Jennifer R. Hubbard's Blog, page 77
May 6, 2012
The river of stories
If you'll forgive a "deep thought" on this Sunday evening ...
Sometimes I have a sense of all writers, past and present, contributing to a huge body of work that is our collective literature. While only a few names from each generation are remembered, the influence of those with forgotten names still lives on. Those who read that "forgotten" work were changed by it, and incorporated something different in their own work as a result.
The river of stories flows on, and those of us who dig the channels for the river may be able to point to a specific curve that we shaped, or we may find that our work is not readily visible, that it's covered by the water. Either way, the river flows.
Sometimes I have a sense of all writers, past and present, contributing to a huge body of work that is our collective literature. While only a few names from each generation are remembered, the influence of those with forgotten names still lives on. Those who read that "forgotten" work were changed by it, and incorporated something different in their own work as a result.
The river of stories flows on, and those of us who dig the channels for the river may be able to point to a specific curve that we shaped, or we may find that our work is not readily visible, that it's covered by the water. Either way, the river flows.
May 3, 2012
Simplifying the story
I recently read three blog posts, very close in time, that addressed a similar topic. When the Universe jumps up and down waving its arms in my face that way, I figure I shouldn't ignore that signal.
Here's Jenny Gordon: "... I’ve recently printed up my old novels ... and this week, I’ve been reading those two dark fantasy novels ...
And man! Are they hard-going!!!!
It’s partly due to the fact that I was still learning my craft that they’re full of so much exposition, but it’s also because of all that world-building I did, and wanted to share.
It’s a rich, vibrant world to be sure, but did I really need to write so much of it into the stories?"
And now Tabitha Olsen: "... the very first time I sat down to write a story, I couldn’t wait to tell the reader everything. ... Literally, everything that happened in the story, as well as a fair bit of research, was included. You can imagine the big mess I ended up with. :)"
Finally, taking a slightly different road through what I view as the same neighborhood, Anna Staniszewski: "If you have to spend a lot of time explaining the rules and making sure your readers 'get them,' then you might be making things overly complex. And sometimes, that can be a big turn-off for readers."
In other words: don't let elaborate story-telling (whether setting, plot, backstory, characterization, style or tone) drag down the essential thing, which is the story itself.
p.s. If you have a taste for live book events, I'll be at the Hudson (NY) Book Festival this Saturday, May 5, from 10 to 4; and I'll be at Books of Wonder in NY City on May 19 from noon to 2 (even if you can't make the latter event in person, you can order signed books via the link).
Here's Jenny Gordon: "... I’ve recently printed up my old novels ... and this week, I’ve been reading those two dark fantasy novels ...
And man! Are they hard-going!!!!
It’s partly due to the fact that I was still learning my craft that they’re full of so much exposition, but it’s also because of all that world-building I did, and wanted to share.
It’s a rich, vibrant world to be sure, but did I really need to write so much of it into the stories?"
And now Tabitha Olsen: "... the very first time I sat down to write a story, I couldn’t wait to tell the reader everything. ... Literally, everything that happened in the story, as well as a fair bit of research, was included. You can imagine the big mess I ended up with. :)"
Finally, taking a slightly different road through what I view as the same neighborhood, Anna Staniszewski: "If you have to spend a lot of time explaining the rules and making sure your readers 'get them,' then you might be making things overly complex. And sometimes, that can be a big turn-off for readers."
In other words: don't let elaborate story-telling (whether setting, plot, backstory, characterization, style or tone) drag down the essential thing, which is the story itself.
p.s. If you have a taste for live book events, I'll be at the Hudson (NY) Book Festival this Saturday, May 5, from 10 to 4; and I'll be at Books of Wonder in NY City on May 19 from noon to 2 (even if you can't make the latter event in person, you can order signed books via the link).
May 2, 2012
Stockholm Syndrome
Books such as Bel Canto (Ann Patchett); Girl, Stolen (April Henry); Whatever Happened to Cass McBride? (Gail Giles); Stolen (Lucy Christopher) and Five Were Missing (also published as Ransom, by Lois Duncan) explore the complicated relationships that sometimes evolve between captives and captors. One real-life situation that made US headlines in the 1970s was the case of Patty Hearst, a kidnapped heiress who ended up robbing banks with her abductors. The Hearst case was widely viewed as an example of Stockholm Syndrome (so named from a 1973 Swedish bank robbery in which hostages defended their captors).
Today, Michelle Davidson Argyle guest-posts about her new novel, in which an abduction has unforeseen consequences:
In The Breakaway, a family of thieves kidnaps Naomi Jensen. While Naomi understands the basic concept of Stockholm Syndrome, she finds it difficult to keep her defenses strong. She plans to try and escape her captors by convincing them that she is under their spell and falling in love with one of them … but the plan works too well when she actually does fall in love. She also finds herself dealing with sympathetic emotions for the other captors, as well. How does one break such a bond? And is it possible?
These are the kinds of questions I asked myself every time I worked on The Breakaway. To this day, even with the book completed and published, those questions fascinate me. Stockholm Syndrome is very real, and as my main character discovers in the novel, it is as real as the abuse she suffered in her past, yet never recognized. I think one of the reasons I love The Breakaway is because of the layers I peel back ever so slowly, both for the reader and Naomi. It has been a unique, suspenseful, and intriguing story for me to write.
THE BREAKAWAY: When Naomi Jensen is kidnapped, her one plan for escape is to convince one of her captors she is falling in love with him.
MICHELLE DAVIDSON ARGYLE lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. You can find more of her online at michelledavidsonargyle.com
Today, Michelle Davidson Argyle guest-posts about her new novel, in which an abduction has unforeseen consequences:
In The Breakaway, a family of thieves kidnaps Naomi Jensen. While Naomi understands the basic concept of Stockholm Syndrome, she finds it difficult to keep her defenses strong. She plans to try and escape her captors by convincing them that she is under their spell and falling in love with one of them … but the plan works too well when she actually does fall in love. She also finds herself dealing with sympathetic emotions for the other captors, as well. How does one break such a bond? And is it possible?
These are the kinds of questions I asked myself every time I worked on The Breakaway. To this day, even with the book completed and published, those questions fascinate me. Stockholm Syndrome is very real, and as my main character discovers in the novel, it is as real as the abuse she suffered in her past, yet never recognized. I think one of the reasons I love The Breakaway is because of the layers I peel back ever so slowly, both for the reader and Naomi. It has been a unique, suspenseful, and intriguing story for me to write.
THE BREAKAWAY: When Naomi Jensen is kidnapped, her one plan for escape is to convince one of her captors she is falling in love with him.
MICHELLE DAVIDSON ARGYLE lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. You can find more of her online at michelledavidsonargyle.com
May 1, 2012
Getaway and The Breakaway (or, my TBR pile grows ever larger)
Today is a special day for two writers with whom I correspond. But it isn't just because I know them that I celebrate their book launches today. It is also because their books sound AWESOME. And there's a certain symmetry to their titles:
Getaway is Lisa Brackmann's follow-up (though not a sequel) to Rock Paper Tiger. A woman's Mexican vacation veers into deadly territory, when what starts as a fling ensnares her in a dangerous underworld.
The Breakaway, by Michelle Davidson Argyle, is about a kidnapped young woman whose plan to escape by ingratiating herself with her captors leaves her unsure about the difference between her real emotions and the complicated mind games necessary to survival. More on this exploration of Stockholm Syndrome tomorrow, when I'll have a guest post by the author!
Getaway is Lisa Brackmann's follow-up (though not a sequel) to Rock Paper Tiger. A woman's Mexican vacation veers into deadly territory, when what starts as a fling ensnares her in a dangerous underworld.
The Breakaway, by Michelle Davidson Argyle, is about a kidnapped young woman whose plan to escape by ingratiating herself with her captors leaves her unsure about the difference between her real emotions and the complicated mind games necessary to survival. More on this exploration of Stockholm Syndrome tomorrow, when I'll have a guest post by the author!
April 29, 2012
It's spring--I think
After a crazy week that included eighty-degree heat, a visit to Dr. Seuss's garden, classes on the craft and business of writing at the New England SCBWI spring conference, a visit with family, mountain hikes in both sunshine and snow (yes, snow), and a stint at the Albany Book Festival, I'm back online. My trusty work-in-progress manuscript accompanied me through all my recent adventures--from the summery to the wintry--providing its own special complications and joys.
On this Sunday when I'm reentering the atmosphere of my ordinary life, I thought I'd share this quote, which has been appropriate to so many stages of my journey:
"All the good things that have happened to me in the last several years have come, without exception, from a willingness to change, to risk the unknown, to do the very thing I feared most. Every poem, every page of fiction I have written has been written with anxiety, occasionally panic, and always with uncertainty about its reception. ... I have not ceased being fearful, but I have ceased to let fear control me. I have accepted fear as a part of life, specifically the fear of change, the fear of the unknown."
-- Erica Jong, "Blood and Guts: A Woman Writer in the Late Twentieth Century," from What Do Women Want?
And for some thoughts on spring as related to the writing life, here's my post at YA Outside the Lines on "Spring, romantic (or not)."
On this Sunday when I'm reentering the atmosphere of my ordinary life, I thought I'd share this quote, which has been appropriate to so many stages of my journey:
"All the good things that have happened to me in the last several years have come, without exception, from a willingness to change, to risk the unknown, to do the very thing I feared most. Every poem, every page of fiction I have written has been written with anxiety, occasionally panic, and always with uncertainty about its reception. ... I have not ceased being fearful, but I have ceased to let fear control me. I have accepted fear as a part of life, specifically the fear of change, the fear of the unknown."
-- Erica Jong, "Blood and Guts: A Woman Writer in the Late Twentieth Century," from What Do Women Want?
And for some thoughts on spring as related to the writing life, here's my post at YA Outside the Lines on "Spring, romantic (or not)."
April 19, 2012
Talking about books
Today I was privileged to visit with a class at a New Jersey college: a children's-literature class that had read The Secret Year. This is absolutely my favorite kind of author event: visiting with classes or book clubs who have read one of my books, and it's why I typically don't charge for such visits.
I've been so focused on Try Not to Breathe, which just came out in January, and the new manuscript I'm currently working on, that I haven't spent as much time lately hanging around in the mental world of The Secret Year. It was fun to go back. As I remarked to Toni DePalma, I have more detachment from this book--in a good way--because of the time that has passed. I still care about the book and its characters, but I'm less possessive and defensive, more accepting of different interpretations. I've realized that every reader brings his or her own experiences and expectations to a text, and what happens in a reader's mind is only partly directed by the author. And I'm okay with that.
The class made such intelligent, thoughtful comments about the book--and about secrecy, grief, and obsession (its major themes). They didn't always agree, and had some lively debates about whether Colt really matured by the end of the book, and what Julia would have done had she lived, and Michael's motivations for a certain act toward the end of the book. A few of the comments surprised me and made me look at my book in a new way. We also talked about how YA literature has evolved, and how cover designs and marketing have changed, and about censorship and edginess. In short, it was a delight: such experiences are among the best parts of being an author.
This is a nice note to go out on. I'll be temporarily "unplugging" from the internet for about a week, as I do a couple of times a year. When I return, I'll resume reading blogs but won't be able to catch up on all I'll miss in the interim, so if anything big happens to you this week (book sale, babies born, moving your blog to another address), please leave a comment below so I'll be sure to see it!
See ya soon.
I've been so focused on Try Not to Breathe, which just came out in January, and the new manuscript I'm currently working on, that I haven't spent as much time lately hanging around in the mental world of The Secret Year. It was fun to go back. As I remarked to Toni DePalma, I have more detachment from this book--in a good way--because of the time that has passed. I still care about the book and its characters, but I'm less possessive and defensive, more accepting of different interpretations. I've realized that every reader brings his or her own experiences and expectations to a text, and what happens in a reader's mind is only partly directed by the author. And I'm okay with that.
The class made such intelligent, thoughtful comments about the book--and about secrecy, grief, and obsession (its major themes). They didn't always agree, and had some lively debates about whether Colt really matured by the end of the book, and what Julia would have done had she lived, and Michael's motivations for a certain act toward the end of the book. A few of the comments surprised me and made me look at my book in a new way. We also talked about how YA literature has evolved, and how cover designs and marketing have changed, and about censorship and edginess. In short, it was a delight: such experiences are among the best parts of being an author.
This is a nice note to go out on. I'll be temporarily "unplugging" from the internet for about a week, as I do a couple of times a year. When I return, I'll resume reading blogs but won't be able to catch up on all I'll miss in the interim, so if anything big happens to you this week (book sale, babies born, moving your blog to another address), please leave a comment below so I'll be sure to see it!
See ya soon.
April 18, 2012
The Right & the Real
I won't go on at length here today, since Angelina C. Hansen (YA Scribe) posted an interview with me today--and a giveaway of Try Not to Breathe! She asked me about behind-the-scenes influences on the book. A sample: " ... sometimes during drafts, I will look up the answers to very specific questions, things I need to know to fill in holes in a draft. (For example, for Try Not to Breathe: How expensive is it to go sky diving? How old do you have to be?)"Please check it out if you like.
Also, for your viewing pleasure, a compelling trailer for Joelle Anthony's upcoming YA, The Right & the Real. I don't watch a lot of trailers, but I loved the bold images and the music in this one. Not to mention, it sounds like a compelling read!
Also, for your viewing pleasure, a compelling trailer for Joelle Anthony's upcoming YA, The Right & the Real. I don't watch a lot of trailers, but I loved the bold images and the music in this one. Not to mention, it sounds like a compelling read!
April 17, 2012
Writers' friends
In some ways, writing is a solitary endeavor. But that solitary dream is often built on the support of understanding families and mentors. And, of course, friends like these:
The one who shows up to your book event even when it is two hours from her house and a rainstorm keeps everyone else away, and stands loyally beside your signing table all night. She also tells the one customer who enters the store that your book will change his life--and not in a scary way, but in a friendly way that makes him buy the book and take extra bookmarks.
The one who listens to your 45000th lament that you have no talent, you don't know what you are going to do with these characters, and you have been thinking of becoming an electrician anyway.
The one who tells you that sour reviewer doesn't know what he's talking about.
The one who reminds you of that one writing tip you need to hear at the moment you need to hear it.
The one who makes you talk about stuff when you don't really want to talk about it, but you need to.
The one who doesn't make you talk about stuff when you need to forget about it for a while.
The one who calls when she finishes reading your book and tells you it made her cry. In a good way.
The one who admits, "Yeah, me, too," when you tell her you sometimes feel like an impostor who has no business writing books, and you realize that since she's such a good writer, this feeling is perhaps not entirely reliable.
The one who brings chocolate.
The one who cheers your good news.
The one who doesn't complain about not hearing from you while you are in a revision cave.
The one who doesn't complain about getting a flurry of email when you are in a writing crisis.
The one who makes you laugh.
Thank goodness for them all!
The one who shows up to your book event even when it is two hours from her house and a rainstorm keeps everyone else away, and stands loyally beside your signing table all night. She also tells the one customer who enters the store that your book will change his life--and not in a scary way, but in a friendly way that makes him buy the book and take extra bookmarks.
The one who listens to your 45000th lament that you have no talent, you don't know what you are going to do with these characters, and you have been thinking of becoming an electrician anyway.
The one who tells you that sour reviewer doesn't know what he's talking about.
The one who reminds you of that one writing tip you need to hear at the moment you need to hear it.
The one who makes you talk about stuff when you don't really want to talk about it, but you need to.
The one who doesn't make you talk about stuff when you need to forget about it for a while.
The one who calls when she finishes reading your book and tells you it made her cry. In a good way.
The one who admits, "Yeah, me, too," when you tell her you sometimes feel like an impostor who has no business writing books, and you realize that since she's such a good writer, this feeling is perhaps not entirely reliable.
The one who brings chocolate.
The one who cheers your good news.
The one who doesn't complain about not hearing from you while you are in a revision cave.
The one who doesn't complain about getting a flurry of email when you are in a writing crisis.
The one who makes you laugh.
Thank goodness for them all!
April 15, 2012
Truth and art
"She was a serious writer, and she wanted her book to be judged for its literary merit and not its heartbreaking content. ...
'It's amazing how you remember everything so clearly,' a woman said ... 'All those conversations, details. Were you ever worried that you might get something wrong?'
'I didn't remember it,' Lucy said pointedly. 'I wrote it. I'm a writer.'
This shocked the audience ... but she made her point: she was making art, not documenting an event. That she chose to tell her own extraordinary story was of secondary importance."
This excerpt is from Ann Patchett's book Truth & Beauty, about her friendship with Lucy Grealy. The above exchange, reported by Patchett as taking place at a live author event, is in reference to Lucy's Autobiography of a Face: her 1994 memoir about surviving a bout with cancer that left her with half a jaw, and how the physical changes to her face affected her. This discussion must have taken place around 1994, and it reflects something I have heard from memoirists and writers of creative nonfiction for years: This is an art. Liberties are taken with details in order to tell a greater truth and make a readable story. The irrelevancies, red herrings, detours, and distractions that clutter up life are smoothed over or omitted in order to showcase the story that the writer is focusing on. Split ends are fused; sequences are adjusted for the sake of flow; the raw story is polished until it shines.
Some nonfiction books point this out explicitly, putting the reader on notice that names and identifying details may have been changed, the sequence of events altered. Some characters may be composites. Dialogue is not necessarily verbatim. Other times, these changes are not spelled out. And different writers have different standards for how much they consider it acceptable to change or emphasize or omit.
In recent years, the "creative" aspect of creative nonfiction has come under more and more fire, especially as the line between journalism/reportage and creative writing has changed. I believe the standard for anything presented as news reporting is still that it must be factual, and quotes must be verbatim--at least, I certainly hope so. Reporters are allowed to mask names with aliases in order to protect sources or witnesses, but the actions, the numbers, the events and their sequence must be correct.
But what of essays, memoirs, and the like? There the line is fuzzier. As a reader who loves such works, it has been clear to me that artistic license is usually taken, but I'm not sure it has been clear to most readers. And that's probably where the greatest problem lies: readers want to know how much is literally true. Whatever license is taken, the audience should be on notice about.
I published one creative essay in my career, and I did not consciously change anything in that essay. This doesn't mean that the piece is necessarily flawless, only that any errors would be an oversight, or a failure of my memory or observation. I did not deliberately change anything for creative effect. I didn't feel comfortable doing so, and frankly I didn't need to, to get across the point of the essay. However, that is only the standard I used for myself as a writer in that instance. I'm not trying to put forth a rule for all writers (not that anyone's asking me to be the arbiter of writerly truth!).
I do think writers should be having this conversation, though: how many liberties can one take with nonfiction before it becomes fiction? And how can writers make clear to readers where they drew the line?
'It's amazing how you remember everything so clearly,' a woman said ... 'All those conversations, details. Were you ever worried that you might get something wrong?'
'I didn't remember it,' Lucy said pointedly. 'I wrote it. I'm a writer.'
This shocked the audience ... but she made her point: she was making art, not documenting an event. That she chose to tell her own extraordinary story was of secondary importance."
This excerpt is from Ann Patchett's book Truth & Beauty, about her friendship with Lucy Grealy. The above exchange, reported by Patchett as taking place at a live author event, is in reference to Lucy's Autobiography of a Face: her 1994 memoir about surviving a bout with cancer that left her with half a jaw, and how the physical changes to her face affected her. This discussion must have taken place around 1994, and it reflects something I have heard from memoirists and writers of creative nonfiction for years: This is an art. Liberties are taken with details in order to tell a greater truth and make a readable story. The irrelevancies, red herrings, detours, and distractions that clutter up life are smoothed over or omitted in order to showcase the story that the writer is focusing on. Split ends are fused; sequences are adjusted for the sake of flow; the raw story is polished until it shines.
Some nonfiction books point this out explicitly, putting the reader on notice that names and identifying details may have been changed, the sequence of events altered. Some characters may be composites. Dialogue is not necessarily verbatim. Other times, these changes are not spelled out. And different writers have different standards for how much they consider it acceptable to change or emphasize or omit.
In recent years, the "creative" aspect of creative nonfiction has come under more and more fire, especially as the line between journalism/reportage and creative writing has changed. I believe the standard for anything presented as news reporting is still that it must be factual, and quotes must be verbatim--at least, I certainly hope so. Reporters are allowed to mask names with aliases in order to protect sources or witnesses, but the actions, the numbers, the events and their sequence must be correct.
But what of essays, memoirs, and the like? There the line is fuzzier. As a reader who loves such works, it has been clear to me that artistic license is usually taken, but I'm not sure it has been clear to most readers. And that's probably where the greatest problem lies: readers want to know how much is literally true. Whatever license is taken, the audience should be on notice about.
I published one creative essay in my career, and I did not consciously change anything in that essay. This doesn't mean that the piece is necessarily flawless, only that any errors would be an oversight, or a failure of my memory or observation. I did not deliberately change anything for creative effect. I didn't feel comfortable doing so, and frankly I didn't need to, to get across the point of the essay. However, that is only the standard I used for myself as a writer in that instance. I'm not trying to put forth a rule for all writers (not that anyone's asking me to be the arbiter of writerly truth!).
I do think writers should be having this conversation, though: how many liberties can one take with nonfiction before it becomes fiction? And how can writers make clear to readers where they drew the line?
April 13, 2012
For your consideration
"That’s an especially American fantasy, I think: that you can meet the artist anywhere but in their work."--Dennis Haritou, "Ambition & the Writer," threeguysonebook.com
(I like this quote, even though I think you can meet me outside my work, but can probably meet me best within my work.)
"Knowledge and intellection [sic] serve a Tolstoi--but a Tolstoi must be older, must see more as well--and I am not going to be a Tolstoi. Surely, I will be a Kerouac, whatever that suggests."--Jack Kerouac, early April 1943, from Selected Letters 1940-1956, edited by Ann Charters
For those of you in the vicinity of Cherry Hill, NJ, here's a Monday night event:
NJAN multi-author panel/Q&A at Cherry Hill Public Library, 1100 Kings Highway North, Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08034-1911, on Monday, April 16th at 7pm. WRITING FOR YOUNGER READERS: Local authors share tips and information on getting published in today’s YA, Middle Grade and Children’s markets (organized by the New Jersey Authors Network).Join New Jersey-area authors, Kelly R. Fineman; Gregory Frost; Jon Gibbs and Jennifer R. Hubbard, for a fun, informative discussion on writing for younger readers, and the various options available to writers in today’s market.
(If you were planning on going to the Saturday, April 14 NJAN event at the Voorhees branch library, please note, that one has been postponed until summer.)
(I like this quote, even though I think you can meet me outside my work, but can probably meet me best within my work.)
"Knowledge and intellection [sic] serve a Tolstoi--but a Tolstoi must be older, must see more as well--and I am not going to be a Tolstoi. Surely, I will be a Kerouac, whatever that suggests."--Jack Kerouac, early April 1943, from Selected Letters 1940-1956, edited by Ann Charters
For those of you in the vicinity of Cherry Hill, NJ, here's a Monday night event:
NJAN multi-author panel/Q&A at Cherry Hill Public Library, 1100 Kings Highway North, Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08034-1911, on Monday, April 16th at 7pm. WRITING FOR YOUNGER READERS: Local authors share tips and information on getting published in today’s YA, Middle Grade and Children’s markets (organized by the New Jersey Authors Network).Join New Jersey-area authors, Kelly R. Fineman; Gregory Frost; Jon Gibbs and Jennifer R. Hubbard, for a fun, informative discussion on writing for younger readers, and the various options available to writers in today’s market.
(If you were planning on going to the Saturday, April 14 NJAN event at the Voorhees branch library, please note, that one has been postponed until summer.)
