Inspired by Elizabeth George’s Mastering the Process
I can never get enough of reading about how other writers write, so when I recently stumbled onto Elizabeth George’s Mastering the Process: From Idea to Novel (Viking, 2020), I eagerly dug in.
Voice and Narration, Part 1: First-Person Omniscient
In this post, I want to talk about one of the fancier options—omniscient narration. Kelly Barnhill’s middle grade novel, The Ogress and the Orphans (Algonquin Young Readers, 2022), is like a class in both voice and omniscient narration.
And the Award Goes to: Reading the Newbery and Other Award Winners
As a writer who’d love to win a Newbery someday (who wouldn’t?!), I like to see what books for kids and teens win awards from the American Library Association each year. It’s kind of like reading the list of Oscar-nominated movies—have I seen any of those movies?
Have I read any of these award-winning books yet? In 2023, I read three of them:
Elf Dog and Owl Head by M. T. Anderson
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla
Writing a Novel Series for Kids, Part 1
When you were a kid, what series of novels did you read and enjoy? Two of the series that stick out in my memory are Nancy Drew mysteries and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books.
Two Fairy Tale-Based Novels, Compared
When I happened to read two fairy tale-based fantasies back-to-back, I noticed that I was drawn more to T. Kingfisher’s Nettle & Bone (Tor, 2022) than to Elana K. Arnold’s Damsel (Balzer & Bray, 2018). Both novels are very well written.
MG Novel Recommendation: Simon Sort of Says
If you also appreciate humor, you may want to read Simon Sort of Says (2023) by Erin Bow. It’s a contemporary, realistic, middle grade novel that provides humor as well as a serious and challenging subject—school shootings.
A Different Kind of Character Study
People are fascinating. Why do they do the things they do? I can make up all sorts of motivations and back stories for my fictional characters, but is it believable? Sometimes that’s hard to judge.Lately, I’ve been reading books outside of my typical fun zone, and accidentally discovered another way to study characters.
Writing Craft: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel
I have a fondness for books on the craft of writing. I like reading about other writers’ tussles with different elements of story and what they’ve learned as a result. The ones I enjoy the most and the ones I think I’ll continue to learn from find a permanent home on my book shelves. Save the Cat! Writes a Novel (Ten Speed Press, 2018) by Jessica Brody is one of these.
What I Learned About Writing from Reading Louise Penny’s Mysteries
Another detective character that struck me as dry the first time I tried reading him was Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache, the chief homicide detective in Quebec. Several years ago a well-read friend recommended the series. I plucked a random one off the library shelf. Maybe I was in a bad mood, maybe I wasn’t ready for it. Whatever the reason, Gamache didn’t speak to me, so I returned him to the library after maybe 30 pages.
The Joy of Reading
Here are a few of the books I read in 2022 and especially enjoyed, including middle grade, young adult, and adult.