got inspiration?

"There are two kinds of beginnings in fiction: the sentence that gets you started and the true opening sentence, which may not find you till you are well into the work. " 

Nancy Willard

I love the notion that your work finds you. The opening sentence and main character of A Closer Look found me after I'd written 80 pages of a middle grade novel about girls who would donate their hair. I plotted that the main character of the MG novel would come upon a girl sitting on the beach having a quiet discussion with her mother. The girl was awaiting her first prosthetic wig. She was wearing a hat and was constantly adjusting it, obviously worried that it would fly away in the sea breeze and expose her bald scalp. And that's when it struck me that the girl on the beach, Cassie's story was the one I needed to tell. So I scrapped those 80 pages, started researching and started all over again.

So patient with your stories and characters because they may be the guides who lead you to the opening sentence of the real story you are destined to write.


The opening sentence to A Closer Look:


"It was New Year's Eve, but I didn't care how I looked--jeans and a sweatshirt, hair in a ponytail--done deal."


~~Karen

Nobody Knows Anything - Got Inspiration?

William Goldman in his book Adventures in the Screen Trade, has wonderful words of caution for all writers, whether you write for the stage, screen, or the ever more elusive hardcover book:

"Nobody knows anything."

In this wonderful book on writing, he says again and again, "Nobody knows anything," until it is a mantra that you will have imprinted, etched, and coded in your brain. What does it mean? For me when someone says, "You can't write a book over 300 pages and get it published." Or, "Nobody reads the quotes at the beginning of a chapter so don't put them in." Or, "The only way to write is by outlining." Or, "The most creative way to write is to write without any constraints and not knowing what will come next." Or, "You have to have an agent." Or, "Nobody is publishing coming-of-age stories anymore." Or, "Nobody will buy a book on quilting (move over How to Make an American Quilt book and movie)." There are many many more maxims of writing that will come across your path but, as William Goldman says, "Nobody knows anything." People guess at what will sell. They guess at what will break out and what will collapse and it's usually based on past experience. Never a bad thing unless you try to apply it to all cases in the future.

It's kind of like people who have been in drug treatment. (okay okay, just go with me here) When you ask them, "What kind of treatment would you recommend I go into (because, say, you need treatment)?" they tell you to go into the kind of treatment that worked for them. People who have been in AA say AA is the best. People who have been in a therapeutic community say 24-hour round-the-clock, keep-me-busy-all-the-time and do-group-to-death is the best. The problem is you are not them. I don't know what treatment will be best for someone unless I've done a complete and thorough assessment of their illness.

The same thing works for writing.

What will work for you?

Should you use an outline? If it helps then use it. If it doesn't then don't.

Should you get an agent first? It's usually a good idea but I know people who have published without one. Its harder but if you know people and have contacts...

If your book is over 300 pages and that's the right length for your book, then keep searching for a publisher until you find one that believes in your work. Is it possible you won't find one? Sure, but there's no even money bets on publishing. They're all long shots. You just keep the faith and keep entering the starting gate for the next race. Perseverance, faith, and support can pull you through.

I know.

I queried over 70 agents before I got my first one.

My novel is over 300 pages long.

And it was published.
- Joe

Remember. "Nobody knows anything," unless it applies to you.

Got Books You Love?

I’ve found some of my biggest inspiration through the books I love.

I wrote The Girl Next Door after re-reading The Catcher in the Rye. I was so moved by the relationship between Holden Caulfield and his dead brother, and I wished that I could read a story about them – a prequel.

My subconscious must’ve been especially taken by the idea of using a life-threatening illness as a backdrop for a story, because I woke up the next morning with the words, “Jesse’s dying” in my head. I actually said them out-loud!

Then I said, “Who’s Jesse?”

My subconscious had the answer – and the entire novel, just waiting to be put to paper.

What’s your favorite book? What’s its theme? Today’s writing prompt invites you to think about this, and then write an opening paragraph to a story inspired by that book you love.

I hope you’ll share your results with me. I’ll be looking for yours up until next Wednesday, and I'll post the winner(s) on Friday, May 4. When entering, please tell me the name of the book which inspired your entry.

Hey, you might wind up with a whole novel.

I did!

Enjoy,

Selene

Blocks' Anti-inspiration Inspiration

“If you want to write fiction, the best thing you can do is take two aspirins, lie down in a dark room, and wait for the feeling to pass.” 
― Lawrence Block, Writing the Novel: From Plot to Print


Lawrence Block is a funny guy and his advice is spot on. He writes this knowing how hard it is to write and how crazy it is to spend all your waking, unattached, specially created, free time sitting at a computer trying to fill a blank screen with words that tell a story that resonates with truth. Writing is challenging, mind-blowing, nerve-wracking, frustrating, wonderful, fulfilling, creative, magical work.


What he doesn't say - what is even more interesting to me - is what do you do if the feeling doesn't pass? 


I'll tell you.


You get up, turn on the light, and get back to work.


Because if you're a writer... you write. 
- Joe

GOT INSPIRATION?

It's March Madness time for all of the college basketball fans out there. As we're inundated with images of tournaments past and present, one moment comes to mind-- Duke's Christian Laettner's last minute shot in 1992 to beat Kentucky and head to the Final Four.

With two seconds to go, no one thought it was possible for Duke to overcome their 103-102 deficit. But Grant Hill inbounded down the entire length of the court to Laettner, who turned and made the shot--winning the game.

Nearly impossible odds, right? That feels like publishing some times. But Laettner did make that shot and writers do sell their books/stories/movies/plays, etc.

So don't give up because you think it can't happen--it can and it does. Just ask Christian Laettner and every Duke fan (including me) out there!

~Shari

GOT INSPIRATION?

Although I usually prefer to read fiction, once in a while a non-fiction book comes along that I adore. This was the case with The Girls From Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty Year Friendship. Written by Jeffrey Zazlow, a Wall Street Journal columnist, who was also the co-author of The Last Lecture with Randy Pausch, it was the wonderful showcase of the enduring friendship these women had and, for some reason, really resonated with me.

Jeffrey Zazlow was killed in a car crash a few weeks ago on the way home from a book signing, his death overshadowed by Whitney Houston, who passed away the same weekend.

Yesterday, I was doing my usual on-line morning news reading and I stumbled across this column about Jeffrey Zazlow. It talked about his incredible work ethic and how he could often settle for phoning it in, but rarely did--he always went the extra mile, sometimes literally as when he drove 5 hours each way to hear Randy Pausch's Last Lecture at Carnegie-Mellon.

Writing is about talent, but it's also about persistence--about going that extra mile. The world lost a terrific voice, when it lost Jeffrey Zazlow, but I hope that his spirit, determination and commitment to putting in maximum effort inspires others to do the same. I know it did for me.

Here's a link to the column about Jeffrey Zazlow: "Jeff Zazlow's last lesson"

~Shari

Got Inspiration?

Each Wednesday, Got Teen Fiction? will be about inspiration. What inspires you? What keeps you going?

This is one of my favorite sayings--both for life and for writing. A writing career can be stormy. There's lots of waiting--when you're searching for an agent, when your book or story is on submission and then waiting for it to finally be published. And there's lots of rejection. That's hard. But you can find the joy, even in the hard times. Just keep your head down and savor the love of writing.

Thanks to everyone who has visited us here. Scroll down to see Monday's writing prompt. We've started to get some fabulous submissions and can't wait to get some more.

And don't forget to "follow" our blog (click "follow" on the side). Come back Friday for an insightful interview with Cheryl Rainfield, author of Scars and the new book, Hunted.

~Shari