tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post3425986221999034895..comments2023-12-09T00:33:24.572-08:00Comments on Novel Matters: Interview with Alice Kuipers, Author of 40 Things I Want to Tell You.Bonnie Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11377519561074174038noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-24024937491670988762012-03-27T11:22:31.776-07:002012-03-27T11:22:31.776-07:00Hi Cherry,
Thanks!
And for those of you reading t...Hi Cherry,<br />Thanks!<br /><br />And for those of you reading the comments, again, sorry for the NEW typos in the last reply. I seem to be having computer issues today (could be because my son got me up at 5 again!)<br /><br />AliceAlice Kuipershttp://www.alicekuipers.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-34238651433907899222012-03-27T11:20:19.077-07:002012-03-27T11:20:19.077-07:00Hi Latanye,
You make some interesting points and ...Hi Latanye,<br /><br />You make some interesting points and I think it's good to think about these things as you find yourself switching genres in your writing. When I write YA, what I think about is how my main character is becoming the adult they will then be for the rest of their lives. I believe that during our teens there ar moments when we make choices that transform who we end up being, and the is huge possibility for us to become someone very different based on how we respond to the challenges put in our paths. My teen characters get put in very difficult situations and they have to really grow up to find their way through to the other side. I find thinking about this aspect - the metamorphosis of the main character - really frees me up as the writer. So, yes, it is to do with the new experiences the teenager has in the novel, but it's also to do with how much those characters can change.<br />Good luck with the books you've written that sound just like novels that young adult readers will love.<br />Best wishes,<br />AliAlice Kuipershttp://www.alicekuipers.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-33928047520859020802012-03-27T09:43:25.860-07:002012-03-27T09:43:25.860-07:00Refreshing perspective.Refreshing perspective.Cherry Odelberghttp://einefeistyberg.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-31170481746442864302012-03-27T06:17:08.215-07:002012-03-27T06:17:08.215-07:00Alice, I'm finding that even though I have alw...Alice, I'm finding that even though I have always believed I was an author for adults, my last two novels have focused on the inner world of young girls. I found your comments very helpful, especially about self-testing dialogue and other aspects to make sure they are authentic to the age level.<br /><br />I wonder if writing from that perspective allows an author to explore things as if they are "new" (as most of life is to a teenager), forcing the author to look for a kind of purity of expression. To use another analogy, if an author is writing about a particular historical epoch, he or she must strive for a universal way of expressing a concept or an experience, so as not to let 2012 intrude on the epoch. Reality as viewed by the character has to be "pure" in that it is free of 2012.<br /><br />Tell me if I'm wrong about this, but I think similarly an author of YA has to not let adulthood intrude on the way a young character sees life. At any rate, that's a challenge I find for myself.<br /><br />Great insights, Alice, and thank you so much for joining us on NM.Latayne C Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06133535124591010838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-39889950663690543662012-03-27T06:17:05.373-07:002012-03-27T06:17:05.373-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Latayne C Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06133535124591010838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-56389216612456175562012-03-27T05:36:31.227-07:002012-03-27T05:36:31.227-07:00Thanks, Kathleen and Debbie. It''s been f...Thanks, Kathleen and Debbie. It''s been fun! Good luck with your writing.<br />Ali<br /><br />(NB - sorry for the typo above, my computer does a little rewriting of its own sometimes).Alicehttp://www.alicekuipers.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-66435623128268393952012-03-27T05:35:12.535-07:002012-03-27T05:35:12.535-07:00Hi Steve,
I buy YA every week partly to see what m...Hi Steve,<br />I buy YA every week partly to see what my peers are writing from professional curiousity but mainly because I really enjoy reading them. I think looking at the books we most enjoy reading is always a good way for a writer to discover what they most enjoy writing. Getting tangled up in a great teen novel for an afternoon (punctuated with tea and chocolate) is one of my favorite ways to spend time.<br />Now, the question about readers, I only start thinking about readers when I'm two or three (or even four) drafts into the book. If I think about who might read my words too soon, I get worried. I start questioning every sentence - I'm sure others of you can relate to that feeling. Later on, as I redraft, I try to see the book through a reader's eye to make me work harder and make the book better. <br />The best ways for an author to connect to readers, I think, is for the author to trust that the reader is smart and curious, with their own vivid and powerful imagination. Letting the reader fill in the blanks and trusting them with your story is the best way for a writer to connect. As for where readers congregate, well, I know in Saskatoon that we all lurk about McNally Robinson's and the library. I see readers there and I go there myself to discover new books. I buy so many books that I don't have enough space to out them all. I used to work Ina. Second hand bookshop. It was brilliant because It was full of books, piles on the floor, on my desk, everywhere.<br />Thanks for the questions!<br />Warmest wishes,<br />AliAlice Kuipershttp://www.alicekuipers.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-65750495205045820942012-03-26T20:00:04.057-07:002012-03-26T20:00:04.057-07:00Alice, thanks so much for joining us today. It'...Alice, thanks so much for joining us today. It's been a pleasure to have you and benefit from your experience.Debbie Fuller Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09174333267329587740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-40865206916281543372012-03-26T18:20:09.116-07:002012-03-26T18:20:09.116-07:00Alice, thank you for joining us today. We are hono...Alice, thank you for joining us today. We are honored.Kathleen Popahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03682046279211463305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-22719370834768920332012-03-26T13:48:23.382-07:002012-03-26T13:48:23.382-07:00Hi Alice, This is a great interview, with a ton of...Hi Alice, This is a great interview, with a ton of insight. I like how you answered the last question - the novel matters for so many different reasons. You mention you buy at least 1 YA novel a week - I assume that is because that is what you write.<br /><br />How do you connect to readers? Where do you think readers congregate?Steve Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02332880875202358601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-8031693624105757312012-03-26T13:30:37.399-07:002012-03-26T13:30:37.399-07:00Anyone else making notes as they read the intervie...Anyone else making notes as they read the interview, and then Ali's remarkable comments here?<br /><br />My #2 pencil is nubbed!<br /><br />Great stuff!Bonnie Grovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11377519561074174038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-74197676931647125542012-03-26T12:11:39.115-07:002012-03-26T12:11:39.115-07:00Hi Melanie,
My way of dealing with this isn't ...Hi Melanie,<br />My way of dealing with this isn't the way that other writers I know of deal with it, but it works for me! I always have more than one book on the go, and I never know which book I'm going to actually finish until I've started them both. Organically, one of the plots becomes clearer and the other story starts to peter out. I tend to have a basic shape for both with the details only becoming focused once the story is begun, but often the basic shape of both books changes a lot while I write. And the book that I don't finish? Normally, I outline it all the way to the end as practise once I've given up the book for good. I realize this isn't a very efficient way of working, but it works for me!<br />If you are struggling with plot, I suggest that you do some practice outlining for a few story ideas you have. Write long, detailed outlines for each story. Normally, if I outline too much, I never complete the actual book in full, but I do practice outlining with stories so that when the idea comes along, the idea of the book I actually want to finish, I've got a good sense of outlining and shape from all the stories I've begun and not finished.<br />I'm okay with stories I don't finish. I think of them as ways for me to find the stories I do want to tell.<br />Oh, and the other thing I do? I make sure I have enough time to keep working on a book so that if I lose momentum, I don't have the excuse of being too busy to stop me plugging away at the story. Sometimes when I get stuck or when the idea doesn't seem to be working, it isn't because I want to quit the book, it's just that I have to work doubly hard to discover which way to turn the story.<br />With 40 Things, I knew the end and I knew the main obstacles, and I knew that Bird was creating a list. It took loads of rewriting to discover big sections of the beginning of the book and some rejigging to get the order of all the events completely right. <br />I hope this helps! Remember, someone else's way of working may not be the right way for you to write, but hopefully something I've said here speaks to your own writing!<br />Good luck, Melanie.<br />AliAlicehttp://www.alicekuipers.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-63386573894518906002012-03-26T08:32:20.980-07:002012-03-26T08:32:20.980-07:00Hi Alice!
My question is about plot. When you bega...Hi Alice!<br />My question is about plot. When you began writing 40 Things I Want To Tell You, did you know in advance all the problems that would happen for Bird, or did they occur organically as you wrote the story? Oftentimes when I begin writing a novel, I have an idea of a character or the beginnings of a plot, but it peters out before I reach the end. Any advice?Melanie Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06677477295913962657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-88238552653612781442012-03-26T08:15:45.132-07:002012-03-26T08:15:45.132-07:00Hi Megan,
When I write books, I write them for the...Hi Megan,<br />When I write books, I write them for the teenager I was. I imagine myself at fourteen and think about the books I wish I'd been able to read then. That helps me find my voice as a YA author because I'm okay with getting it wrong for myself (the fourteen year old me), I'm okay with making mistakes.<br />I used to write 'novels' for adults, but I tended to have main characters who were in their teens and the books all ended up reaching neither adult readers nor teens so they remain (fortunately) unpublished. I was finding my feet, finding my voice as I wrote these novels. I think the best way to discover what sort of writer you are is to keep writing.<br />Ask any other questions you like. I'll check in later.<br />Best wishes,<br />AliceAlice Kuipershttp://www.alicekuipers.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6360410252358941163.post-51431643072201009832012-03-26T03:17:10.305-07:002012-03-26T03:17:10.305-07:00Thanks Alice (and Bonnie), this was great! I love ...Thanks Alice (and Bonnie), this was great! I love hearing about how other writers think. <br />Sorry, no choc chips today, but I do have a question for Alice:<br />how did you find your feet in YA?Megan Sayerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15410068162701570057noreply@blogger.com