Eight Writing Tips from YALLFest 2014

This past weekend saw the fourth annual Charleston Young Adult Book Festival -- or YALLFest, as it's come to be known. Sponsored by the Blue Bicycle Books shop of Charleston, South Carolina, the event was a two-day spectacular of lectures and panels from sixty young adult book authors.

This Teen Services Librarian was lucky enough to attend the festivities. It was a great chance to delve into the latest teen reading trends and get a bit of an insider's scoop on up-and-coming projects. It was also a marvelous opportunity to hear all about the process of what each author puts into their writing -- how they find their ideas, portray their characters, and tell their stories to their audiences.

So read on for eight writing tips from the authors themselves. (And if you'd like to give their books a try, just click on their names for a full list of their titles in the Catalog!)

Author Veronica Roth

1. Don't write what you know -- write what you like. Don't worry about what genre it should be classified as, or what you feel you ought to be writing about. Just tell the story you want to tell. You'll figure it out:

"I know [my latest book, Atlantia] is science fiction because I did so much dang research on underwater cities and underwater welding ... that's not even in the final book." -- Ally Condie

"I just threw in everything I like [to read about]!" -- Alexandra Bracken


2. Let your characters do the misdirection for you. Trying to figure out how to write a juicier mystery, or add more plot twists to your thriller?  That's what untrustworthy characters are for:

"It's about misinformation. There's a ton of information [the characters] can access [in their technologically-advanced world], but a lot of it is lies. You can circumvent the power of the internet with misdirection." -- Kami Garcia

"Have your characters lie. It makes the scenes more interesting. Have them leave something out, and it makes the plot more interesting." -- Scott Westerfeld

Scott Westerfeld

3. Vary your characters. A diversity of characters makes for a more interesting story -- and that means diversity both of personality and of background:

"That 'too' is what makes a character. If we can't make a character too rude or too cold or too difficult, we'll have boring books. ... Make the character 'relatable' and 'believable' over 'likable.'" -- Leigh Bardugo

"There's not just one type of kick-butt heroine. It's just [female characters] with agency. Also, have more than one [female character] -- then you'll get different kinds of characters!" -- Leigh Bardugo


4. Write strong characters. And remember that "strong" doesn't just mean physically tough and unfailingly infallible:

"A kick-butt character is one who may not start with power, but learns to find strength." -- Alexandra Bracken

"Resilience: a character may temporarily fall apart, but then they put themselves back together and fix the problem." -- Sarah Fine

Marie Lu

5. Don't let fame go to your head. If you make it to the big time, remember to stay humble:

"It was very demoralizing to do the red carpet next to [Bones actress] Emily Deschanel, who is thirty years younger and like six feet taller." -- Kathy Reichs

"I write with my mommy, I"m 36 years old. I'm the coolest guy in the room!" -- Brendan Reichs


6. Don't worry about the movie. For writers and readers, it's important not to worry about the film version too much:

"Fans think they want it just like the book, but that doesn't work." -- Gayle Forman

"The book will always be there for you to experience. I look at the film as a way to experience the book again in a new way." -- James Dashner

James Dashner

7. Let yourself write how you write. Everyone has a different method that works for them:

"I'm a Seat-of-the-Panters; I write by the seat of my pants. About halfway to two-thirds of the way through, I have a panic attack [trying to figure out what happens next]. Then I stop and outline the rest of the way backwards." -- Scott Westerfeld

"I do a very detailed outline during revision." -- Alexandra Bracken

"I cannot outline. I always fail. For [one book], I wrote 17 outlines. Number 16 was called Help Me, Jesus. Number 17 was called Jesus Can't Help You." -- Libba Bray


8. Don't preach, just tell. 

"I think our job is to pose questions. Part of the challenge of the reader is to make up their own minds." -- Leigh Bardugo

Hollywood Squares -- Author Edition

-- Post by Ms. B

Have You Zine the News?

Pictured above is the front cover of the first-ever issue of "The Barcode Project," Monroeville Public Library's teen-created zine.

What is a zine?  It takes its name from the shortened form of "magazine," and it is, in essence, a mini-version of a magazine in itself. Zines feature collections of stories, poems, essays, and artwork by independent artists and authors, and are usually distributed (often for free) to the local community.

"The Barcode Project" was a labor of love from MPL's Teen Writing Group, featuring poetry, interviews, humorous essays, pictures and comic strips -- and short stories that ran the genre gamut, from historical fiction and adventure to sci-fi and parody. The first issue was published this spring and offered for free here at the library, allowing the teens' original work to be enjoyed across the community. (You can still stop in at the front desk to pick up your free copy!)

July 21st is International Zine Day (part of July's International Zine Month celebration). In honor of the occasion, read on to discover a little about the history and culture of zines.

And if you know any teens who would like to submit their work to The Barcode Project?  Tell them to drop by MPL's Owl Post to submit a story or ask a question about our next issue!

Denver Public Library's zine display

All About Zines:

-- Stolen Sharpie Revolution - More about International Zine Month.

-- The Zine Pavilion - A librarian-run page all about the world of zines.

-- Zines @ CLP - A great list of resources on zines, including some zine recommenations.

-- Brooklyn Zine Fest - The Brooklyn Historical Society held a "zine fest" this year. Read all about it!

-- The History of Zines (on ZineWiki) - Straight from zine fans themselves, read about the history of the zine.

-- Rookie Mag: How to Make a Zine - A do-it-yourself guide for making your own zine.

Volume 2 of "The Barcode Project," coming this fall to Monroeville Public Library

-- Post by Ms. B

Stranger Than Fiction

Where do writers get their ideas from?  Author Neil Gaiman has said, "You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it." Stephen King put it this way: "I get my ideas from everywhere. But what all of my ideas boil down to is seeing things ... in a new and interesting way, and then adding the question 'What if?' 'What if' is always the key question."

Most writers will tell you that, while they may not base all their characters on people they know, real life is still the best source of inspiration one can ask for. You're heard me mention, for instance, that Arthur Conan Doyle based his famous detective character, Sherlock Holmes, on a real person: Dr. Joseph Bell, a professor at Edinburgh University. But Conan Doyle is hardly the only author to find such real-life inspiration for his characters.

So in honor of Dr. Bell's 175th birthday (he was born on December 2), check out our list of seven famous fictional characters who were all inspired by real-life counterparts. A few entries may surprise you!

Lady Macbeth - Macbeth

Among William Shakespeare's most famous characters, Macbeth was based on a real historical figure -- a Scottish king who reigned in the mid-11th century. (The play was not written until the 17th century.) The real Macbeth did not have much in common with his literary counterpart, however -- right down to the fact that his wife, Gruoch of Scotland, was nothing like the treacherous villain of Shakespeare's play. (You can read more about the real Macbeth here.)

For the character of Lady Macbeth, Shakespere is thought to have found inspiration from another real-life historical figure. In the 10th century, King Duff of Scotland was murdered by the servants of one Captain Donwald. Donwald had tried to convince the king to issue pardons to certain rebellious friends and family members. The king had refused -- and Donwald's wife persuaded the captain to kill him.

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Dill, To Kill a Mockingbird

One of the trio of children in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Dill Harris is based on a real-life childhood friend of Lee's: Truman Capote. Capote spent time visiting his aunts in Monroeville, Alabama, and it was on such visits that Capote and Lee first became friends.

Lee and Capote remained friends into adulthood, and Capote was inspired to base two of his own characters on Lee: Idabel Thompkins and Ann "Jumbo" Finchburg. The literary pals would go on to collaborate together on research for a true crime book about a Kansas murder, but their friendship was shaken when Capote failed to give Lee credit for her part in their investigations. (Read more about that here.)

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Winnie the Pooh, When We Were Very Young

The famous inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood (or Ashdown Forest, for you purists) were the creation of children's author A. A. Milne, who was also an essayist, a playwright, a poet, and an adult novelist. You might already know that Milne based the character of Christopher Robin on Milne's own son (also named Christopher) -- but there was a real-life basis for Christopher Robin's ursine companion, too.

Lieutenant Harry Coleborn was a young veterinarian, who purchased an orphaned bear cub in the town of White River, Ontario. The bear -- named "Winnipeg" after the bear's birthplace -- initially served as something of a mascot to Coleborn's army regiment during the first World War. Winnie was eventually taken to the London Zoo, where Christopher Milne spotted her. Delighted with the bear, he promptly changed his own teddy bear's name from "Edward" to "Winnie-the-Pooh" in honor of Winnipeg. The rest is history.

(The original Edward/Winnie teddy bear can still be seen at the New York Public Library.) 

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Sally Bowles - Cabaret

The musical Cabaret started life as the 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin, was adapted into the play I Am a Camera in 1951, and was finally brought to Broadway in 1966. The story takes place in 1921 Berlin, where Sally Bowles is the star of the Kit Kat nightclub. The musical is loved for its blending of the bright decadence of the 30s with the air of political tension and growing upheaval as Europe stood on the brink of a world war. Sally herself is an unbreakably robust character, even with the darker tone that looms ahead.

When it came to the original novel, author Christopher Isherwood had factual inspiration for more than just his setting. The character of Sally Bowles herself is modeled after a young Englishwoman that Isherwood met while in Berlin. Her name was Jean Ross, and, in real life, she was a political radical, who was described as being much different from her fictional counterpart by those who knew her. (Read more about Jean Ross and Christopher Isherwood here.)

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Harry Callahan - Dirty Harry

The serial killer Scorpio is the first villain to appear in Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry series. Part of Scorpio's modus operandi was to send ransom demands to the police, threatening to commit a murder a day until he was paid off. Most fans know that Scorpio was based on a real criminal: California's Zodiac serial killer. Like Scorpio, the Zodiac killer also sent mocking notes to the police force (and the press) with information about upcoming crimes. (One such note said Zodiac would hijack a school bus, which was re-enacted in the film.)

But less well-known is that Harry Callahan himself was inspired by a real person. Eastwood's Callahan was inspired by David Toschi, the detective in charge of the Zodiac investigation.

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The Soup Nazi - Seinfeld

"No soup for you!" might be one of the most famous quotes to come out of hit NBC sitcom Seinfeld's nine-season run. It's uttered by the "Soup Nazi," the owner of a new soup stand that Kramer has been raving about. But when Jerry, George, and Elaine decide to give the place a try, Jerry reminds them that they have to be sure to follow the strict rules of procedure the owner lays out to customers. The trio doesn't manage it -- which means, well, No Soup.

As ludicrous as it sounds, the Soup Nazi is based on a real person (if slightly exaggerated). Al Yeganeh is a soup vendor who first opened his New York City restaurant, the Soup Kitchen International, in 1984. People lined up down the block to taste Yeganeh's creations -- but, due to either his temperament or the crowded lines, rules at the Soup Kitchen International were strict. ("Pick the soup you want!" "Have your money ready!") 

The Soup Nazi wasn't the only Seinfeld character based on a real person. Kramer was inspired by a real-life neighbor of the show's co-creator, Larry David. And George Costanza was based on David himself.

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Professor Snape (and the Weasleys) - Harry Potter

It's semi-common knowledge among Harry Potter fans that the insufferable Professor Gilderoy Lockhart -- his defining characteristics are his enormous ego and his utter incompetence -- was based upon a real person. (Author J.K. Rowling won't say who.) But while Lockhart was the only real-life person Rowling fully based one of her characters on, there was another Hogwarts professor who was at least partially inspired by a real-life figure: Severus Snape.

When asked about the character in an interview, Rowling commented, "Snape is the ... very sadistic teacher, loosely based on a teacher I myself had, I have to say."

It turns out that Rowling was talking about John Nettleship, a chemistry teacher (quite appropriate, as Snape teaches Potions class). Nettleship was initially surprised to find out the connection; he found out when reporters came knocking on his door to ask him about it. But he eventually came to embrace the connection in good humor. (Read more about Nettleship here.)

-- Post by Ms. B