Tag: writers

February #InkRipples: The Magic of Chocolate

February 1, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

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Every month when it’s time to start thinking about the new #InkRipples topic, I say to myself, “You are not going to write about books,” and then I end up somehow connecting the topic back to books. And February’s topic of chocolate is no exception.

It’s not my fault. See writers are infamous for turning to chocolate in dark times (say when we’re working through a tough revision, or are facing chocolate-183543_1920 writer’s block, or are afraid to look at our inboxes because of an influx of rejections). It’s bound to turn up in our writing.

Whenever I think of chocolate in books, I think of J.K. Rowling’s masterful use of it in the Harry Potter series (really, is there anything that woman is not masterful at?!). There is no shortage of pieces written about chocolate in Harry Potter, from the Harry Potter Wiki page to the Pottermore website itself. In short, chocolate is used to used to ward off the depressive effects of Dementors. But it’s also used for fun, with the many magical confections Rowling invents for wizards (care for a Chocolate Frog, anyone?).

Chocolate is actually a pretty magical food, even for us muggles. Dark chocolate in particular acts as a mood booster, is an anti-inflammatory, is full of antioxidants, and is fiber-rich (see “10 Ways Giving In To That Chocolate Craving Can Benefit Your Health”).

I guess what I’m trying to say is please send me all the chocolate!

#InkRipplesblueandgreen #InkRipples is a monthly meme created by me, Mary Waibel, andKai Strand. We pick a topic (February is all about chocolate), drop a ripple in the inkwell (i.e. write about it on our blogs), and see where the conversation goes. Be sure to check out Kai’s and Mary’s posts this month. We’d love to have you join in the conversation on your own blogs. Full details and each month’s topic can be found on my #InkRipples page.

Confessions of an Author: Writing Process

March 25, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

Confession #8: No matter how long I write and how many stories I complete, I have yet to master my own writing process.

Ask a dozen authors about how they write their books and you’ll probably get twelve different processes. You might hear some similar terms (plotter vs. pantser) and techniques (setting certain daily word goals, for example), but ultimately how an author writes (and by writes, I’m mostly talking about writing first drafts here) is a highly personal endeavor.

Me, well, I’m never quite sure how to answer that question. Because every manuscript I have written has ended up entailing a different process. For some reason, the projects I have tackled have each required their own approach to drafting.

Elixir Bound, my published YA fantasy, started with journal entries of character sketches and world building. I drafted this novel over a period of several years, writing in spurts and putting it away for months at a time. It was my first attempt at writing a full-length novel and it was somewhat blissful being so ignorant about the writing process and the business of publishing. I wrote this with high expectations but without any real pressure. It presented itself in very chronological order, I think because it’s essentially a quest novel, and I just wrote it with little outside forces involved.

The second manuscript I completed is a middle grade mystery with a first-person male point of view. I wanted to write something very different from Elixir Bound. I did a lot of research before and during the drafting process. I read entire non-fiction books; attended a lecture on local history; and created maps, calendars, charts, and pages and pages of supplemental materials.

And the process for my current WIP (currently titled Black Butterfly) is, well, a hot mess. I’m writing it in scenes, but not necessarily in any kind of chronological order. And there’s an element to the story in which the main character can only know certain information at certain points in the story, and I haven’t quite nailed down the timeline for that (or for the main plot in general). So, yeah, this one is going to require a lot of rewriting and editing.

But writing this way has been incredibly freeing. I normally (for the most part) write a story from beginning to end in order. To be able to jump around in the story and to not have to worry about transitioning from scene to scene means I can just write the good stuff, the stuff that’s being persistent about being written. It means I’m writing this story faster than I’ve ever done before. I look forward to my writing sessions, even as I approach the dreaded middle of drafting (which is usually the point where I start to burn out and need a break).

I think it’s important to be flexible as a writer. Set goals but realize that it may take some experimentation to get there, and the way you envision achieving those goals may have to change over time. Have a commitment to writing, but realize that the creative process is not a set step-by-step process. No one can tell you how to best write the book you are writing (maybe you can’t even tell yourself that). Like in life, in writing be open to new ways of discovering things (like your own drafting process), and you may find the perfect fit for your manuscript.

Writers and non-writers, what kinds of projects are you currently working on? Is your process working for you?

New England SCBWI 2013 Conference Gems

May 10, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

The 2013 New England SCBWI conference was amazing (of course it was…these conference are always amazing)! Caught up with old friends, including the very talented Kimberly Sabatini and Jodi Moore, and met some new ones. Left feeling inspired and exhausted, and I’m still brimming with creative juices.

One of the highlights for me was seeing my book covers up on the screen in the ballroom during the downtime/announcements/mealtime in the ballroom!

I’ve collected a few conference gems that resonated with me. A quick note about why I use italics instead of quotation marks…these are not necessarily direct quotes, some may be close to what the speaker actually said and others are my own rewording/interpretation as I scrambled to take notes during the speeches and presentations. So without further ado, here they are:

We should meet the world with all our senses. (Jeannine Atkins)
What’s outside in the setting can reflect what’s going on in the inside of a character, but it can also be in contrast to what’s being felt. (Jeannine Atkins)
How do we access that which we are trying to recreate when we’re sitting at our desks or computers? Sometimes we need a sensory kick in the pants. (Dawn Metcalf)
We work with art and it can evoke an objective response. (Ruben Pfeffer)
It was as if someone else’s words had opened up a whole host of words in me. (Sharon Creech)
As writers we want company; we need company. You come along too, please. (Sharon Creech)
Revision is finding and strengthening the heart of a story, and revision is messier than people want it to be. (Kate Messner)
Maybe I had to stop trying to prove to people I was good enough and just had to do the work I was passionate about. (Grace Lin)
Every story has a message, whether or not the writer was aware of it or intended it. (Chris Eboch)
I come to one little detail that sort of wakes up my mind and then start amassing details like constellations. (Jeannine Atkins)
Writers are somewhat schizophrenic; we hear voices in our heads; we listen instead of conversing. (Padma Venkatraman)
Go down the rabbit hole. (Greg Fishbone)

Personally, I feel like I stretched myself not only as a writer but as a person. I jumped headlong into any writing activities that came up in the workshops I attended, even braving to share some of my raw work in front of others. I dared to act out an emotion for others to write about (and I have terrible stage fright when it comes to acting anything). I drove to the train station by myself in a city I’d never been to and picked up another author. So all in all, a fantastic weekend!