lives in a deadly arena. Under pressure, these survivors discover what matters to them: the people they love, their own morals, and what’s worth living for. They often laugh and act like regular kids along the way, so it’s easy to love them.
In short, a dystopia brings out the best in us. Maybe we should try living in one. Just kidding.
Are you already a dystopia fan? Can you match the following mini summaries to the titles further below? This is an eclectic compilation of some of my favorite middle grade and young adult dystopian novels, recent and classic.
1. A boy clone exists to provide genetically matching organ transplants for El Patron.
2. A teen midwife from outside the wall tries to save her parents arrested by the Enclave.
3. Twelve districts each donate two children who will fight each other to the death on TV.
4. Families are allowed to have two children maximum, but a third child lives in secret.
5. A young boy discovers choice and color in a world where they’ve been eliminated.
6. A boy and a dog, who read men’s and animals’ minds, run with a girl to evade killers.
7. A girl on an orchid farm receives a plea for help from across the forbidden borderline.
8. At sixteen, everyone has an operation to become beautiful, until one girl rebels.
9. A girl wakes post-coma with amnesia, an awkward body, and a family full of secrets.
10. A boy’s brain chip connects him to ads, other teens, and a girl who resists her chip.
A. The Adoration of Jenna Fox (2008) by Mary E. Pearson
B. Among the Hidden (1998) by Margaret Patterson Haddix
C. Birthmarked (2010) by Caragh M. O’Brien
D. Feed (2002) by M. T. Anderson
E. The Giver (1993) by Lois Lowry
F. The House of the Scorpion (2002) by Nancy Farmer
G. The Hunger Games (2008) by Suzanne Collins
H. The Knife of Never Letting Go (2008) by Patrick Ness
I. The Line (2010) by Teri Hall
J. The Uglies (2005) by Scott Westerfeld
Answers: 1-F, 2-C, 3-G, 4-B, 5-E, 6-H, 7-I, 8-J, 9-A, 10-D.
-Caragh M. O’Brien is the author of the dystopian novel Birthmarked, recently nominated for the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults. For more info, see www.caraghobrien.com.
Beyond that definition--the opposite of an ideal society--the parameters are pretty wide open. What makes a dystopian novel (often simply called “a dystopia,” or “a dystopian”) interesting is that it calls into question what makes a society work at all, and it holds up a twisted mirror to our own society so that we’re likely to squirm at a freshly seen truth, even if it’s extreme in the novel. Cloning, climate change, plastic surgery, suburbia, and child warriors are all fair game. The action can take place in the future or in an alternative reality, and because of this, dystopian novels often are categorized with Sci-fi.
Dystopian novels have conflict inherently built in, because any self-respecting protagonist is certain to start resisting the warped society sooner or later. Even a small, private action like keeping a diary or a list of baby names becomes political, with bigger repercussions. Such novels are fun to write for this reason, and at the moment, popular to read as well.
In the recent surge of middle grade and young adult dystopian novels, gutsy young protagonists abound. They’re smart. Like Katniss Everdeen, they’re survivors, even if they aren’t literally fighting for their lives in a deadly arena. Under pressure, these survivors discover what matters to them: the people they love, their own morals, and what’s worth living for. They often laugh and act like regular kids along the way, so it’s easy to love them.
In short, a dystopia brings out the best in us. Maybe we should try living in one. Just kidding.
Are you already a dystopia fan? Can you match the following mini summaries to the titles further below? This is an eclectic compilation of some of my favorite middle grade and young adult dystopian novels, recent and classic.
1. A boy clone exists to provide genetically matching organ transplants for El Patron.
2. A teen midwife from outside the wall tries to save her parents arrested by the Enclave.
3. Twelve districts each donate two children who will fight each other to the death on TV.
4. Families are allowed to have two children maximum, but a third child lives in secret.
5. A young boy discovers choice and color in a world where they’ve been eliminated.
6. A boy and a dog, who read men’s and animals’ minds, run with a girl to evade killers.
7. A girl on an orchid farm receives a plea for help from across the forbidden borderline.
8. At sixteen, everyone has an operation to become beautiful, until one girl rebels.
9. A girl wakes post-coma with amnesia, an awkward body, and a family full of secrets.
10. A boy’s brain chip connects him to ads, other teens, and a girl who resists her chip.
A. The Adoration of Jenna Fox (2008) by Mary E. Pearson
B. Among the Hidden (1998) by Margaret Patterson Haddix
C. Birthmarked (2010) by Caragh M. O’Brien
D. Feed (2002) by M. T. Anderson
E. The Giver (1993) by Lois Lowry
F. The House of the Scorpion (2002) by Nancy Farmer
G. The Hunger Games (2008) by Suzanne Collins
H. The Knife of Never Letting Go (2008) by Patrick Ness
I. The Line (2010) by Teri Hall
J. The Uglies (2005) by Scott Westerfeld
Answers: 1-F, 2-C, 3-G, 4-B, 5-E, 6-H, 7-I, 8-J, 9-A, 10-D.
-Caragh M. O’Brien is the author of the dystopian novel Birthmarked, recently nominated for the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults. For more info, see www.caraghobrien.com.
8.31.2010
What's Your Genre? Week: Sarah Ockler on Contemp!
Today, we have Sarah Ockler talking about reading Contemporary Realistic Fiction!
~~~
How do I love contemporary realistic fiction? Let me count the ways!
Characters
For me, as both a writer and a reader, contemporary fiction is very much about characters. Whatever the primary issue or plot in the book -- death, first love, teen pregnancy, addiction, best friendships, faith, divorce, sibling rivalry, crime, self esteem, and countless others -- it's not usually a broad commentary on how that issue affects the world, but an in-depth look at how a particular character experiences it. When I develop characters, my goal is to create someone that readers feel they know, or could know, in real life. Someone authentic and recognizable, someone in whom readers can see themselves or their own friends and family. I spend so much time with the characters that by the end of a book project, if I don't feel like they really *are* real people with real stories to tell, I haven't succeeded.
Setting
Another thing I love about writing contemporary fiction is that because the basic setting (somewhere on planet earth, present day) is already familiar, I don't have to spend a lot of time orienting readers to a strange new world with magical rules, mystifying history, or other special circumstances. Instead, I can focus on bringing the characters and their relationships to life, showing the setting primarily in terms of how the characters interact with and respond to it. I can also build fictional places based on real towns and cities, drawing from memory or even maps and pictures that already exist (thank you, Google!). The drawback in this approach is that if a setting is supposed to be a real place, say New York City or Disneyworld, then writers open ourselves up to lots of criticism if we don't get the details exactly right. I try to work around this by loosely disguising real places with fictional names and similar features, leaving myself some creative wiggle room. Again, my primary goal in creating a contemporary story is to let the characters shine through the backdrop of a realistic, believable setting.
Research & Authenticity
My research for contemp stories is generally limited to very specific elements and doesn't require a lot of time, allowing me to focus more on the storytelling itself. For example, in Twenty Boy Summer, I only needed to research the geography of Northern California and the location of certain sights in San Francisco. In Fixing Delilah, I researched a bit about Vermont geography, maple syrup production, and seasonal flowers, all of which contributed more to the background of the story than to the plot and characters. In my current project, the main character is an ice skater, so I researched technical ice skating, terminology, equipment, and the lifestyles of teen competitive skaters. In each book, I probably could've written the stories without doing such research, but for me, research -- however limited -- is a key component in creating authentic, believable tales. When someone picks up one of my books, I want that person to become immersed in the story, not distracted by little factual errors or flaws that yank her away from the characters and their struggles.
Memories & Shared Experiences
Because I write YA stories, I rely on memory a lot. I close my eyes and revisit things that happened in my own teen years, whether it's a specific event like graduation or summer break, or just the vast sea of emotions and feelings that come with things like best friendships and fights, first love and broken hearts, family dynamics, peer and parental pressure, sexuality, choices... so many amazing and frightening experiences! There were wonderful times as well as downright painful ones, but through contemporary stories and characters, writers and readers share those experiences together. Like we've said over at The Contemps, contemporary fiction lets us all know that we're not alone in this very real world. Contemporary, realistic stories connect people on a very human level, and that's something I've always loved about the power of books.
Thanks for hosting me today, Harmony! I hope everyone will check out more contemporary stories and join the ongoing discussion and celebration at The Contemps!
XOXO
Sarah
- Sarah Ockler, author of Fixing Delilah and Twenty Boy Summer and member of The Contemps, a group of YA authors putting realistic fiction in the spotlight.
~~~
How do I love contemporary realistic fiction? Let me count the ways!
Characters
For me, as both a writer and a reader, contemporary fiction is very much about characters. Whatever the primary issue or plot in the book -- death, first love, teen pregnancy, addiction, best friendships, faith, divorce, sibling rivalry, crime, self esteem, and countless others -- it's not usually a broad commentary on how that issue affects the world, but an in-depth look at how a particular character experiences it. When I develop characters, my goal is to create someone that readers feel they know, or could know, in real life. Someone authentic and recognizable, someone in whom readers can see themselves or their own friends and family. I spend so much time with the characters that by the end of a book project, if I don't feel like they really *are* real people with real stories to tell, I haven't succeeded.
Setting
Another thing I love about writing contemporary fiction is that because the basic setting (somewhere on planet earth, present day) is already familiar, I don't have to spend a lot of time orienting readers to a strange new world with magical rules, mystifying history, or other special circumstances. Instead, I can focus on bringing the characters and their relationships to life, showing the setting primarily in terms of how the characters interact with and respond to it. I can also build fictional places based on real towns and cities, drawing from memory or even maps and pictures that already exist (thank you, Google!). The drawback in this approach is that if a setting is supposed to be a real place, say New York City or Disneyworld, then writers open ourselves up to lots of criticism if we don't get the details exactly right. I try to work around this by loosely disguising real places with fictional names and similar features, leaving myself some creative wiggle room. Again, my primary goal in creating a contemporary story is to let the characters shine through the backdrop of a realistic, believable setting.
Research & Authenticity
My research for contemp stories is generally limited to very specific elements and doesn't require a lot of time, allowing me to focus more on the storytelling itself. For example, in Twenty Boy Summer, I only needed to research the geography of Northern California and the location of certain sights in San Francisco. In Fixing Delilah, I researched a bit about Vermont geography, maple syrup production, and seasonal flowers, all of which contributed more to the background of the story than to the plot and characters. In my current project, the main character is an ice skater, so I researched technical ice skating, terminology, equipment, and the lifestyles of teen competitive skaters. In each book, I probably could've written the stories without doing such research, but for me, research -- however limited -- is a key component in creating authentic, believable tales. When someone picks up one of my books, I want that person to become immersed in the story, not distracted by little factual errors or flaws that yank her away from the characters and their struggles.
Memories & Shared Experiences
Because I write YA stories, I rely on memory a lot. I close my eyes and revisit things that happened in my own teen years, whether it's a specific event like graduation or summer break, or just the vast sea of emotions and feelings that come with things like best friendships and fights, first love and broken hearts, family dynamics, peer and parental pressure, sexuality, choices... so many amazing and frightening experiences! There were wonderful times as well as downright painful ones, but through contemporary stories and characters, writers and readers share those experiences together. Like we've said over at The Contemps, contemporary fiction lets us all know that we're not alone in this very real world. Contemporary, realistic stories connect people on a very human level, and that's something I've always loved about the power of books.
Thanks for hosting me today, Harmony! I hope everyone will check out more contemporary stories and join the ongoing discussion and celebration at The Contemps!
XOXO
Sarah
- Sarah Ockler, author of Fixing Delilah and Twenty Boy Summer and member of The Contemps, a group of YA authors putting realistic fiction in the spotlight.
8.30.2010
What's Your Genre? Week. Andrea Cremer!
As promised, I have another themed week for you guys! Last months I had bloggers here and THIS month, I have AWESOME authors here to talk about the different type of genres they write!
Today we have Andrea Cremer talking about writing Fantasy and Paranormal Romance!
~~~
I’m often asked if I would write in a genre other than paranormal/fantasy. It’s hard to imagine doing so. Fantasy was my bread and butter from my earliest books. Even in non-fantasy genres I related the most to fantasy elements. For example, I loved Anne of Green Gables for the creative worlds she constantly dreamed up. It’s not many a heroine you’ll find who ends up stranded in a river because she was pretending to be the Lady of Shalott (and to be rescued by Gilbert Blythe! Sigh, Gilbert Blythe).
For as long as I can remember I’ve been dreaming up other worlds, other times, fantastical scenarios, and supernatural gifts that would make life more interesting. When writing, creating characters and places that lacked those magical elements and extraordinary events would likely leave me a little bit sad.
What I love about fantasy is its longevity and flexibility. Fantasy and paranormal tales are tied up in human culture. Our mythologies going back as far as histories – both oral and written – record include episodes of magic, mystery, miracle. Fantasy seems to be a vital part of the human condition. And I’m glad for it.
I also am committed to the ways in which fantasy has been on the leading edge of social issues. Questions about gender and sexual power, racial ideologies, and hot-button political topics have long found expression in sci-fi and fantasy. I think that the realm of the impossible makes writers and readers less fearless when it comes to timely and challenging subjects. Fantasy writers give a voice to the voiceless in ways that characters in other genres aren’t able too, forecasting social change well before it takes root in contemporary cultures.
Finally, fantasy and paranormal offer the gift of escape. There’s nothing quite like being transported into a world where you’re forced to relearn all the rules, encounter new ways of thinking and being, and might just discover a few amazing powers that you didn’t know you had.
~~~
Squee, I love reading Andrea's posts. =P Hoped you liked it!
Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.
Today we have Andrea Cremer talking about writing Fantasy and Paranormal Romance!
~~~
I’m often asked if I would write in a genre other than paranormal/fantasy. It’s hard to imagine doing so. Fantasy was my bread and butter from my earliest books. Even in non-fantasy genres I related the most to fantasy elements. For example, I loved Anne of Green Gables for the creative worlds she constantly dreamed up. It’s not many a heroine you’ll find who ends up stranded in a river because she was pretending to be the Lady of Shalott (and to be rescued by Gilbert Blythe! Sigh, Gilbert Blythe).
For as long as I can remember I’ve been dreaming up other worlds, other times, fantastical scenarios, and supernatural gifts that would make life more interesting. When writing, creating characters and places that lacked those magical elements and extraordinary events would likely leave me a little bit sad.
What I love about fantasy is its longevity and flexibility. Fantasy and paranormal tales are tied up in human culture. Our mythologies going back as far as histories – both oral and written – record include episodes of magic, mystery, miracle. Fantasy seems to be a vital part of the human condition. And I’m glad for it.
I also am committed to the ways in which fantasy has been on the leading edge of social issues. Questions about gender and sexual power, racial ideologies, and hot-button political topics have long found expression in sci-fi and fantasy. I think that the realm of the impossible makes writers and readers less fearless when it comes to timely and challenging subjects. Fantasy writers give a voice to the voiceless in ways that characters in other genres aren’t able too, forecasting social change well before it takes root in contemporary cultures.
Finally, fantasy and paranormal offer the gift of escape. There’s nothing quite like being transported into a world where you’re forced to relearn all the rules, encounter new ways of thinking and being, and might just discover a few amazing powers that you didn’t know you had.
~~~
Squee, I love reading Andrea's posts. =P Hoped you liked it!
Happy Reading!
-Harmony B.
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